Google Cloud’s chief information security officer to speak at CERIAS symposium

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — CERIAS, Purdue University’s Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security, will convene leading public- and private-sector experts to discuss the latest advancements and challenges in cybersecurity at its 26th annual Cybersecurity Symposium on April 1-2.

The symposium agenda is online here and registration is available here. For extensive information on the agenda, speakers and registration details, please visit the CERIAS Cybersecurity Symposium website.  

The event will begin with a keynote address by Phil Venables, chief information security officer (CISO) at Google Cloud. Venables has been at the forefront of cybersecurity, risk management and technological innovation during his 30-year career.

Venables currently leads the risk, security, compliance and privacy teams at Google Cloud, ensuring the protection of the platform’s worldwide user base. Before he joined Google, he served as a partner and the first CISO at Goldman Sachs, a position he held for 17 years.

In his keynote, titled “From Artisanal to Industrial: Delivering Security at Scale for Business and Technology Agility,” Venables will explore strategies for scaling security measures to meet the growing demands of modern business environments, emphasizing the balance between robust protection and operational flexibility. His talk is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, April 1, in the faculty lounges of the Purdue Memorial Union.

After his talk, Venables will participate in a fireside chat with Eugene Spafford, CERIAS fellow and executive director emeritus and professor of computer science. along with Michael Clothier, sector CISO for aeronautics systems at multinational aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman Corp., and Kelley Misata, founder and CEO of Sightline Security, a company that helps nonprofits to operationalize cybersecurity. The discussion will delve into the themes of Venables’ keynote and will allow attendees to ask questions about cybersecurity issues.

The second day of the symposium will begin at 9 a.m. with a keynote talk by Misata titled “Mission Possible: Securing Nonprofits in the Age of AI.” Misata — whose expertise spans cybersecurity, specializing in nonprofit security, network security, assessments and the strategic use of open-source technologies — also serves as president of the Open Information Security Foundation. She is a renowned advocate for improving cybersecurity practices within underserved enterprises, nonprofits and community sectors.

Clothier will give the closing keynote address titled “IT, OT, IoT — It’s Really Just the ‘T’: An International and Historical Perspective,” at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 2.

The two-day symposium also will feature a series of panels, technology talks and networking sessions covering a range of topics, including:

• “The Evolution of the Purdue Industrial Control System Security Model”
• “Lessons from Cyber Battlefield: Protecting the United States from Cyber Attacks”
• “The Intersection Between AI and Cybersecurity”

A highlight of the event is the CERIAS Student Poster Session at 6:30 p.m. April 1 in the Union’s North Ballroom. This session will showcase innovative research projects by emerging scholars who can discuss their work with industry professionals.

About CERIAS

The Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security at Purdue University is a world-renowned interdisciplinary academic center dedicated to advancing the knowledge and practice of information assurance, security and privacy. It is the world’s foremost interdisciplinary academic center for cyber and cyber-physical systems. More than a hundred CERIAS researchers are addressing issues of security, privacy, resiliency, trusted electronics, autonomy and explainable artificial intelligence.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.

Media contact: Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu