Subrata Acharya

Dr. Subrata Acharya is a computer scientist and the Lead Program Officer for research expansion efforts across the National Science Foundation’s Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering Directorate. Prior to her tenue at CISE, she has served as a Program Officer and disciplinary expert with the NSF Office of Integrative Activities for the Research Capacity and Competitiveness Program. She currently manages a large portfolio of cooperative agreements, standard and continuation grants, aimed at building research capacity, promoting entrepreneurship, stimulating workforce development, and broadening participation across the national STEM enterprise. She leads the CISE Research Expansion Programs and is the CISE co-lead for various NSF cross divisional and cross directorate programs including Expand AI, CISE Research Expansion, HBCU-Excellence in Research, Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Campus Cyberinfrastructure, Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science, and NSF INCLUDES Big Idea. She has served as a disciplinary expert and external evaluator for the National Security Agency and Department of Defense in the area of Cyber Operations, Risk Management and Compliance. She is an ardent advocate to promote equity and advancement of computing research in all aspects of scientific discovery across our nation.

For over twenty years, prior to Dr. Acharya’s tenure at NSF, she has successfully lent her expertise in leading various academic and leadership positions in collaboration with federal, state, and industrial partners. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science (Major: Network Security) from the University of Pittsburgh and M.S. in Computer Engineering (Major: Embedded Systems) from Texas A&M University-College Station. She has served for over fourteen years as a tenured Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Systems at the University System of Maryland-Towson.

Throughout her career, Dr. Acharya has been instrumental in establishing and sustaining research and capacity building efforts in collaboration with numerous academic, industrial, state, and federal partners. She has been instrumental in establishing policies and protocols to ensure healthcare security compliance and contributing to the development of medical accountability in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She has served as a co-lead in establishing the Center for Cyber Operations at the University of Maryland-Towson. Her research endeavors have been effectual in contributing to various interdisciplinary research outcomes aimed at promoting innovation and capacity building across the region. Dr. Acharya has published over eighty peer-reviewed disseminations, including as lead inventor for the US patent on Method and Apparatus for Optimizing a Firewall. She continues to lead as a science ambassador and policy advisor to various US federal agencies, including the Office of Science and Technology Policy with goals to promote engagement and advancement for science and its applications towards entrepreneurial and societal outcomes.

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