Subrata Acharya

Subrata Acharya is a computer scientist and the lead for the research expansion efforts across the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate (NSF CISE). In this role, she also serves as a liaison for the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and advisor to the NSF CISE Office of the Assistant Director on initiatives aimed at enhancing research capacity in emerging research institutions. 

Before joining the NSF CISE Directorate, she served as a program officer and disciplinary expert in the NSF Office of Integrative Activities for the Research Capacity, contributing to the Research Capacity and Competitiveness Program. Currently, she manages an extensive portfolio of cooperative agreements and standard and continuation grants. Her work focuses on building research capacity, promoting entrepreneurship, stimulating workforce development, and broadening participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields across the U.S. 

Acharya leads the NSF CISE Research Expansion Programs and serves as the CISE co-lead for various NSF-wide programs, including the NSF Expand Artificial Intelligence, Historically Black Colleges and Universities–Excellence in Research, the NSF Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Campus Cyberinfrastructure Program, NSF Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science and the NSF INCLUDES Big Idea initiative. 

Acharya has served as a disciplinary expert and external evaluator for the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Defense in the areas of cyber operations, risk management and compliance. She is a passionate advocate for promoting equity and advancing computing research to support scientific discovery nationwide. 

With over two decades of academic and professional leadership experience prior to her tenure at NSF, Acharya has successfully collaborated with federal, state and industry partners in various capacities. She earned her doctorate in computer science, with a major in network security, from the University of Pittsburgh, and her Master of Science degree in computer engineering, with a major in embedded systems from Texas A&M University-College Station. She dedicated over 14 years as a tenured professor in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Towson University, part of the University System of Maryland. 

Throughout her career, Acharya has played a pivotal role in establishing and sustaining research and capacity-building initiatives. At the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, she helped develop policies and protocols to ensure healthcare security compliance and improve medical accountability. At Towson University, she co-led the establishment of the Center for Cyber Operations, advancing interdisciplinary research in cybersecurity. Her research has culminated in over 100 peer-reviewed publications and a U.S. patent as lead inventor for a "Method and Apparatus for Optimizing a Firewall." 

Acharya continues to serve as a science ambassador and policy advisor for various U.S. federal agencies, including the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she promotes science engagement and its applications for entrepreneurial and societal benefits. In 2024, she graduated from the Senior Executive Federal Cohort Program at the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, College of Professional Studies. <