The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa brought together cybersecurity experts, researchers and industry leaders on April 29 for the Indo-Pacific Cybersecurity Innovation Forum, a daylong event focused on strengthening digital security, critical infrastructure resilience and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Held at Campus Center, the forum featured technical talks, policy discussions and workshops aimed at expanding regional cybersecurity capacity and building stronger public-private partnerships across the Indo-Pacific. Speakers included David Carroll of GDIT; Josiah Dykstra and Mengran Xue of RTX BBN; Robert Martin and Nick Tsamis of MITRE; as well as leaders from local fintech organizations and startups, highlighting the forum¡¯²õ emphasis on cross-sector collaboration.
“UH Mānoa is positioning Â鶹´«Ã½ as a hub for Indo-Pacific cybersecurity by uniting academia, industry and government to address real-world threats and strengthen critical infrastructure resilience,” said UH Mānoa Professor Mehdi Tarrit Mirakhorli.
Threats, resilience
Speakers addressed emerging threats to critical infrastructure, supply chain security and the growing role of AI in both cyberattacks and defense systems. Sessions also examined how organizations can better anticipate and respond to evolving risks in complex digital environments.
UH Mānoa faculty and researchers joined national experts from government, industry and research institutions to discuss strategies for improving cybersecurity readiness. Topics included protecting transportation systems, securing software supply chains and improving detection of adversarial behavior in critical networks. The event also included a panel of chief information security officers from financial institutions and UH Mānoa, who discussed real-world challenges in protecting sensitive data and maintaining secure operations in fast-changing threat landscapes.
Afternoon sessions highlighted advances in cyber threat intelligence, secure cloud systems and resilience testing for critical infrastructure. Researchers also explored how human behavior, economics and system design influence cybersecurity outcomes.
Craig Opie, co-founder and CTO of Holocron Security, said, “As an island community, critical infrastructure resilience is personal. If power, water, communications or healthcare systems fail, our families and neighbors feel the impact immediately. We have to make the delivery of secure, compliant technology repeatable and built for real-world consequences. I’m proud to be part of events like the Indo-Pacific Cybersecurity Innovation Forum that help educate, empower and protect our community.”
The Department of Information and Computer Sciences is housed in UH Mānoa¡¯²õ .