Ernesto Zaldivar
Associate Professor of the Practice of Computer Science
| Phone: | 401-863-9367 |
| Email: | ernesto_zaldivar@brown.edu |
| Research Areas: | Security, Security Policy, Human-Computer Interaction |
Ernesto Zaldivar is an Associate Professor of the Practice of Computer Science at Brown University and co-founder of the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program. He currently serves as Co-Chair of both the Executive Committee and the Admissions Committee for the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program.
Professor Zaldivar formerly served as the Faculty Administrative Coordinator of the Master of Science in Cybersecurity program as well as the Director of Graduate Studies for the program's Policy Track. He created and developed CSCI 1360 Human Factors in Cybersecurity and CSCI 2999A Cybersecurity Management Within Business, Government, and Non-Profit Organizations. He teaches these courses along with CSCI 1800 Cybersecurity and International Relations.
His research is focused on cybersecurity practices within organizations, the cybersecurity implications of artificial intelligence and deepfakes, security operations centers, hack backs, election security, and the intersection of law and cybersecurity.
Professor Zaldivar has conducted novel field research to benchmark the way that Fortune 500 companies, financial firms, and government entities approach teaching employees to spot malicious cyber actors. In 2019, the Financial Times and McKinsey & Company named him as a finalist for the Bracken Bower Prize for a book proposal based on his information security research.
In addition to earning his Executive Master in Cybersecurity at Brown, Professor Zaldivar earned his Doctor of Law (Juris Doctor) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Education in Specialized Studies on Organizational Behavior, Management, and Training at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a former Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellow at Princeton University. Since September 2021, he has been a mentor for the Field X and Field Y MBA courses at Harvard Business School. In 2024, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) selected Professor Zaldivar as an AILA International Fellow.
