Themis A. Papageorge
Associate Clinical Professor and Director - Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Employer Relations
EDUCATION
- PhD in Risk Management, MIT
- MS in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, MIT
- BS in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, NTUA School of Engineering
BIOGRAPHY
Professor Themis Papageorge became the director of the Master of Science in Information Assurance Program in 2009. Prof. Papageorge is responsible for overseeing the program curriculum and introducing the online version worldwide. The MS in Information Assurance program, now offered both on-campus and online at Northeastern University, is available to an increased number of domestic and international students. He teaches the foundations of information assurance and the security risk management and assessment courses. Prof. Papageorge’s twenty-five years of corporate experience in technology, planning and process, and system redesign included a decade of executive management positions with information assurance companies. Most recently, he was vice president of services at Guardium, a leader in real-time database security, auditing, and monitoring. Prior to that, he was vice president of services at Courion, a leader in identity access management, authentication, and security. Prof. Papageorge has also held management positions at Digital Equipment Corporation. He received his PhD in risk management and engineering economics from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an MS in naval architecture and marine engineering from MIT, and a BS in naval architecture and marine engineering from National Technical University of Athens, Greece.
Hometown
Weston, Massachusetts
Field of research/teaching
Information Assurance and Cybersecurity
What is your research focus?
For my PhD thesis at MIT, I focused on risk management, including assets, threats, vulnerabilities, and resulting strategic, security, and financial risks. Since then, I have worked in risk management applications development, products, processes, systems, and security controls that manage risks, mitigate losses, and enable effective executive decision making for companies and government agencies.
What courses/subjects do you teach?
- Foundations of Information Assurance
- Security Risk Management and Assessment
What do you enjoy or find most rewarding about what you teach?
I enjoy teaching information assurance and cybersecurity courses that prepare and enable our students to pursue rewarding careers, with the goal to become chief information security officers. I teach some of the best and brightest domestic and international students, with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and a strong interest in cybersecurity careers that benefit their lives and society at-large.
Where did you grow up or spend your most defining years?
I grew up in Athens, Greece and Boston, Massachusetts.
Where did you study?
I studied at MIT because it offered the programs I was excited about, and I had a strong interest in the leading advanced research available at that institution. I earned my BS at NTUA because it offered outstanding undergraduate teaching and research opportunities.
What are the specifics of your industry experience?
My experience is in information assurance and cybersecurity throughout the computer and software industry. I have had positions ranging from risk management applications development, to computer product management and marketing, to process and systems re-engineering, to executive management of departments and security companies.