The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Washington State University continues to advance its leadership in cybersecurity education as Dr. Ananth Jillepalli, career-track assistant professor on the Pullman campus, has been recognized as WSU’s Splunk Academic Alliance Ambassador by Cisco Systems.
This distinction places Dr. Jillepalli among approximately 300 global educators acknowledged by Cisco for their exceptional impact in hands-on cybersecurity education. As an Academic Alliance Ambassador, he integrates Cisco-designed curricula into WSU courses, capstone projects, and independent studies, providing students with early exposure to cybersecurity operations, data pipelining, and incident response skills. These applied experiences enhance classroom learning while strengthening pathways to internships, research opportunities, and career readiness.
The recognition aligns with WSU’s commitment to experiential learning and industry partnership. Through continued collaboration between WSU and Cisco, Dr. Jillepalli plans to expand academic offerings, mentor student-led cybersecurity operations initiatives, and support interdisciplinary cybersecurity applications across engineering.
