Computing Student Wins Fulbright Award for Security Research
Matthew Cherrey never traveled overseas — no high school trip to Europe, no semester abroad as an undergrad, no spring breaks in exotic, far away locales — but he always wanted to do so, particularly to Germany where his family has roots. Now he's getting an opportunity, representing NJIT next year as a Fulbright Research Award Scholar.
The Ying Wu College of Computing alumnus and future graduate student will travel to Darmstadt, just south of Frankfurt, to spend several months at the Darmstadt University of Technology. Working with a team led by prominent Internet security expert Prof. Marc Fischlin, Matthew’s research will address the growing need for stronger, safer Internet security protocols. Cherrey previously was a software engineering intern at Facebook.
Beyond the family connections to the country — his parents lived there as newlyweds when his father served in the military, his aunt and uncle lived there, and his cousin was born there — chose Germany because of the European Union’s strong focus on data privacy. Germany, with its vibrant industrial sector, is leading the charge among EU nations to improve computer privacy and security. Experts like Fischlin are actively working on new solutions to these challenges.
“When you apply for a Fulbright study/research award, one of the first things they ask you to do is to identify a researcher in the host country with whom you would like to work, and I was eager to connect with Professor Fischlin,” said Cherrey, of Westfield, NJ, who received his B.S. in computer science last May. “I was immediately drawn to his expertise in cryptography and network security protocols and I am excited to work with him to develop and implement a general model of a safe network security protocol.”
“I am proud that a talented young computer scientist like Matthew will represent YWCC and the United States as a Fulbright Scholar,” said Craig Gotsman, dean of the college. “International collaboration is a fertile breeding ground for good ideas and can only benefit science and technology. I look forward to hearing about Matthew’s experience in Germany and how he can continue that here at NJIT as a graduate student working with our own strong cybersecurity research group.”
Cherrey hopes that his work with Fischlin will result in a new security protocol that experts can begin testing and eventually use in their efforts to improve Internet security in Europe and elsewhere.
When not in the lab, Cherrey said he's eager to explore the country where his parents lived, get to know about the culture and people and experience daily life in a different part of the world.
Cherrey is NJIT's second recent Fulbright winner. Hillier College of Architecture and Design student Daniel Meza also won the award.
