Joining NSA in July 2011, Dr. Deborah Frincke comes to the Agency with an outstanding record of accomplishment in private industry and academia. Her research spans a broad cross section of computer security with a focus on infrastructure defense and computer security education. Most recently she was Chief Scientist for Cyber Security at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). At PNNL since 2004, Dr. Frincke led their internal research investment in cyber security. Additionally, she is an Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington's Information School. Prior to her tenure at PNNL, Dr. Frincke was a full professor at the University of Idaho and co-founder/co-director of their Center for Secure and Dependable Systems, one of the first such institutions to receive NSA's designation of a National Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education. Moreover, Dr. Frincke was one of the four original co-founders of TriGeo Network Security, where she served as Lead Scientist and CTO.

Dr. Frincke earned her bachelor's degree in computer science and mathematics from the University of California, Davis, and her master's and doctorate degrees in computer science from University of California, Davis. A nationally-recognized expert in her field, she has published over 80 articles and technical reports spanning a variety of cyber security-related topics, and is an active member of several editorial and advisory boards. She co-edits the Security Education Board column for IEEE Security and Privacy, and serves on the editorial board for technical publications such as the International Journal of Information and Computer Security, the Elsevier International Journal of Computer Networks, and the Journal of Computer Security.

With her proven record in inspiring and championing research and technical innovation, Dr. Frincke will continue the proud tradition of NSA Research by tackling and solving the Agency's hardest technical, scientific and mathematical problems.