Bush School Professor Kevin Gamache Ph.D. ‘12 will lead work to identify and mitigate threats to the U.S. research community.
Dr. Kevin Gamache ’12, a graduate of and lecturer in the Bush School and the Chief Research Security Officer for The Texas A&M University System, is tasked with protecting research spanning 11 universities and seven state agencies from growing threats of theft, breaches and non-compliance. This is notable since Texas A&M University’s annual research expenditures reached $1.153 billion in fiscal year 2022, ranking it 23rd in the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey released in 2023.
This expertise rooted in practice and education is perhaps why Gamache has been chosen to lead the $17 million project SECURE Analytics that will advise the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) SECURE Center.
“Texas A&M is uniquely positioned to lead SECURE Analytics, given our deep experience in research security, our prominence in the field on a national and international stage and our extensive network,” Gamache said. “This is a natural evolution for us. The Texas A&M System was one of the first organizations to establish a Research Security Office. Our program is a model that is continually emulated by other universities here in the United States and internationally.”
About SECURE Analytics
SECURE Analytics is one of two major components in the NSF’s five-year, $67 million investment into the Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE) Center resulting from the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. SECURE Analytics will be led by Texas A&M University in partnership with The Hoover Institution at Stanford University and Parallax Advanced Research, a nonprofit research institute. The partnership will provide enhanced expertise in threat analyses, risk modeling and data reporting to and through the SECURE Center.
SECURE Analytics will also support the broader research community while working to protect the privacy of the center’s users. The director of the Hoover Institution, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, will chair an advisory board for SECURE Analytics, comprising of distinguished scientists, national security professionals, technology entrepreneurs and a civil rights attorney.
Defining and Addressing Research Threats and Security
According to Gamache, research security is a significant concern for the country and universities due to the potential issues of economic and national security threats, undue foreign influence and cybersecurity risks. Therefore, addressing research security from within and outside research institutions requires special attention as to how these threats can be carried out.
“Research institutions, particularly those receiving federal funding, are increasingly concerned about attempts by foreign entities to exert undue influence on research activities, for example,” Gamache said. “This can involve attempts to access proprietary information, steer research directions or exploit research outcomes for unauthorized purposes. Also, research security includes research misconduct and falsification of results.”
Leaving these issues without solutions or prevention could then compound into even more issues, such as undermining public trust in the scientific process, causing delays in scientific breakthroughs, imposing significant financial burdens on research institutions and the exploitation of research with dual-use potential for both civilian and military purposes. Therefore, much of Gamache’s expertise includes addressing various measures to strengthen cybersecurity, enhance due diligence procedures, promote research integrity training and implement stricter data access controls.
“Malicious actors can exploit vulnerabilities in research infrastructure to steal sensitive data, intellectual property or confidential research findings,” Gamache said. “Such breaches can lead to the loss of years of work, financial setbacks and reputational damage for researchers and institutions. By proactively addressing these threats, research institutions can create a safer and more secure environment for scientific inquiry, fostering innovation and ensuring the integrity of research outcomes.”
About Dr. Kevin Gamache
Gamache, from San Angelo, Texas, first joined the Texas A&M System as an executive programs manager for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service in 2005. He would then go on to receive a Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security (CHLS) from The Bush School in 2008 before attaining a Ph.D. in Water Management & Hydrological Sciences in Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture & Life Sciences in 2014.
In 2021, Gamache became the Assistant Vice Chancellor for National Security Strategic Initiatives. He began his present role as Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Research Security Officer in 2022. Gamache is also the associate director for the Texas A&M Global Cyber Research Institute and director of the Research and Innovation Security and Competitiveness (RISC) Institute, a strategic initiative designed to enhance research security and competitiveness of universities and small and medium-sized businesses nationwide.
“The education I received from The Bush School laid the foundation for the research security program I put in place here at Texas A&M,” Gamache said. “The insight and effort Bush School students have put into research security-related projects for the FBI, the State Department and the private sector have all made our program the best in the country. I don’t view the accolades we have received over the past ten years as mine. They are part of a team effort that has resulted in Texas A&M being recognized as having the premier research security program in the United States.”
Gamache has been a lecturer for The Bush School since 2015, teaching the graduate-level capstone in the Executive Master’s Degree in Public Service and Administration (EMPSA) as well as a graduate-level course titled “Protection of the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure” for the CHLS. For the EMPSA capstone, Gamache provides mentorship to Bush School students addressing an important policy and administrative issue by developing specific recommendations for design, implementation and evaluation of a project. For his CHLS course, Gamache lectures on U.S. strategies for Critical Infrastructure Protection, securing cyberspace and the definition of critical infrastructures to prepare students for professional careers in the conduct of international affairs.
“I’ve testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security & Immigration, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Science Committee,” Gamache said. “I also frequently meet with congressional leaders and their staffs to provide a perspective from ‘the trenches’ on the threats we face to our research enterprise. My career experiences have provided great breadth and depth in public service, which is highly relevant to my position at the Bush School.”
About the SECURE Center
SECURE Analytics will advise the NSF SECURE Center led by the University of Washington. The SECURE Center, an acronym meaning Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem, will establish a safe platform for members of the U.S. research community from institutes of higher learning, nonprofits and businesses to share information and reports on research security risks and provide training on research security. The center will also serve as a bridge between the research community and government funding agencies to strengthen cooperation on addressing security concerns and operate as a clearinghouse for information to empower the research community to identify and mitigate foreign interference that poses risks to the U.S. research enterprise.
The SECURE Center will be a nexus point for five regional centers managed by six institutes of higher education to ensure that research security is community-designed, community-used and community-improved: Southwest – Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at San Antonio; Northeast – Northeastern University; Southeast – Emory University; Midwest – University of Missouri; and West – University of Washington. The fact that a Bush School graduate and lecturer will be a key leader in this national effort speaks to the school’s quality of students and professionals working in public service.
“I hope SECURE creates a security culture that is viewed as an integral part of our research enterprise,” Gamache said. “Research Security will become increasingly crucial in supporting international collaboration, ensuring that the work of our best and brightest researchers is protected, and facilitating robust international collaborations with the best and brightest scholars in the world.”
