Addressing the critical need to enhance
research security across U.S. universities.
Applications closed on December 15, 2025.
This page will be soon updated with information for attendees
This workshop is funded by NSF grant #2537398, which includes funding for 25 attendees travel, hotel, and meals. Applications will be considered for individuals willing to attend the workshop at their own expense, with a $200 registration fee required.
What is Research on Research Security?
Our universities now face very competent foreign intelligence agencies that seek to steal cutting-edge research from schools using complex and hard-to-detect techniques. Far too many universities do not fully understand the lengths to which those adversaries are willing to go. Over the last several years, universities have been highlighted in news media reports for violating export control laws, engaging in foreign influence operations, and losing sensitive research to our foreign adversaries.
Through this workshop, we are asking what it means to research security - how it works, what it is, different frameworks, the scope/challenges of the field. This workshop is designed to address the critical need for enhanced research security across U.S. universities by gaining a greater understanding of comparative risks across these institutions.
Intended Participation
The primary participants for this workshop will be Research security officers or equivalent personnel who are responsible for implementing programs around research security mandated by NSPM-33 from recent R1 institutions and rising R2 institutions across the United States. These institutions are often rapidly expanding their research portfolios and securing new funding, which can introduce research security challenges and opportunities for broader impact. These institutions may face unique challenges in building the infrastructure needed for research at their new level and may be interested in pooling resources or seeking innovative solutions already utilized by established R1s and R2s.
Workshop Purpose
This will be a collaborative workshop. The RORS Workshop is launching a Group Level Assessment (GLA), which is a participatory, qualitative research methodology designed to engage large groups of stakeholders in collaboratively generating, analyzing, and prioritizing data to inform action planning. Through structured dialogue and analysis, participants will identify key challenges, institutional concerns, and future research priorities in the field. The workshop aims to produce actionable insights to enhance research security frameworks, foster collaborative proposal development, and publish a comprehensive research security brief for broad dissemination. Ultimately, the effort seeks to strengthen community connections and build a sustained network of professionals advancing research security across higher education.
Plenary Speakers
Amy Brenneke - Project Manager for the SECURE Center’s Midwest Region at the University of Missouri–Kansas City
Prior to joining the SECURE Center, Amy served for 16 years as a security professional with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), ultimately holding the position of Chief Security Officer for the Kansas City Division. During her tenure with the FBI, she led efforts to ensure the physical protection of classified and sensitive information, directed continuity of operations during national security threats, and fostered a culture of security awareness. She regularly collaborated with local, state, and federal agencies—as well as internal departments—to strengthen interagency coordination and enhance overall security effectiveness. Her leadership ensured that FBI personnel were well-equipped to safeguard themselves and the information entrusted to them against threats from criminals, terrorists, and foreign intelligence services. Amy holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Lincoln University.
Matthew Hellman - Chief Research Security Officer for Michigan Technological University
He joined MTU after retiring from the Federal Bureau of Investigation where he worked as a Supervisory Special Agent and Special Agent for over 28 years. The bulk of Matt’s time was spent on Counterintelligence matters, with approximately 14 of those years working directly with universities, defense contractors, and private industry, helping to protect their research and intellectual property. Matt also spent several years in an undercover capacity in roles that are applicable to providing insight into the threat to research security. Matt holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from MTU.
Peter Joliffe - Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Detroit Field Office'
He has been assigned to work counterintelligence matters since 2010. Prior to the FBI, Special Agent Jolliffe worked as an engineer for a decade, in both the private sector and with the Department of Defense.
Lee Stadler - Design Lead for the SECURE Center’s Midwest Region at the University of Missouri - Kansas City
A designer and educator of over 20 years, he works in the problem spaces of: research security, critical care, data analytics, higher education, philanthropy, non-profit development, and civic engagement. His work includes the design of organizational services and growth strategies, methods for the temporal analysis of problem spaces, and frameworks for the visualization of cognitive dynamics. His work addresses the human response to organizational identity and ideology over time. Lee holds a Master’s Degree in Design Strategy and Management from the University of Kansas.
