School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems

The School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS) integrates a range of educational programs and interdisciplinary research. Our programs integrate computational and data sciences with engineering, natural and social sciences, arts, and business. Our faculty and academic programs combine expertise in environmental and ecological informatics, health and bioinformatics, computer science, and electrical engineering.

Director’s Welcome

Who We Are

Our Degrees

We offer undergraduate and graduate programs in Informatics, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science. Our students are involved in a broad range of research and applied experiences. Explore our programs below!

Undergraduate

Graduate

Research & Emphasis Areas

Our school’s faculty, students, and staff bring interdisciplinary expertise to bear on applied and basic research problems in several emphasis areas, and in partnership with a variety of local and global partners. SICCS currently emphasizes five major areas of research.

Schmitz, Oswald J., et al. “Animals and the zoogeochemistry of the carbon cycle.” Science 362.6419 (2018): eaar3213.
Ogle, Kiona. “Hyperactive soil microbes might weaken the terrestrial carbon sink.” Nature (2018): 32.
Richardson, Andrew D., et al. “Ecosystem warming extends vegetation activity but heightens vulnerability to cold temperatures.” Nature 560.7718 (2018): 368.
Buermann, Wolfgang, et al. “Widespread seasonal compensation effects of spring warming on northern plant productivity.” Nature 562.7725 (2018): 110.
McManamay, Ryan A., et al. “US cities can manage national hydrology and biodiversity using local infrastructure policy.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114.36 (2017): 9581-9586.
Lu, Xiankai, et al.“Plant acclimation to long-term high nitrogen deposition in an N-rich tropical forest.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115.20 (2018): 5187-5192.

Our research is supported through collaborations with other university entities such as:

Our regional research partners include:

News

Take a look at what’s currently happening in the world of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems.

Innovative greenhouse gas detection software to help cities improve air quality

Professor Kevin Gurney of NAU’s School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems is building a detailed three-dimensional map of the urban Washington, D.C. area that will reveal every source of greenhouse gas being emitted into the atmosphere down to individual buildings, like the Pentagon, and roads such as Pennsylvania Ave.

NAU scientists help chart a path to understand how Arctic vegetation is changing

Professors Scott Goetz and Logan Berner from School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems are involved in an effort that brings together a variety of science institutions around the world to look into what the warming planet means for vegetation productivity. Read More

NAU TV covers exciting developments in new SICCS degree programs with Director Ben Ruddell

Can open source software be gender-biased? Yes, say NAU professors who are working to eliminate gender-biased ‘bugs’

SICCS professors Igor Steinmacher and Marco Geraso are half a team that aims to identify gender bias in code, then propose ways to redesign the OSS documentation and eventually create a list of best practices for fixing gender-bias bugs in both products and processes. Read more

Inside NAU covers Dr. Andrew Richardson and PhenoCam

A new paper by Northern Arizona University professor Andrew Richardson published in the journal Scientific Data describes a vast network of digital cameras designed to capture millions of images documenting seasonal changes of vegetation across North America. The network, dubbed PhenoCam, is the result of a 10-year collaboration between Richardson, who led the effort, and scientists from the University of New Hampshire and Boston University to develop a reliable continental-scale observatory of phenological phenomena.

SICCS is looking for a Lecturer in Computer Science and Informatics

We are hiring a Lecturer in Computer Science and Informatics. Job ID: 604646 More details

SICCS is looking for a Lecturer in the area of cybersecurity

We are hiring a Lecturer in the area of cybersecurity . Job ID: 604738 More details

NAU team races to find cybersecurity solutions

According to cyber experts, it could be a matter of years before hackers are able to access everything from personal files to bank accounts, unless new technologies can beat them to it. Dr. Bertrand Cambou and Dr. Paul Flikkema are the lead investigators in a research project that was awarded a $6.3 million grant from the U.S. Air Force. Read more

SICCS is looking for Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Cybersecurity Engineering and Electrical Engineering

We are hiring an open-rank faculty in the area of cybersecurity. Job ID: 604642 More details.

By the numbers

1025

Undergraduate Students

87

Graduate Students

53%

International & Minority Students

$4.8M

Research expenditures (11% increase from 2018)

School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems