ReliaQuest announced a $1.5 million investment to expand AI cybersecurity research and education at the University of South Florida’s College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.
The gift will establish the college’s first endowed professorship and create a new study track within the ReliaQuest Labs program focused on artificial intelligence-supported software engineering.
The ReliaQuest AI and Cybersecurity Professorship is intended to help USF attract and retain top faculty talent while supporting research in AI cybersecurity. The investment also expands the longstanding ReliaQuest Labs experiential learning program at USF, which gives students hands-on experience that complements classroom instruction.
ReliaQuest Labs was established in 2018 to help students work on real-world cybersecurity challenges. More than 300 USF students have graduated from the program since its launch, with many accepting jobs at ReliaQuest or other cybersecurity employers.
The new gift adds a second track in AI-enabled software engineering to the program’s existing cybersecurity operations focus. The new track will focus on software engineering and emerging areas such as prompt engineering, aligning with growing industry demand for AI-driven security skills.
ReliaQuest said the investment is designed to help prepare students for evolving workforce needs as AI reshapes both cybersecurity threats and defensive operations.
ReliaQuest is an agentic AI cybersecurity company whose GreyMatter platform is designed to help organizations detect threats, run investigations, execute responses, and hunt across their technology stacks using plain language.
The University of South Florida serves approximately 50,000 students across campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee, and USF Health. The university reported an all-time high of $750 million in research funding in 2025.
KEY QUOTES:
“Cybersecurity is the greatest technical challenge of our generation, and with AI reshaping the threat landscape, it’s only getting more complex. That just creates even more opportunity for talented individuals to enter this industry. Our partnership with USF has always been about making sure students graduate ready to seize that opportunity, and this investment helps do that on a broader scale.”
Brian Murphy, Founder and CEO of ReliaQuest
“ReliaQuest’s support enables USF to expand cutting-edge research and education in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity by attracting exceptional faculty members. The ReliaQuest Labs provide a powerful experiential learning environment, one of the core pillars of our academic mission, where students engage directly with real-world challenges and translate research and innovation into impact.”
Sudeep Sarkar, Launch Dean and Professor at USF’s College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing
“This transformative gift enhances USF’s hands-on learning opportunities for students while supporting USF’s efforts to attract and retain world-class faculty in critical and rapidly evolving fields. I am grateful that we have been able to strengthen an already amazing partnership with one of the most forward-looking companies in our nation.”
Moez Limayem, President of the University of South Florida
