University of Arizona · College of Information Science

Professor.
Researcher.
Security Expert.

Translating a decade of defense intelligence and cybersecurity engineering into teachable, actionable insights — for students, organizations, and critical infrastructure.

Professor Michael Galde
10+ Years in Cybersecurity
U of A University of Arizona Faculty
Army U.S. Army Combat Veteran · Intelligence Analyst
9 Courses Taught
Michael Galde at the University of Arizona

From Combat Deployments to the Classroom

I'm an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona and a U.S. Army veteran who began my career as a Defense Intelligence Analyst — completing multiple combat deployments before transitioning into civilian intelligence work, cybersecurity engineering, and academia.

That path — from Army intelligence to policy analysis at U.S. Strategic Command, threat intelligence at The Buffalo Group, vulnerability research and tool development at the Nebraska Applied Research Institute, and now the University of Arizona — gives me operational depth that few educators bring to the subject.

I hold the GICSP and GRID certifications, lead active research in AI-driven network security, and consult through SaguaroSec with organizations protecting critical infrastructure. I've presented research at DEFCON and CACTUSCON, and contribute regularly to The Packet, a monthly cybersecurity publication.

U.S. Army Veteran — Defense Intelligence Analyst (35F)
GICSP — Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional
GRID — GIAC Response and Industrial Defense
MS Cybersecurity, University of Nebraska at Omaha
DEFCON & CACTUSCON Presenter

How I Can Help

Available for consulting engagements, training programs, and research collaboration across these core domains.

Malware Analysis

Static and dynamic analysis of malicious software. Reverse engineering, behavioral profiling, and indicators of compromise development for incident response and threat intelligence.

ICS / OT Security

Industrial control system and operational technology security assessments. Deep expertise in BACnet, LonTalk, and critical infrastructure protection for energy, manufacturing, and utilities.

Network Forensics

PCAP analysis, network traffic investigation, and protocol parsing for incident response and threat hunting. Visualization of complex network interactions to surface actionable findings.

Security Training

Custom cybersecurity training programs for teams and organizations. Curriculum development backed by over a decade of instructional experience at the university level.

Current Projects

Ongoing research at the intersection of machine learning, network intelligence, and critical infrastructure security.

2024 Active

GRID-LM

LLM application for industrial network monitoring. Leverages large language models to analyze and interpret traffic patterns across operational technology environments.

2024 Active

DaRIA

Adaptive network intelligence agent. An autonomous system for dynamic threat detection and response in complex, heterogeneous network environments.

2024 – Present Active

SPINE

NLP infrastructure development for cybersecurity applications. Building natural language processing pipelines tailored specifically to security operations data and threat intelligence.

2022 – Present Ongoing

IAES-SOC

Python and ML-based OT network monitoring integrating Wazuh SIEM with the ELK stack, purpose-built for industrial environment security operations centers.

Tools & Open Projects

HexCheck Network visualization using tkinter
PCAPMap PCAP visualization with Scapy, NetworkX & Bokeh
Bee Knees Honeypot with intrusion notifications
DropTap Network diagnostics tool

Courses at the University of Arizona

All courses are offered through the College of Information Science, including courses previously administered under the College of Applied Science and Technology.

CYBR Cyber Operations
CYBR 101 Principles of Cyber Ops I
CYBR 330 Introduction to ICS Security
CYBR 400 Active Cyber Defense
CYBV Cybersecurity & Forensics
CYBV 201 Introduction to Cybersecurity
CYBV 226 Networking Fundamentals
CYBV 301 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
CYBV 326 Introduction to Methods of Network Analysis
CYBV 388 Cyber Investigations and Forensics
CYBV 454 Malware Threats & Analysis

Looking for course materials, syllabi, or office hours? Reach out via email or your course's D2L page.

Email Professor Galde

Let's Work Together

Contact Information

Ready to get started?

Book a time directly on my calendar for cybersecurity consulting, research collaboration, or speaking engagements.

Book a Consultation