Interview with Lecturer Morshed Alam

Lecturer for Old Dominion University

February 17, 2026

Interviewed by: Justin Saldivar

CYSE 368

Spring 2026

Professor Teresa Duvall

TA Joshua Russell

For this reflection paper, I have opted to interview Md. Morshed Alam. Originally joining the university in the fall of 2024 on ODU’s Norfolk campus. He helped in the creation of the AI in Cyber Defense certificate on ODUGlobal in addition to several select publications on Large Language Models (LLM’s) and their potential uses and threats in the cyber world. At this time, he is currently the lecturer for AI/CYSE 421/521 (Generative AI in Cybersecurity), CYSE 450 (Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing), and CYSE425W (Cyber Strategy and policy) at this time. One of the main reasons I chose to interview him is that not only have I had him as a teacher several times in the past before I took up my internship, but I am currently in his CYSE425W class as of writing this. Without further ado, here are some of his responses to the questions I posed.

For the first question, I asked him how and why he went into Information Technology/Cybersecurity and his role as a professor at ODU in addition to the journey itself. His response went something like this: During his undergrad studies for Information Technology, he began to grow an interest in the fields of Networking and Cybersecurity which could be said to border his undergrad field. Once he completed his undergrad thesis on the topic: “session hijacking attack on cloud platforms.” He began the long road on the PhD for Cybersecurity focused Computer Science which involved attending several classes on the field of Cybersecurity alongside working on multiple projects related to network security domains. Post doctoral graduation, he applied for a position at Old Dominion University as it had positions where he could teach his favorite subjects.

For the second question, I asked him what kinds of knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed in the field of Information technology and Cybersecurity. He stated that in order to succeed in the field, a solid understanding over the realms of networking basics, cyber fundamentals, cloud computing, and OS fundamentals. He stressed on the importance of having genuine hands-on experience with at least one of the following tools and platforms:Virtual Machines, Kali Linux, Metasploit framework, Packet sniffing tools like Wireshark or Burp Suite, and Nmap. Additionally, he said that being able to perform threat analysis, network scanning, vulnerability discovery, malware analysis, identity management, and system administration is a critical facet of being a Cyber or IT major alongside understanding the role of AI and programming.

For the third question, I asked him what soft skills would be helpful in an IT and Cybersecurity position,  the answer I got was pretty simple. Good presentation skills, the ability and temperament to collaborate with others, perseverance, attention to details, and an inquisitive mind were all soft skills that he said were needed in the realm of IT and Cybersecurity alike.

For the fourth question, I asked him what hard or technical skills would be needed in the field. Some of the technical requirements he gave to me included: Threat analysis, network scanning, vulnerability discovery, malware analysis, identity management, system administration, network programming or scripting, and finally artificial intelligence.

For the fifth, sixth, and seventh question, the questions I asked of him all related to his position and how he manages the day to day and are as follows: For enrolling in entry level jobs best suit to one trying to attain the role of academic program head, he recommended that being a lecturer would be the best choice for an academic entry level job in the field. The sixth question, I asked him what qualities would an employee must have prior to joining ODU’s Cybersecurity department? His answer was relatively simple. A willingness to learn and utilize new technologies present both in the classroom and in the field alongside technical know-how would carry me far in the department. For question number eight, I asked him what the day-to-day looks like for someone in his position, in short. His position requires him to not only lecture and create course materials for his classes, but he must also create technical reports alongside interacting with students and colleagues alike on a daily basis.

For the third-to-last question, the question I posed to him was if a work-life balance was important to him, the reply he gave me was quite insightful. As due to the demanding nature of having to juggle both creating and managing courses in addition to regular talks with students and professors alike. He emphasized how important striking a balance was in maintaining interest in both the role and the field as a whole.

For my penultimate question, I asked how long he was in this field for, in short. He has done plenty in the 8 years since he got his PhD. As this was a point in time where he began to seriously invest his time into the field of IT and Cybersecurity through both teaching the subject and studying it, alongside that. He stated that he has been in contact with the ODU domain since 2013. As for the final question, I asked him if there have been challenges and/or disruptions to his career as a whole, fortunately. He stated that there was little in the form of disruptions, all that could be said was that he gained further insight into at the time emerging technologies in the field of IT and Cybersecurity which were of interest to him.

To conclude, although not completely exhaustive and mostly tackling the basics. The responses I received from Md. Morshed Alam has been nothing short of insightful to someone like me who wishes to go further into the field he is proficient at. The requirements he laid out are of particular interest to me, as although I have done work on most of them as a part of my curriculum during my tenure at ODU. There are some aspects I have not fully tackled yet like AI in Cybersecurity and using packet sniffers to their peak potential. This alongside the numerous reports and papers he has worked on prove to me above anything else that I still have a ways to go before I can say I am adept in the world of IT and Cybersecurity.