Description of the Experience
In Summer 2024, I participated in the COVA CCI Research Experience for Undergraduates, where I explored the risks and regulatory challenges of generative AI in cybersecurity. My project focused on how deepfake technologies and AI impersonation tools create gaps in existing legal frameworks, especially around misinformation, election interference, and digital identity abuse.
This was a full-time, immersive research experience funded by the Department of Defense. I worked under faculty mentorship and collaborated with student researchers from across Virginia, with weekly check-ins, presentations, and deadlines that mirrored the rigor of graduate-level research.
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Work Samples
• Final Research Paper – “First Amendment Roadblock? Regulating the Misuse of Generative AI Technologies”
A deep dive policy analysis into how current U.S. laws protect harmful AI speech and where legal gaps allow malicious use.
• Research Poster Presentation
Designed and presented a professional poster to faculty, policymakers, and peers outlining research findings, legal comparisons, and policy proposals.
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Reflection
This experience helped me step into the role of a researcher, not just a student completing tasks. I had to develop a focused question, find the relevant literature, analyze legal cases, and synthesize complex, often contradictory information into a clear recommendation.
What stood out most was how this work connected everything I care about—cybersecurity, law, ethics, and emerging technology. It also taught me how to move without needing external pressure. I was responsible for the outcome, and that independence built a new kind of discipline in me.
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Skills Developed
I developed several core career skills through this research process:
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data: Evaluated datasets of AI-generated misinformation and compared state legislation efforts.
• Obtain and process information: Synthesized policy papers, legal opinions, and technical documentation into a cohesive research narrative.
• Create and edit reports: Wrote a full-length white paper and presentation materials for public-facing events.
• Communicate verbally: Presented to mixed audiences of technical and non-technical stakeholders during symposiums and briefings.
• Make decisions and solve problems: Narrowed a broad topic into a specific research question and adapted my scope as needed throughout the project.
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Connection to My Goals
This research experience confirmed that I want to operate at the intersection of cybersecurity and AI policy. Whether I’m working in GRC, compliance, or AI governance, the ability to evaluate fast-moving risks and develop structured responses is central.
The research also gave me a stronger foundation in legal frameworks, ethical analysis, and public impact—tools I’ll need to lead in any future role tied to tech regulation, policy, or infrastructure protection.