Alumni Spotlight: Gokila Dorai

Gokila Dorai is a two-time Florida State University Department of Computer Science alumna and current assistant professor of computer and cyber sciences at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia. Dorai assumed this role after receiving her master’s degree in 2016 and her doctoral degree in 2020, both in computer science at FSU. Since 2023, she has served as the director for access, success, and belonging for Augusta University’s School of Computer and Cyber Sciences. Dorai also served as the lead principal investigator for two federal grants –– one from the National Science Foundation and the other from the National Security Agency –– investigating socio-technical frameworks and internet privacy, securing more than $1 million in combined federal funding.

Tell us a little about your background, where you are from and what brought you to FSU.

I earned my bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering in 2007 and was honored with a gold medal for outstanding student achievements from Anna University in Tamil Nadu, India. Before attending graduate school, I worked as a software engineer for Wipro and Cognizant, two top information technology companies in India. This improved my understanding of how embedded systems and embedded platforms work.

Afterward, I was ambitious about getting to graduate school and seeing how a terminal degree could contribute to my career. I looked at my options, and Tallahassee seemed like a great place to raise a family. I have never had any second thoughts.

What motivated you to pursue computer science throughout graduate school?

In 2007, while pursuing my undergraduate degree, I had a lot of interest in how the theory of computation works. Programming was also one of my strengths, so it seemed like the right path. Exploring new areas of computer science through symposia and panels also motivated me to pursue higher education to investigate upcoming technology and its potential impact.

What inspired your decision to pursue a career in teaching and higher education?

I have a deep respect for my teachers, professors, lab administrators, and everyone who supports the backbone of the education system. I wanted to play a part in these great institutions that shape the future of the world through research and teaching.

How did your time at FSU prepare you for professional success?

During my doctoral program, I had the opportunity to explore FSU’s Preparing Future Faculty program through FSU’s Graduate School to get a better understanding of careers in academia. This program confirmed my belief that academia was the right path for me.

This program also connected me with amazing mentors in the computer science department, like professor Gary Tyson, associate professor Sonia Haiduc and professor Piyush Kumar. The entire department was very approachable and always willing to offer their advice.

Tell us about your role as the director for access, success, and belonging at Augusta University’s School of Computer and Cyber Sciences.

In this role, I act as a representative for the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences to the university as they explore access, success, and belonging initiatives at Augusta University. When students see individuals like them in their field of study, they feel a sense of belonging. This benefits the students individually and academia overall.

In this position, I launched three initiatives at the university to promote student belonging. I co-advised a local chapter of the Women in CyberSecurity organization, laid the foundation for the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences - Graduate Student Organization as the lead faculty adviser, and also co-mentored the Girls Who Code Club.

In 2021, you won Augusta University’s Golden Pen Award. What does this recognition mean to you?

The Golden Pen Award recognizes employees who have reached a significant level of achievement and excellence in their professional careers and in their promotion of Augusta University through publication or representation outside of the university.

I was working really hard during 2021 on competitive grant proposals, mentoring research assistants, and ensuring educational content was consistent throughout the spread of COVID-19. Since it was only my first couple of years working at Augusta University, it was important to me that I proved I could go above and beyond expectations as an educator and researcher, and that is exactly what I did.

Describe your experience serving as a lead principal investigator for two federal grants.

In 2021, my co-PIs and I were awarded a $750,000 federal research grant from the National Science Foundation. The socio-technical framework project this grant funded was built from my dissertation research on targeted data extraction systems, a method of extracting specific data from large datasets. With the grant, we focused on using machine learning and blockchains — digital records of transactions and data — to create socio-technical frameworks that better preserve the integrity of digital court evidence, like phone records and emails, from hackers.

The second grant was a $495,000 grant for cybersecurity research innovation from the National Security Agency. This NSA-funded project aimed to understand how to successfully detect cyber-attacks on the internet, home devices and more.

What do you want the public to know about the importance of your research?

I would like the public to know how important understanding the privacy policies of the technology and applications they frequently use can be. It is necessary to understand the extent of harm that could come our way if our information is mishandled online.

What upcoming projects or goals are you working toward?

I am currently working on detecting minor cyber-attacks and understanding how we can intercept those attacks in real-time. I also have big plans for exploring the role of natural language processing in digital forensics in the next few years.

What advice do you have for current undergraduate and graduate students?

My advice would be to never stop learning. Try and reinforce the techniques you have learned by applying them somewhere else. The more your knowledge becomes applied knowledge, the more information you retain, giving you a solid foundation to build upon.