Artificial intelligence and machine learning are becoming increasingly crucial to cybersecurity systems. Organizations need professionals with a strong background that mixes AI/ML knowledge with cybersecurity skills, bringing on board people like Nicole Carignan, Vice President of Strategic Cyber AI at Darktrace, who has a unique blend of technical and soft skills. Carignan was originally a dance major but was also working for NASA as a hardware IT engineer, which forged her path into AI and cybersecurity.
Where did you go to college?
Carignan: I went to Texas A&M University. I got a computer science degree, and the specialized track that I followed was in mathematics, artificial intelligence, computer/human interaction and assembly. My thesis was on setting up a maps application using graph theory in order to facilitate the best navigation — stuff that’s common nowadays with applications like Google Maps. But that was the type of AI applications we had back then, and it is cool to see how it’s evolved over time.
What was your first job in IT?
Carignan: I originally had a dance scholarship, but I was already working for NASA, supporting systems in mission control. They said, we will keep you employed throughout college and after if you get a computer science or engineering degree, so that’s how I got into the field. I started off in the federal IT space.
What made you decide to pursue cybersecurity?
Carignan: I got recruited into the intelligence community. Even though that was an IT role, it had a heavy emphasis on security. This was in 2000, so
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