Associate Professor of Cybersecurity at Seton Hill University
NCAE-CD Point of Contact (PoC) | Cyber Range Builder | Digital Forensics, Network Security & Workforce Education

I am an Associate Professor of Cybersecurity at Seton Hill University, where my work centers on applied cybersecurity education, authentic infrastructure, and workforce-aligned student learning. I teach and build around the idea that students need more than terminology: they need structured practice with systems, evidence, troubleshooting, documentation, and defensible technical decisions.

A major focus of my current work is the SHU Cyber Range, a developing instructional environment that uses real and repurposed infrastructure to support hands-on learning in networking, virtualization, secure configuration, incident response, digital forensics, and operational security. The goal is to give students realistic spaces to practice cybersecurity as an evidence-producing profession.

As Seton Hill University's NCAE-CD Point of Contact (PoC), I support program alignment, curriculum development, and academic work that connects cybersecurity education with national expectations, regional workforce needs, and responsible professional practice.

• Building applied cyber range capabilities for cybersecurity coursework and student practice.
• Designing evidence-based labs where students preserve command output, logs, screenshots, configuration decisions, and reflections.
• Connecting course outcomes to workforce frameworks, professional habits, and realistic operating constraints.
• Teaching and developing coursework in networking, digital forensics, cyber intelligence, secure systems, and defensive operations.
• Supporting NCAE-CD alignment and cybersecurity program development at Seton Hill University.

My research and scholarly work connects cybersecurity education, digital forensics, nonprofit compliance, cryptographic software, and cyber-physical vulnerabilities. My research and public scholarship includes peer-reviewed publications, conference work, and original articles that translate current cybersecurity issues into practical teaching and professional guidance.

• Kisow, M. (2026). A Multi-Study Perspective on Phishing-Resistant Credentials and Employee Time-Based Resistance. International Conference on Information Technology, New Generations (ITNG). Springer proceedings
• Choi, J.O., Guttman, R., Kisow, M., Rosé, C., Nichols, W., Winyard, J., Li, B., Branstetter, L., & Herckis, L. (2026). DDoS + Security Controls Tutor: Partnering with Community College Faculty to Co-Design Intelligent Tutoring Systems for Cybersecurity Workforce Training. ACM proceedings
• Choi, J.O., Guttman, R., Kisow, M., Rose, C., Nichols, W., Winyard, J., Li, B., Branstetter, L., & Herckis, L. (2025). Bridging the community college cybersecurity classroom and workplace with the CyberSim Lab. DOI
• McLaren, B.M., Herckis, L., Teffera, L., Branstetter, L., Rose, C.P., Sakr, M., Kisow, M., Reis, R., Rinsem, M., Alenius, M., & Miller, L. (2024). Community College Information Technology Education: Curriculum Mapping, a Learning Science Framework, and AI Learning Technologies.
• Tomeo, M., Mutale, W., Kisow, M., Scarpino, J., & Chergarova, V. (2023). A quantitative study on usage of a cryptographic software tool for data and communications encryption.
• Seed, K., & Kisow, M. (2023). Vulnerabilities in modern connected vehicles: A call to action.

• Pittsburgh Technology Council
• InfraGard
• International Association for Computer Information Systems

• DoctorKisow.org - Research, public scholarship, teaching simulations, student resources, and professional information.
• Document Library - Searchable course and research resources for cybersecurity teaching, lab preparation, source evaluation, and scholarship.
• Subnet-Calculator - An instructional tool for teaching IP addressing and subnetting.
• makecert - Certificate conversion and deployment scripting.
• vsftpd-2.3.4 - Teaching-oriented security demonstration repository.

Most of my current cyber range development work is tied to instructional infrastructure, student learning environments, and institutional course delivery. Where appropriate, public repositories support reusable teaching artifacts, lab tooling, and supporting documentation.

• D.Sc., Information Systems and Communications, Robert Morris University
• M.Sc., Internet Information Systems, Robert Morris University
• B.Sc., Management Information Systems, Robert Morris University