Cybersecurity Education and Program Leadership
Directs Mercer’s cybersecurity program and supports curriculum, assessment, advising, faculty coordination, student development, and continuing alignment with national cybersecurity education standards.
Cybersecurity Education • Research • Leadership
Johnathan Yerby, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Director, Cybersecurity Program
Director, Center for Cyber Outreach, Research, and Education
Mercer University
Dr. Yerby's work is grounded in lifelong learning through continuing to learn, teaching and mentoring others, and helping students build useful knowledge and skills for their professional and personal lives. His academic interests include cybersecurity education, digital privacy and surveillance, cyber risk and governance, digital forensics, and professional preparation.
Areas of Focus
- Cybersecurity education and workforce development
- Digital privacy, surveillance, and public-facing cyber risk
- Cybersecurity governance, risk, law, ethics, and compliance
- Digital forensics and applied cybersecurity
- Academic program and curriculum leadership
Selected Work
Research and Student Mentoring
Research interests include cybersecurity education, privacy, surveillance, governance, digital forensics, and public-facing cyber risk, with an emphasis on involving undergraduate and graduate students in scholarly work.
Outreach and Professional Engagement
Through CORE and related activities, supports cybersecurity outreach, public education, student opportunities, and collaboration with educators, employers, government organizations, and community audiences.
Consulting and Expert Analysis
Independent cybersecurity consulting and expert analysis for complex technical, organizational, and legal matters.
Strategy • Failure Analysis • Investigations • Expert Interpretation
Dr. Yerby advises organizations, attorneys, and institutional leaders on complex cybersecurity, technology, and education program matters. His work focuses on evaluating failures in systems, controls, processes, and governance; interpreting source code, digital evidence, and technical records; and communicating defensible findings to legal, executive, and professional audiences.