Information Sciences Institute

Ms. Terry Benzel is the Managing Director of the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) at the University of Southern California. I manage all aspects of operations. I am responsible for finance, contracting, purchasing, IT, administrative staff, and communications/marketing. As a member of the ISI Leadership team, I contribute to defining and operationalizing the strategic direction for the Institute.

Previously, as Director of Networking and Cybersecurity Research at ISI, she managed a team of 70 researchers, faculty, students, and staff, responsible for research directions, development of research proposals to government funding agencies, and management of execution and finances. She established and led the DETER Cybersecurity Testbed and Experimentation program.

She is an IEEE Fellow recognized for leadership in establishing the field of cybersecurity experimentation.

She is a recognized leader in advanced technology, spanning government research labs, startups, industry, and academia. In multiple director roles, she led teams of 50-150 people and managed budgets up to $ 80M. As a strategic thinker, she contributes to business and organizational strategy and serves on advisory boards for leading organizations, helping shape their research and business agendas.

Prior to joining ISI, Benzel served as a division vice president at Network Associates, Inc. (McAfee). She led the advanced research organization, comprising 125 individuals, primarily focused on R&D projects for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and other federal entities.

Benzel has twice testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on Science about the importance of investing in cybersecurity research and its infrastructure. She serves as an advisor to government and industry on R&D strategy and roadmap development.