Inside a dimly lit computer lab at Arizona State University, U.S. Space Force Maj. Tyler T. Williams leans over a glowing monitor, lines of simulated network traffic scrolling by faster than most eyes could follow. To the untrained observer, it looks abstract. But to Williams, it’s the pulse of a system under attack. Somewhere in that blur might be a weakness, a signal that an enemy has found a way in.
That search for hidden vulnerabilities and the desire to close them defines both his research and his military career.
A soldier who never stopped learning
For Williams, cyber defense isn’t just an academic pursuit. It’s a continuation of his service. After earning his bachelor’s degree in computer systems engineering from the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU, in 2014, he commissioned through the Army ROTC program and began his career as a signal officer.
Over the next several years, he became a network systems engineer, overseeing complex communications systems that had to operate flawlessly under pressure. In 2022, he transferred to the U.S. Space Force, bringing his technical expertise to a new frontier of defense.
Those years in uniform shaped how he sees cybersecurity: not as a set of abstract codes and protocols, but as the lifeline of every modern mission. After seeing how a single configuration error or unpatched system could compromise an entire operation, Williams decided to return to ASU to deepen his technical knowledge through the Space Force’s Advanced Academic Degree Program.
Now in his second year toward a master’s degree in computer engineering, he focuses on how artificial intelligence, or AI, can strengthen human decision-making in defense networks.
His research takes place inside ASU’s Secure, Trusted, and Assured Microelectronics Center, or STAM Center, using the Arizona Cyber Range, a controlled, high-fidelity simulation environment that mirrors the complexity of real-world systems — from servers and routers to embedded sensors and Internet of Things devices. Within this digital proving ground, students and researchers can safely recreate cyberattacks and train AI systems to detect and respond to them in real time.
“Personally, I am optimistic about the future,” Williams says. “Using an environment like the Arizona Cyber Range will help cybersecurity professionals be better prepared for new and complex threats.”