PITTSBURGH – Dr. Paul Nielsen stood before an audience assembled at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Software Engineering Institute (SEI) and commended members of his security team for the university’s superior counterintelligence programs that achieved extraordinary results in thwarting foreign-directed theft of U.S. technology in fiscal year 2023.
Nielsen, CMU SEI director and chief executive officer, addressed a diverse audience comprising the university’s leadership, researchers and operations professionals; Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) leaders; and officials from the FBI, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command.
They convened to see DCSA Deputy Director Daniel Lecce present the Jack Donnelly Award for Excellence in Counterintelligence to CMU SEI security leadership at the ceremony held at the university’s Pittsburgh campus on Dec. 3.
“This is really special for our security people and our security center, which serves not only the SEI but the entire university community,” said Nielsen, who leads the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute and its technical programs ranging from software and cybersecurity to the engineering of AI systems, which support national security. “Sometimes security people, especially in counterintelligence, work below the scene. They're not trying to draw attention to themselves, and our staff does that very well, but it's nice for them to get this recognition from DCSA and from us for the great work that they do.”
The honor – presented only to entities cleared by the federal government to deter, detect and disrupt the theft of sensitive or classified U.S. information and technology by foreign entities - recognized CMU SEI as a national leader in counterintelligence.
![DCSA Deputy Director Presents Carnegie Mellon University with the Jack Donnelly Excellence in Counterintelligence Award]()
