Research Cybersecurity Interest Group (RCsIG)

Goals and Objectives

The Research Cybersecurity Interest Group (RCsIG) will discuss and develop ideas, activities, and recommended practices for action at the intersection of Research Computing and Data (RCD) Facilitation and Research Cybersecurity, with emphasis on blending populations of RCD professionals and cybersecurity professionals working in research environments.

Our Next Call: March 26, 2026

Please join us on Thursday, March 26, 2026, 11:00am to 12:00pm PT (2:00 to 3:00pm ET) for our monthly call, and share with colleagues who may also be interested in attending!

Topic: From Policy to Practice

Why?

In this session, co-chair Jeffrey Weekley will lead an exploration into an alternative perspective drawn from the work of Peter Denning, who argues that innovation is not the creation of new ideas or policies, but the adoption of new practices within a community. Using this lens, we will discuss how research cybersecurity efforts often succeed as “inventions” but fall short as “innovations.” We will also discuss why facilitation-style interventions seem to show more promise than policy alone.

This will be a structured, interactive discussion where participants will share examples from their own institutions, reflect on gaps between policy and practice, and consider what it takes to move toward real adoption. We will conclude with a short, practical exercise to help translate these ideas into actionable next steps.

If you’ve ever wondered why policies don’t seem to stick, or how to better align security efforts with research workflows, this session will provide a useful framework for thinking about those challenges.

If you already have a V-Card, we recommend that you update it with any new topics you would like to discuss. If you have not yet created a V-Card, please open the link and populate a slide with your name, home institution, role, and a suggested future topic, speaker, or discussion.

Looking forward to seeing you all next week!

RCsIG meetings are held monthly on fourth Thursdays at 11am PT.

Join the Research Cybersecurity Interest Group!

Join our interest group to engage in regular discussions with fellow RCD professionals and exchange ideas at the intersection of Research Computing and Data (RCD) Facilitation and Research Cybersecurity. Joining the group also adds you to the calendar invite for the monthly calls. This group provides a space for informal conversations. To join, visit the Google Group, click ‘Ask-to-Join,’ and leave a brief message explaining your interest (this helps us confirm you’re not a bot or spammer), and join our Slack channel, #rcs-ig, at carcc.slack.com.

Interest Group Co-Chairs

You can reach the Research Cybersecurity interest group co-chairs at rcs-coordinators@carcc.org.