Dr. Bethanie Williams is an R&D, S&E Cybersecurity Engineer at Sandia National Laboratories, where she specializes in applying artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the security and resilience of cyber-physical systems in critical infrastructure, including power grid systems, healthcare facilities, and advanced manufacturing. She is also actively involved in the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII) through her work at Sandia.

Bethanie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree as a triple major in Mathematics, Spanish, and Computer Science from Berea College in 2020. During her time at Berea, she was a Bonner Scholar and a member of the women's basketball team, earning All-American honors for her athletic achievements. She completed her Master of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in Cybersecurity at Tennessee Technological University in 2022, under the supervision of Dr. Ambareen Siraj, and earned her Ph.D. in Engineering with a major in Computer Science in 2025 under the guidance of Dr. Muhammad Ismail. Her dissertation, titled "Multi-Source Data Analysis and an Effective AI-Assisted Detection Framework for Cyber-Physical Attacks in Smart Manufacturing," focused on leveraging AI-driven approaches and analyzing various data sources to detect and mitigate cyber-physical attacks in manufacturing systems.

Throughout her graduate studies, Bethanie received the College of Engineering Distinguished Fellowship and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarship for Service (SFS). She was a year-round intern at Sandia National Laboratories as part of the Center for Cyber Defenders (CCD) program, where she contributed to national research initiatives under CyManII. Bethanie held several executive leadership roles at Tennessee Tech, including Vice President of Cyber Eagles and Graduate Student Club. She also served as a Ph.D. advisor for Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS). Through these roles, she actively mentored students, organized outreach events, and fostered a supportive community for women in cybersecurity.

Bethanie's current research interests include cyber-physical security, modeling and simulation of industrial control systems, and leveraging AI for advanced manufacturing. As an Early Career R&D, S&E Cybersecurity Engineer at Sandia, she is committed to bridging academic innovation and national security applications to protect critical infrastructure and ensure its resilience.

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