Rahul Banerjee (MSc 2022) became so entrenched in UWindsor’s campus community during his time as a Master of Applied Computing student that he could not wait to return.

In late 2023, Banerjee took on the role of research security co-ordinator on the research partnerships team embedded in the Office of the Vice President, Research and Innovation.

“Research security is a new domain that falls under national security, which is guided by federal and provincial policies,” says Banerjee.

“We work hand-in-hand with government agencies to create best practices for university researchers and then we support them to ensure their research is safe and secure.”

The first to hold that title, Banerjee hosts workshops and training sessions to teach faculty protocols and guidelines as well as arm them with the required tools and resources.

“Research security is about safeguarding our University research community from bad actors who hope to gain economically or militarily from work being done in Canadian labs, and the first step is awareness,” he says.

He says the field is so new that they are constantly assessing, prioritizing, and adapting to new practices and models. He loves his new role and says it was Because of Science at UWindsor that he was prepared for such a challenging position.

“MAC helped me gain a lot of these connections through networking opportunities, and these connections have helped me get where I am right now,” says Banerjee. “I’ve met people who are leading the community and many of them referred me to this role.”

As a message to current students, Banerjee says to nurture those contacts you make and focus on creating long-standing relationships.

“MAC gives you that opportunity to prosper and it is up to you to make the best out of it,” he says.

Those networking skills and opportunities helped him to become a key member on the local scene.

He was invited to be on the Google Developers panel for Windsor and Detroit region and is a member of the Windsor-Tecumseh Youth Advisory Council.

As a graduate student, he was on the student council and held two part-time campus jobs. After graduation, he turned a co-op position with BDO Canada as a data and innovation consultant into full-time employment.

His pride as an alumnus shines through and he has returned to three orientation sessions for the MAC program to talk to current students.

“I’ve become an online cheerleader for UWindsor and the region,” Banerjee says. “I want to promote Windsor as an up-and-coming hub of technology. We are already seeing it happen.”