Cyber Security Analyst (S3)
Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, with minor in mathematics and physics (Manhattan College, NY); master’s degree in software engineering (University of Scranton, PA.)
Hobbies: Cycling (pre-COVID, he used to race at the Northbrook Velodrome as part of the Thursday Night Racing Series, and cyclocross in the Chi Cross Cup); Roland still regularly bikes to work and participates in group rides.
Roland Varriale develops innovative cybersecurity solutions as a cybersecurity analyst for Argonne National Laboratory’s Strategic Security Sciences (S3) division, with his current research focused on addressing vulnerabilities in new technologies such as electric vehicle (EV) chargers.
Roland was always very curious as a child, and he liked to take things apart and put them back together.
“I think this curiosity naturally led me to computer programming and cybersecurity,” he said. “I also had a computer at a young age and learned how to navigate the operating system, which helped me a lot in my career of perusing other people’s systems.”
Roland earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y., and a master’s degree in software engineering from the University of Scranton (Pa.). These degrees led him to his current role as a cybersecurity analyst at Argonne, a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory.
As part of his risk and vulnerability analysis of new and upcoming technology, Roland is studying the infrastructure behind EV chargers. These chargers and adapters are increasingly important, and future forms of transportation will feature electrified components. With these advancements come new potential risks for the changing infrastructure. Therefore, he is looking to fix large-scale problems that could endanger charging networks. Roland enjoys designing systems with best security practices to face ever-evolving cybersecurity challenges.
“We’re always discovering new vulnerabilities and problems, and cybersecurity changes on a daily basis, so every day is a new challenge,” he said. “Regularly, I ask myself, ‘What could an attacker do if this was not secure?’ Then I also ask, ‘Can I make a solution that solves multiple, related problems?’ You need to keep an open mind to see how you can apply concepts from one thing to another. That way, you can take the functional parts of a system and understand the puzzle of how all the pieces fit together.”
As a researcher who regularly supports Argonne’s STEM outreach to youth such as the annual CyberForce competition, Roland encourages students not to be afraid of failure or of trying something new.
“Every time you try something, it is like an experiment, an experience to learn from one way or another,” he said. “I would like to think I have handled failing relatively gracefully, but that doesn’t necessarily make it easier or less painful in the moment. Just understand it is all part of a process of growing, with twists and turns along the way. Keeping your long-term vision in mind can help you refocus on the future.”