Rutherford, NJ—As technology continues to evolve, so do the challenges of protecting information, systems, and people from cyber threats. At Felician University’s School of Business and Information Sciences, Professor Jose Martinez brings decades of experience in programming, technology management, and cybersecurity to the classroom. In this Q&A, he discusses his career journey, Felician’s dedicated cybersecurity lab, the importance of staying curious in a rapidly changing field, and how he is helping students navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence.

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How did you come to Felician University and the School of Business and Information Sciences?

I started my career as a computer programmer. After many years as a programmer, cybersecurity became a new buzzword in the industry, and I thought it might be a great new direction for me. So, I decided to pursue my master’s degree in cybersecurity. My first teaching job was at St. Peter’s University, where I worked as an adjunct professor. After a couple of years, I received an opportunity to come to Felician and help with the cybersecurity program.

What courses are you currently teaching at Felician?

Some of the courses I’m teaching right now are Network Security, Penetration Testing, and Cryptography, which is a big part of cybersecurity itself. I also teach Principles of Information Security. And now, of course, there’s the new buzzword in the industry: artificial intelligence.

Felician has a dedicated cybersecurity lab. What can you tell us about it?

The cybersecurity lab was one of my pet projects when I got here. The University’s IT department has to protect itself from viruses, worms, and other threats. The only way I can safely teach my students how to work with these types of dangerous artifacts is to have a dedicated cybersecurity lab. If, by accident, students release something onto their laptops or computers, it doesn’t leave the lab. It’s almost like a sandbox. We can do whatever we want in there without affecting the rest of the University’s IT system.

You’ve worked in technology for many years. Can you walk us through your career and how you arrived at the intersection of technology and higher education?

I started as a programmer at Bloomberg and then I moved over to Bear Stearns. After 20 years in the programming industry, cybersecurity started becoming a major focus. People needed to protect themselves from hackers and other threats, and it really became a buzzword in the industry. That’s when I decided to pursue cybersecurity and find my own path in that particular area.

You studied computer science in college in the 1980s, when technology looked very different from what it is today. Is it safe to say that technological advances bring new cybersecurity concerns?

Absolutely. Especially now, because of COVID and the shift toward working from home and taking courses online, we’ve opened up a whole new area of remote access. But with remote access, you create additional ways for hackers to reach secure systems, banks, businesses and other organizations. There’s good and bad to it. Technology allows us to do everything we need to do from our homes, but it also allows a hacker from anywhere in the world to access your bank account and other information.

When you’re working in cybersecurity and get alerted to an issue, what is the initial triage process? How do you teach that approach to your students?

The first thing you do is find out which computer was breached. You take it off the network. If it was on a smaller subnet where there’s only a certain set of computers, you make sure you separate that subnet from the rest of the company or corporation. Then you start doing the real grunt work. You run virus scans and check for malware or other malicious software installed on the machines. Once you’ve determined what happened and completed your scans, we have to determine how the hacker got into the network and make sure we fix whatever vulnerability they found.

Given how quickly technology is advancing, what advice do you have for students looking to pursue a career in cybersecurity?

My number one piece of advice is to stay curious. That’s worked for me throughout my entire career. Also, don’t think, “I got my degree. That’s it. I’m done learning.” You can’t stop learning. Every day brings new vulnerabilities and new viruses, so the education never stops, especially in cybersecurity. You always have to stay a step ahead. And it’s hard to stay a step ahead of hackers because they’re very good.

Are you concerned about the rapid growth and integration of artificial intelligence? Would you say you’re cautiously embracing AI?

As a teacher, we tend to be a little cautious about embracing it because we want to make sure our students don’t use it as a crutch. I want them to know how to use AI, but as an assistant to help them better understand things. I don’t want it to become, “Hey, I don’t have to think anymore. I’m just going to let AI do it all for me.”

You have talked about guiding students to become better prompt engineers. What are you teaching them about using AI effectively?

I’ve noticed a problem with how some people try to get AI to do 20 things at once. When you’re doing prompt engineering, what I teach my students is to break things down into smaller steps. Ask AI to do one thing, and then review it to make sure it did it correctly. Once you know that phase one is done, you move on to phase two and give it more. That’s what I’ve been teaching them: how to use AI to write better programs.

Are you using other AI tools besides large language models?

Primarily, I’m using Claude, ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot. I’m also getting involved in setting up chatbots for my courses. Instead of students only having me as a resource, they can use a chatbot 24/7 and ask it questions. At the same time, I have to make sure students aren’t asking the chatbot to simply provide answers to their questions. It takes a lot of tweaking to make sure it does exactly what you want it to do.

Are we in good hands with these students as they become the next generation of technology and cybersecurity professionals?

Definitely. It’s a different world for them. They’ve grown up with social media and all these technologies, but they’re good. Deep down, they have the right attitude.

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About Felician University 

Felician University is committed to supporting academic success at any stage of life. With over 2,800 undergraduate, graduate, and adult education students enrolled across the schools of Arts & Sciences, Business & Information Sciences, Nursing, and Education, Felician provides diverse learning experiences that equip all students with the skills to meet the demands of today’s society. Felician University was recognized in Newsweek’s America’s Best Colleges for Women 2026, earning distinction as the No. 1 college for women in New Jersey. Additionally, Felician has been named a best value school by payscale.com and Money magazine, and as one of the best college locations in NJ (#4) by niche.com. Our Master of Science in Nursing program is ranked one of the best online graduate nursing programs in the nation by U.S. News and the Princeton Review. We are proud to be designated as a Military Friendly School (Gold Status) for the fifteenth year, a testament to our dedicated support of Veteran students. Our diversity as an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) and MSI (Minority Serving Institution), with underrepresented students comprising more than half of the student population, reflects our inclusive and supportive environment and earned us a spot on Washington Monthly’s Top 100 HSI list (#30). With campuses in Rutherford and Lodi, New Jersey, our Franciscan values of respect for human dignity, compassion, transformation, solidarity with people in need, justice and peace are woven into the very foundation and development of tomorrow’s leaders. Felician University is sponsored by Felician Sisters International. For more information, please visit https://felician.edu/