DENTON (UNT), Texas – UNT professor Ram Dantu has been named a D CEO CIO/CTO award finalist. Dantu is the only academic nominated and is named among top chief information and chief technology officers in North Texas.

Dantu began conducting research and teaching at UNT in 2003, when he took over as the director of the Center for Information and Computer Security. He worked in the industry for more than 15 years at companies like Cisco, Nortel and Alcatel before coming to UNT.

Dantu is excited to be named a finalist for the award, which he says includes many accomplished people in the field.

"I feel honored because I'm the only academic person on the list of nominees," he said. "I was interviewed about my work but was never told I was being considered for the award, so it was a nice surprise."

The D CEO CIO/CTO awards honor chief information and technology officers and others in top information technology positions in the North Texas region. Finalists for the award will be recognized in the October issue of the D CEO magazine, and the winners will be revealed at an exclusive awards event on Sept. 27.

Dantu's research focuses on wireless networks and network security. He also studies mobile health applications and global health, concentrating on developing life-saving software for cardiac arrest and heart attack sufferers.

"With my work, I can do research on technology in the real world," he said. "The research I do can be used to save lives."