Dr. Rookard is a cybersecurity and machine learning researcher, educator, and military officer with expertise spanning cyber threat detection, network intrusion analysis, statistical programming, and applied artificial intelligence. In 2024, he earned both his Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where his doctoral research focused on “Cyber Threat Detection using Multifaceted Machine Learning Approaches” under the guidance of Dr. Anahita Khojandi. His academic background also includes a master’s degree in Biostatistics, a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, and specialized language training in Persian-Farsi. His research has produced multiple peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations in areas including federated learning, reinforcement learning, anomaly detection, IoT security, and explainable AI for cybersecurity applications.