Brian Lynn Honored with CICS Outstanding Staff Award

Brian Lynn, a senior software engineer in the UMass Amherst College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS), was presented with the annual Outstanding Staff Award on February 26, 2020 for his work developing technologies to assist law enforcement agencies in combating the exploitation of children. 

At the ceremony, Brian Levine, professor and director of the Cybersecurity Institute at CICS, introduced Lynn, saying, “While his title is senior software engineer, those three words don’t come close to describing what he does all day and the impact he’s had over the last ten years. Brian is the face of UMass to an international community of law enforcement and prosecutors that have rescued many hundreds of children from abuse… The tools he has built to catch predators sexually exploiting children are used daily by investigators in all 50 states, by many federal agencies—including the FBI—and in 40 other countries. He also lectures, trains, and presents many times a year on topics related to this technology, and has published seven research articles. Lynn has frequently been requested to testify as an expert by prosecutors across the country in numerous cases involving child exploitation. The world is a much better place because of Brian Lynn.”

“I’m extremely grateful for the award, and appreciative of the opportunities that I have been given to work with Brian and our law enforcement communities to help reduce online child exploitation,” said Lynn in response to receiving the award.

The Outstanding Staff Award is given annually to an individual or team at CICS who demonstrates an exemplary work ethic, makes impressive contributions to their department, and fosters a positive and successful environment.

For more information about the award and a list of previous recipients, see: https://www.cics.umass.edu/awards-programs