Maryland Cybersecurity Center Security Professional Research Panel


The Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2) at the University of Maryland is always looking for new participants to recruit for research studies focused on computer security professionals (e.g., secure software development, network defense, system administration, etc). This page contains information about our panel and how to join. Thank you in advance for your interest.

Please read the policies below before following the link at the bottom to join the panel. To join, you will be asked to complete a short (< 5 min) survey to help us identify the best fitting studies for you.  Please note account creation may take up to 3 weekdays.  Once registered, you will begin receiving emails whenever we start a study you are eligible to participate in.

Find Out More

Participate in Research


University of Maryland researchers are looking for participants to take part in studies related to computer security specific tasks such as secure software development, vulnerability discovery, network monitoring and defense, malware analysis, and many others. Almost all studies can be completed online on your personal computer, but a few participants may be needed for in-person studies in labs on campus. As a panel member, you can sign up for as many or as few studies as you would like. While participation in the panel is uncompensated, panelists who choose to enroll in specific studies are often compensated with cash or gift cards.

Eligibility


  • Must be 18 years old or older
  • May not participate in any individual study more than once
  • Must speak and read English
  • Must regularly perform security-related tasks (e.g., software development, vulnerability discovery, system administration, network analysts, malware analysis, etc.)

Participation Details


Payment: For online studies, participants will often be compensated with online gift cards (e.g., Amazon gift card) within 1 to 2 weeks of the conclusion of the study. For in-person studies, participants will often be compensated immediately with cash or gift cards. Payment usually averages around $25 per hour or participants may be entered into a lottery for a chance to win a larger prize. Payment information for each study will be provided in the study description.

Study Topics: Processes and decision-making, attitudes and beliefs regarding ability to complete security tasks, tool preferences, and group performance.

Study Length: Studies generally vary in length from about 5-30 minutes for surveys or 30 minutes to 3 hours for observational studies and interviews.

Privacy: All study data will be stored securely in an encrypted container on password-protected servers (digital) or a locked cabinet (paper). If we write a report or article about a study you participate in, your identify will be protected to the maximum extent possible. Your registration information will only be used to determine which studies you may be eligible for and will only be accessible by the MC2 Security Professional Research Panel (MSPRP) administrators. Data retention and sharing policies for data collected during each study you participate in can be found in the study description. In general, while we may share research records with external sponsoring parties, this data will be carefully redacted before sharing to remove potentially identifying information.

Lab Expectations of Participants


  • Participants will be expected to receive an automatic quarterly email that lists the active studies for that quarter and additional emails whenever a new study begins (at most once a month).
  • Participants must present a valid state-issued or student photo ID in order to participate in each in-person study. The name on the valid ID must exactly match the spelling of the name used to join the panel. Any participant who presents an ID with a name that does not exactly match the name on they originally provided will not be able to participate in the study and will not be compensated.
  • Participants must show up on time to participate in studies; participants who show up after the listed study starting time may not be able to participate and will not be compensated.
  • Participants are expected to attend all study sessions for which they sign up, or to inform the researchers that they need to cancel via email at least 24 hours in advance. Missing a study without cancellation will result in an unexcused no-show. Participants who accumulate three unexcused no-shows will be banned from participating in studies for at least three months.
  • Participants and researchers will be expected to maintain an environment of respect. Participants may not be under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs while participating in studies. Use of vulgar or discriminatory language, threatening behavior, inappropriate communication, system abuse, etc. will result in permanent restriction from the panel and from participation in studies.

Inquiries


For general questions about the research panel, please feel free to contact the panel administrators at sec-pros@cs.umd.edu. Any questions about a particular study (including but not limited to questions about compensation, preparation, meeting time, eligibility, etc.) should be directed to the researcher(s) listed in the study posting. In the case that a participant feels any matter must be reviewed by the lab administrators, participants may email the MC2 lab manager at sec-pros@cs.umd.edu

Join the Panel


Please follow the link below to register to join the MC2 research panel:

Join