Research & Papers

Amazon Awards 68 Researchers for AI Security and Agentic AI

68 academics from 49 universities receive funding for cutting-edge AI and cybersecurity research.

Deep Dive

Amazon Research Awards (ARA) has named 68 recipients from 49 universities across 11 countries in its fall 2025 cycle. The awards fund proposals in six key areas: AI for Information Security, Agentic AI, Automated Reasoning, AWS Cryptography, Cybersecurity and Anti-Abuse Technologies, and Sustainability. Recipients receive unrestricted funds, AWS Promotional Credits, and access to over 700 Amazon public datasets. Each awardee is assigned an Amazon research contact for consultation and advice, plus opportunities to participate in Amazon events and training sessions.

Amazon emphasized the importance of translating research into real-world impact. Dhruv Kuchhal, Applied Scientist at Amazon, noted that fraud and abuse evolve rapidly, and ARA brings together industry and academia to systematically raise bad actors' costs. Wei Ding, Applied Science Manager for AWS GuardDuty, highlighted how AI is reshaping cybersecurity, especially with agentic AI requiring stronger safety guarantees. Recipients are encouraged to publish results, present at Amazon offices, and release code under open-source licenses, fostering ecosystem-wide improvements.

Key Points
  • 68 award recipients from 49 universities across 11 countries
  • Covers 6 research areas: AI security, agentic AI, automated reasoning, cryptography, cybersecurity, sustainability
  • Access to AWS AI/ML services, 700+ public datasets, and dedicated Amazon research contacts

Why It Matters

Strengthens academic-industry collaboration to tackle AI-driven security threats and advance agentic AI safety.