Michael Mayer is an Information Security Analyst II working in Governance, Risk, and Compliance. This part of our office is a critical component of our information security posture. Michael cooperates with researchers and other university offices in support of safe and ethical research. He works with the Institutional Review Board to evaluate security requirements for human subjects research projects. He processes security reviews of software applications that the university is interested in acquiring.
Michael’s favorite aspect of his job is ensuring research projects are secure so that vulnerabilities do not get in the way of the important work underway at WashU. He says that he likes to keep in mind that the research being done at WashU could benefit someone he knows or even people in his own family. He has worked at WashU for over 22 years and has been thinking about security in one form or another the entire time. For example, he helped his former department meet HIPPA privacy and security requirements.
He thinks it’s important that we communicate that we aren’t here to say “no” or to present barriers to projects. Rather than creating obstacles, Michael says the Office of Information Security helps ensure research and data are secure so that projects can move forward.
Michael says he can’t live without music, and he enjoys a wide variety of styles and genres. He is an avid reader, a hockey fan, and he enjoys supporting his children’s pursuits in hockey and lacrosse.