Rob T. Lee is Chief AI Officer and Chief of Research at the SANS Institute, where he leads AI governance, security, and organizational transformation. He authored the SANS Secure AI Blueprint and led development of the SANS Critical AI Security Guidelines, which, through a partnership with OWASP, are informing implementation of the EU AI Act.

A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, Lee helped found the Air Force’s first operational cyber warfare unit and later served in AFOSI, CIA, and NSA roles supporting offensive cyber operations. He was a Director at Mandiant, co-authoring early M-Trends reports on advanced persistent threats. Known as the “Godfather of DFIR,” Lee helped formalize digital forensics, incident response, and cyber threat intelligence as disciplines and has trained tens of thousands of practitioners through SANS. He also serves as a Technical Advisor to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.