Posted on May 15, 2026 by Anastasia Cisneros-Lunsford
Doctoral graduate Ðorđe Klisura came to San Antonio from Europe with ambitious goals and a drive to grow. At UT San Antonio, he exceeded even his own expectations, earning the 2025 PhD Student of the Year award from the Alvarez College of Business and the 2026 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award from the College of AI, Cyber and Computing.
During his time at UT San Antonio, Klisura earned recognition through several national awards, including second place in the STEM Spark: INFORMS K-12 Poster Competition and first place for best poster at the National Student Data Corps 2024 Data Science Symposium. He also published research papers at several leading academic conferences including the Association for Computational Linguistics Main Conference, and findings for the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics and the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics. He also co-authored a paper presented at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Symposium on Security and Privacy, one of the most prestigious conferences in the field of cybersecurity research.
A first-generation college student, Klisura arrived in San Antonio from Priboj, a small town in southwest Serbia, specifically to attend UT San Antonio to pursue his doctoral degree in information technology with a concentration in cybersecurity.
"Honestly, (this experience) has been one of the most challenging and most rewarding chapters of my life," he said. "This transformation happened because of the people here."
He credits the Department of Information Systems and Cybersecurity with helping shape his academic and professional path.
"The ISC department is very special because the faculty invests in their students, the research culture is serious but supportive and there's room to grow into the scholar you want to become."
Klisura was drawn to this field because it affects nearly every part of modern life. His dissertation focused on improving the safety and fairness of large language models in high-stakes areas like healthcare, finance and law.
"At its core, my work asks whether the technology we're building can be trusted by the people it affects most," he said. "That's what kept me going, and (UT San Antonio) was the right place to pursue it."
Alongside his research, Klisura had the opportunity to mentor graduate students on research projects, including through the Data Science Immersion Program.
"Teaching and mentoring have been some of the most meaningful parts of my time here and they're a big reason I'm excited to start as faculty next year."
Beginning this summer, Klisura has accepted a position as the Data Science for Social Good (DSSG) Fellow at Johns Hopkins University. In August, he will join Kennesaw State University in Georgia as a tenure-track assistant professor of information systems and security in the Coles College of Business.
"I enjoy both teaching and research, so an academic career was the natural path for me," he said. "I love learning. I don't mind putting in the work and I've learned that the best things in life usually come from saying yes to something you weren't sure you were ready for."
Klisura said that, in preparing for his doctorate, he chose problems he found genuinely interesting, built strong collaborations and stayed consistent with his day-to-day work.
"The ISC department as a whole has been a place where students are very much supported and encouraged to do their best work," he said, adding that he has tried to stay productive during his doctoral work without burning out. He also is thankful for his advisor and mentor, Anthony Rios, PhD, associate professor of information systems and cybersecurity.
"My advisor, Dr. Anthony Rios, has been incredibly supportive throughout my (doctoral studies), giving me the trust and space to pursue ideas I cared about while always being there when I needed guidance."
While at UT San Antonio, Klisura became a member of the Order of the Sword & Shield National Honor Society, an academic and professional honor society for all U.S. Department of Homeland Security disciplines. He is also a graduate student member of the IEEE Lone Star Section. One of the highlights of his doctoral experience was participating in a study abroad program in Mysore, India, last summer.
"We spent two weeks in seminars on AI, cybersecurity, fintech and entrepreneurship, paired with heritage site visits and industry tours," he said. "India left a real mark on me, both personally and academically and it shaped the way I think about my work and the world around it."
Klisura said he has had a very enriching experience at UT San Antonio and hopes incoming students will as well.
"Don't be afraid to reach out," he advises. "Talk to your faculty, go to office hours, ask about their research and tell them what you're interested in, even when it feels a little intimidating. (They) genuinely want to hear from you."
He encourages students to take advantage of the numerous opportunities here.
"Try to get a handle on your time early, because the work will keep coming," he said. "UT San Antonio has so much to offer if you're willing to reach for it."
— Anastasia Cisneros-Lunsford
