Will Nickolson, builder of SENTINEL

I hold a B.S. in Information Systems Management from Auburn University and am currently pursuing a Master of Science in Information Systems, along with a Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics. My academic path reflects a deliberate focus on the intersection of technology, security, and data-driven decision making.

Alongside my graduate coursework, I serve as Lab Manager at the AU-CAICE Lab, a cross-college appointment between Auburn's College of Engineering and the Harbert College of Business supporting applied research in AI and cybersecurity.

I serve as Vice President (and previously Technical Advisor) of the Auburn Ethical Hacking Club, where I've helped lead competitive cybersecurity efforts including SECCDC, CyberForce, and the DoD-sponsored VICEROY Challenge Series. In 2025, I led our team to an 11th-place finish at SECCDC, and in 2026 I returned as team captain, improving to 8th out of 45 teams and advancing to regionals. Our preparation involves building and defending simulated corporate environments on a Proxmox cluster spanning Windows and Linux systems, emphasizing blue-team defense, systems hardening, and operational resilience.

Beyond competition, I build and maintain personal projects that push my skills in new directions. These include Atlas, a blue-team C2 and SIEM platform for red-vs-blue exercises featuring pure Go endpoint agents, mTLS-secured communications, Sigma rule detection, and MITRE ATT&CK correlation; and SENTINEL, a real-time geopolitical intelligence dashboard featuring a 3D interactive globe with ADS-B flight tracking, naval vessel positions, and live conflict data. I also run a segmented homelab on Proxmox with OPNsense routing and multiple VLANs, an environment I use daily to test tooling and prototype new ideas. I continuously refine my fundamentals through TryHackMe and HackTheBox, and hold the CompTIA Security+ certification.

Earlier in my academic career, I was involved in Public Forum Debate at Vestavia Hills High School and continue to give back as a tournament judge. That background strengthened my analytical thinking, structured argumentation, and ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly, skills that remain central to my work in information systems.

I'm always open to connecting with professionals, students, and practitioners passionate about cybersecurity, analytics, and technology leadership.