Angela Ramos

For Angela Ramos, cybersecurity has grown to be about more than technology. 

She started her PhD in Cyberpsychology program at Capitol Tech in 2025 after earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in cybersecurity. Rather than pursuing another degree focused strictly on the technical side of cyber, she wanted to dig into the human side of the field. 

“Cyberpsychology interested me as the human factor in cyber,” Ramos said. “As long as people remain vulnerable, cyber will as well.” 

Her interest in these human factors has been shaped by years of professional experience in incident response, cybersecurity, and open-source intelligence (OSINT), primarily focused on the technical side of incidents. But after her elderly neighbor was scammed out of $100,000, Ramos changed her perspective. 

“That experience reshaped how I think about my work,” Ramos said. “It’s no longer about the technical response for me, it is about the real people on the other end of every incident.” 

Through this, Ramos became involved with the Scam Busters Program, a program designed to help vulnerable populations identify potential scams, where her work has included educating students about investment scams, identifying scammers, and using technology to help locate missing people.  

Almost every time I dig into a security issue, the trail eventually leads back to human behavior,” she said. “Human behavior isn’t a side interest to cyber, it is central to it.

Ramos has focused her doctoral research on the psychological growth of Capture the Flag (CTF) competitors, specifically examining how grit, self-efficacy, and community-building shape their development. 

Her research reflects the broader focus of cyberpsychology: understanding the relationship between people and technology and exploring how human behavior influences cybersecurity. 

For Ramos, understanding that relationship is essential to addressing modern cyber threats. Whether people are being targeted by scams, manipulated by attackers, or developing the skills needed to enter the cybersecurity field, human behavior plays a central role. 

Her professional experiences have also shaped her perspective as a doctoral student. Through her work in cybersecurity and speaking at events such as DEF CON, Ramos has seen firsthand the value of adding academic research to her industry experience. 

"Capitol Tech has helped me prepare these talks more from a research perspective and learn how to go deeper into the topics and continue to ask why,” Ramos said. “It has led me down a journey of self-discovery and learning. I found what I was passionate about." 

Ramos’ willingness to question, learn, and challenge existing ideas is also central to the advice she gives to others considering a doctoral degree in cybersecurity, cyberpsychology, or another STEM field. 

“There is something rewarding about the discovery, following a question and watching the answer take shape,” she said. 

Looking ahead, Ramos hopes her PhD will open the door to new opportunities while allowing her to continue the work she is already passionate about. Ultimately, she wants to help organizations better understand that addressing cyber threats isn’t just about technology. 

“My hope is to show organizations that solving the human side of cybersecurity requires more than technical controls.” 

Through her doctoral research and professional work, Ramos is demonstrating why the human element deserves a central place in cybersecurity and how understanding people can be key to building a safer digital world.