ABOUT RHIZORAI
Built to Move Advanced Ideas Into the Mission
RhizorAI Technologies was founded on the principle that intelligence must be symbiotic with the systems it protects. Our mission is to transform advanced research into operational capability, focusing on the intersection of AI/ML anomaly detection and autonomous cyber defense.
Founder & Technical Leadership
Decades of Specialized Expertise in AI/ML and Cyber Resilience
Kayla N. Afanador, Ph.D.
Founder & Principal
Dr. Kayla Afanador is the founder of RhizorAI Technologies, bringing more than 18 years of experience across cybersecurity research, software architecture, and technical leadership in Department of Defense environments. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between emerging AI/ML and cyber research and the operational realities of mission-critical, embedded, and legacy systems.
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Throughout her career, she has served as a Principal Investigator, cyber warfare subject matter expert, R&D lead, and software architect—leading multimillion-dollar research initiatives and multidisciplinary technical teams. Her work has spanned the full R&D lifecycle, from vulnerability discovery and early-stage research through prototyping, system integration, and technology maturation, including advancing an AI/ML-enabled cyber capability from TRL 1 to TRL 6 in approximately 2.5 years.
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Dr. Afanador founded RhizorAI to provide a specialized technical alternative to traditional large-scale defense contractors—combining deep engineering expertise, research agility, and a mission-first approach to developing capabilities that can succeed under real-world operational constraints.
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Ph.D., Computer Science • M.S., Cybersecurity • 18+ Years Cyber R&D • Active Security Clearance