Research Interests

My research focuses on the modeling and analysis of threats to next-generation Internet, cloud and mobile systems, and critical infrastructure. My lab addresses fundamental problems in cyber resilience, risk assessment, data provenance, and adaptive threat detection, with applied work in cloud and cyber-physical security, mobile security, anomaly detection, moving-target defense, cloud auditing, and risk management. This work is supported by the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, and the Air Force Research Lab.

Books

Centers of Excellence (ODU Site Lead)

• DoD Cyber Security Center of Excellence
• DoD Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• DHS Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI)
• DOE Cyber Resilient Energy Delivery Consortium (CREDC)

Featured Projects

Selected active projects at the Center for Secure and Intelligent Critical Systems (CSICS):

• Cybersecurity Center for Offshore Wind Energy
• CyberSBA — Cybersecurity for Small Business
• Resilient Federated Learning for Trustworthy AI
• Secure & Intelligent NextG Infrastructure
• AI Model Verification & Improvement in Cyber-Physical Systems
• Transfer Learning–Empowered AI Certification in IoBT
• Critical Infrastructure Resilience Metrics
• Blockchain for Distributed Systems Security
• Taurus NuEnergy
• Taurus TeleSys

Grants & Contracts

Selected funded projects (PI unless noted) — totaling more than $22 million in research funding since 2009.

Old Dominion University (2016 – present)

• Machine Learning for Dynamic Spectrum Access — CACI · PI · October 2025 – September 2027
• 5G RDT&E Testbed for Radar Coexistence and Kinetic Effects — HII · PI · April 2025 – December 2026
• Cybersecurity Center for Offshore Wind Energy — SERC · PI · April 16, 2024 – April 15, 2025
• Center for Offshore Wind Energy Cyber Vulnerabilities — Department of Energy · PI · April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025
• Cybersecurity Readiness for Small Business — Small Business Administration · PI · Sep 1, 2023 – August 29, 2025
• Efficient Data Communication and Processing for Intelligent Medical Systems with Edge-Cloud Interplay — National Science Foundation · PI · Sep 1, 2022 – August 29, 2025
• Privacy Preserving Federated Machine Learning Model — Deloitte Consulting · PI · August 1, 2023 – July 30, 2024
• Deception for characterizing adversarial strategies in complex networked systems. — Army Research Office · PI · July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2025
• Advancements in low latency, resilient and energy efficient 5G networks for smart warehouse — National Spectrum Consortium · PI · Jan 1, 2021 – December 31, 2023 · $898,725
• Center of Excellence in Machine Learning — Department of Defense · PI · October 1, 2020 – September 31, 2025 · $1,750,000
• Top Down 5G Network Security Design — Deloitte Consulting · PI · May 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021 · $50,000
• Cybersecurity Monitoring and Assurance Training Program for Safe and Secure Port Operations — Commonwealth Cyber Initiative · PI · May 1, 2021 – August 31, 2022 · $150,000
• Moving Choreography to a New Universe: AI Driven Privacy Automation Approach — Commonwealth Cyber Initiative · Co-PI · January 1, 2021 – August 31, 2021 · $25,000
• Question Under Discussion Framework to Analyze Misinformation targeting Security Researchers — Commonwealth Cyber Initiative · PI · June 1, 2021 – May 30, 2022 · $65,000
• Secure and Privacy Preserving 5G Network for Connected Vehicles — Commonwealth Cyber Initiative · PI · January 1, 2021 – May 31, 2022 · $200,000
• Analytically-based frameworks for AI model verification and improvement in cyber-physical systems — National Science Foundation · PI · October 15, 2021 – September 30, 2023 · $60,000
• Extended Reality enabled 5G Telementoring — Hampton Roads Biomedical Research Consortium · PI · October 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022 · $115,000
• Bulk Electric Systems Supply Chain Cyber Risk Management — Cyber Resilient Energy Delivery Consortium · PI · June 1, 2020 – May 31, 2022 · $317,000
• AI Model Certification in Operational Environments, — MITRE · PI · May 1, 2020 – September 30, 2020 · $66,000
• Blockchain-Empowered Cyber-Resilient IoT Security Solution — CIT · PI · July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2022 · $150,000
• Advanced Instrumentation Technology Spectrum Risk Assessment — Circadence · PI · July 24, 2020 – January 21, 2022 · $297,900
• Blockchain Empowered Provenance Framework for Sensor Identity Management and Data Flow Security in Fossil-Based Power Plants”, Department of Energy — Department of Energy · PI · September 1, 2019 – August 31, 2022 · $400,000
• Attack Graph Modeling and Risk Remediation Plan — Electric Power Research Institute · PI · October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2020 · $75,000
• Cyber Risk and Resilience Analytics — Frontier Technology Inc · PI · March 15, 2019 – September 30, 2021 · $680,583
• Cyber Risk Scoring and Mitigation — Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund · PI · July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019 · $100,000
• Networked Device Identity Management using Blockchain — Sentara Healthcare · PI · January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2020 · $767,000
• Data provenance Assurance in Cloud using Blockchain — Air Force Research Laboratory · PI · August 18, 2016 – December 31, 2019 · $1,050,000
• Center of Excellence in Cyber Security — Air Force Research Laboratory · Co-PI · July 24, 2016 – May 31, 2021 · $4, 984,352
• Towards Community Resilience through Comprehensive Risk Assessment for Business Continuity — Department of Homeland Security Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute · PI · July 24, 2016 – June 30, 2020 · $372,977
• Cyber Resilient Energy Delivery Consortium — Department of Energy · Site Lead · July 24, 2016 – May 31, 2022 · $28.1 Million

Tennessee State University (2009 – 2016)

• CC*DNI Campus Design: Internet2 Infrastructure to Enable Research in Big Data Science and Engineering at Tennessee State University — National Science Foundation · PI · January 1, 2016 – July 1, 2016 · $349,144
• Defenses and countermeasures of jamming attacks in wireless mesh networks — Naval Engineering Education Consortium · PI · March 14, 2016 – July 1, 2016 · $449,934
• Embedded Systems Security Education — Office of Naval Research · PI · August 1, 2015 – July 1, 2016 · $599,800
• Blue-Shirt Program: Engineering Clinic-Based Curriculum — National Science Foundation · Co-PI · July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2020 · $1,904,891
• A Research Infrastructure for Real-time Opportunistic Spectrum Access in Cloud based Cognitive Radio Networks — National Science Foundation · PI · August 1, 2014 – July 31, 2017 · $88,119
• IUSE – Collaborative Project: Building Virtual Research, Interactive Service and Experiential Learning Modules for Cybersecurity — National Science Foundation · PI · August 1, 2014 – July 31, 2017 · $108,262
• Scholarships for preparing the global engineer for tomorrow’s workforce — National Science Foundation · PI · July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2016 · $600,000
• Collaborative Project: Building an Innovative Smartphone Virtual Laboratory Environment for Cybersecurity Education and Training — National Science Foundation · PI · August 1, 2013 – July 31, 2016 · $93,093
• Development of an agile and resilient security architecture to protect embedded systems from emerging threats — Boeing · PI · November 1, 2012 – December 31, 2015 · $450,000
• Heterogeneous VM Replication- A new approach to intrusion detection, active response and recovery in cloud data centers — Air Force Office of Scientific Research · Co-PI · December 1, 2011 – December 31, 2014 · $750,000
• Secure Measurement based IP Geolocation for Cloud Auditing — National Science Foundation · PI · September 1, 2011 – August 31, 2013 · $250,000
• Network Measurement and Mapping — Department of Homeland Security · PI · September 1, 2011 – August 31, 2016 · $500,000
• Targeted Infusion Grant- Cybersecurity education and research training for ECE and CS programs — National Science Foundation · Co-PI · October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2015 · $300,000
• Vertical Integration of Concepts and Laboratory Experiences in Biometrics across the Four Year Electrical and Computer Engineering Curriculum — National Science Foundation · PI · October 1, 2014 – July 1, 2016 · $131,080
• Visual Analytics for Anomaly Detection — Department of Homeland Security · PI · February 1, 2011 – July 30, 2016 · $300,000
• CI-TEAM Demonstration: Interactive and Collaborative Learning Environment using Virtual Reality Games Promoting Metacognition for Science and Engineering Design in Context — National Science Foundation · Co-PI · September 1, 2010 – August 31, 2015 · $250,000
• Empowering Students with Engineering Literacy and Systematic Problem Solving through Interactive and Cost-Effective Games,” — National Science Foundation · Co-PI · September 1, 2009 – August 31, 2013 · $199,986