Danda B. Rawat

Dr. Danda B. Rawat is an Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies and Full Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at Howard University's College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA). He leads several initiatives, including the Howard University Data Science & Cybersecurity Center and the DoD Center of Excellence in AI/ML. His research focuses on cybersecurity, machine learning, and wireless networking for emerging systems like IoT, smart cities, and tactical autonomy. Dr. Rawat has secured over $110M in research funding and graduated 39 PhD students, many from underrepresented groups. He holds numerous awards, including the NSF CAREER Award and DHS Scientific Leadership Award.

Education: PhD in Computer Science from Old Dominion University.

Research Interests: Cybersecurity, AI/ML, wireless networking, tactical autonomy, federated learning, and quantum computing. His work addresses challenges in secure autonomous systems, edge intelligence, and ethical AI.

Awards: Includes NSF CAREER, DHS Leadership Award, Presidents’ Medal (Howard University), and IEEE recognitions. He is a Fellow of the IET and ACM/IEEE Distinguished Lecturer.

Labs & Teams: Directs the CWiNs Lab, DoD CoE-AIML, and RITA (UARC). Active in federal consortia linking HBCUs to defense innovation.

Grants: Over $110M as PI, including a historic $90M USAF contract for RITA, the first HBCU-led UARC.