Feras Batarseh

Feras Batarseh serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech, where he directs the Artificial Intelligence Assurance and Applications Lab (A³ Lab) at the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington. His work bridges artificial intelligence, cyberbiosecurity, and critical infrastructure systems with a focus on water and agricultural applications.

His educational background includes:

• JM in Law from George Mason University (2022)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Project Leadership from Cornell University (2016)
• Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida (2011)
• M.Sc. in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida (2007)

Dr. Batarseh's research centers on AI Assurance—developing frameworks for trustworthy, explainable, and ethical AI systems—applied to Cyberbiosecurity challenges in water infrastructure and Smart Agriculture. His work tackles data bias, dark data, and causality in real-world deployments, with applications in securing water supply systems, optimizing precision farming, and analyzing international agricultural trade. Key innovations include context-aware deep learning for wastewater treatment and causal AI for policy impact assessment.

His recent publications (2023-2025) reveal a concentrated effort to address national security threats through cyberbiosecurity, with 60% of articles focusing on water systems security and 30% on agricultural policy applications. The research integrates generative AI, causal inference, and human-AI teaming to solve problems ranging from K-9 handler collaboration to global food supply chain resilience.

As director of the A³ Lab, Dr. Batarseh leads interdisciplinary projects funded by federal and industry partners, mentoring graduate students in AI deployment for critical infrastructure. Current initiatives include the ACWA testbed for intelligent water systems and frameworks for friendshoring in agricultural trade.