John Heidemann

John Heidemann is a principal scientist at the University of Southern California/Information Sciences Institute (USC/ISI) and a research professor in the USC Computer Science Department. He leads the Analysis of Network Traffic (ANT) Lab, where his team studies how to observe and analyze Internet topology and traffic to improve network reliability, security, protocols, and critical services.

Dr. Heidemann received his PhD in Computer Science from UCLA in 1995 and his BS from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1989. His educational background laid the foundation for his extensive career in network research and development.

His primary research interests focus on Internet measurement with applications in security and policy, and the design of network protocols for critical systems. He has made significant contributions to DNS security, DDoS defense mechanisms, Internet topology analysis, and network traffic monitoring. His work often bridges theoretical insights with practical implementations to address real-world networking challenges, particularly in the areas of Internet infrastructure security and reliability.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on DNS security (particularly Anycast and DDoS defense), Internet measurement during global events like the COVID-19 pandemic, and the evolution of Internet protocols including IPv6 adoption. His research demonstrates a consistent pattern of addressing critical infrastructure vulnerabilities while developing practical, deployable solutions.

Dr. Heidemann has received significant recognition for his contributions to the field:

• Senior member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
• Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• Fellow of the IEEE Computer Society

He teaches and advises students at the USC Computer Science Department and has secured substantial research funding from diverse sources including the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and industry partners such as Amazon, Cisco, and Northrop Grumman. His current research portfolio includes PIMAWAT (Privacy in Internet Measurements), Internet-Map (Traffic Map for the Internet), and CLASSNET (Community Labeling and Sharing of Security and Networking Test datasets).

At ISI, he leads the Analysis of Network Traffic (ANT) Lab, which brings together researchers from academia and industry to tackle challenging problems in network measurement, security, and protocol design. The lab has made important contributions to understanding Internet topology, DNS security, and methods for improving network reliability through careful observation and analysis.