Patrick McDaniel is a Professor in the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a Fellow of IEEE, ACM, and AAAS, and leads the MadS&P (UW-Madison Security and Privacy) group. His research spans computer and network security, adversarial machine learning, and technical public policy. Academic Affiliation : Tsun-Ming Shih Professor of Computer Sciences Key Research Areas : Mobile/IoT security, election systems security, AI policy Research Trends : His recent publications and funded projects focus on adversarial machine learning, SDN security, and robustness of AI systems. Keywords include cybersecurity, machine learning, network security, and privacy. Grants and Leadership : He has secured over $5M in NSF funding for end-to-end trustworthiness of ML systems and leads collaborative projects with Army Research and UW-Madison. Awards : Multiple best/most influential paper awards (ICSE 2015, PLDI 2014, ACSAC 2024, EthiCS 2023) Advising : Mentored 13+ PhD students and postdocs now at top institutions like Google, Purdue, and University of Toronto
Maria Apostolaki is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University. Her research focuses on designing secure, reliable, and high-performance networked systems, integrating expertise in networking, security, blockchain, and machine learning. She holds a Ph.D. from ETH Zurich (2021) and an M.Eng. from the National Technical University of Athens (2015). Education: Ph.D., ETH Zurich 2021 | M.Eng., NTUA 2015 Her work investigates challenges in network security, distributed systems, and adversarial resilience. Notable contributions include SABRE (protecting Bitcoin from routing attacks) and TANGO (collaborative route control). She has advised multiple graduate students in computer science and engineering. Key honors include the NSF CAREER Award and the IRTF/IETF Applied Networking Research Prize (2018). Her lab explores cutting-edge topics like contextual robustness in ML-driven network functions and formal methods for secure systems. Advising: 6 advisees in COS/ECE domains Grants: NSF CAREER Award, innovation grants for AI/robotics Her TANGO framework enables secure cross-domain routing, while recent work addresses vulnerabilities in Ethereum PoS and BGP routing protocols.
Christopher Kruegel is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where he conducts research in systems security. He is affiliated with the International Secure Systems Lab (iSecLab) and was a co-founder of Lastline, Inc., which was acquired by VMware in 2020. His work focuses on creating practical security solutions that address real-world problems through system building and experimental validation. Professor Kruegel's research spans multiple areas of computer security including malware analysis, web security, network security, and vulnerability analysis. His work often involves developing systems that analyze programs for malicious behavior, scanning web applications for vulnerabilities, and improving privacy on social networks. He has made significant contributions to firmware security, smart contract analysis, and mobile security through his extensive publication record. His 15 most recent publications (2022-2023) demonstrate a strong focus on practical security solutions across diverse domains including firmware security (Shimware, Fuzzware), blockchain and smart contract security (Confusum Contractum, NFT security), mobile security (TEEzz, Columbus), and vulnerability detection techniques (Actor, Toss a Fault to Your Witcher). His research shows consistent innovation in security tools and methodologies with several papers receiving distinguished awards. Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award, UCSB Academic Senate Distinguished Artifact Award for Fuzzware paper Distinguished Paper Award for Ramblr paper Best Student Paper Award for Detecting Spammers On Social Networks Professor Kruegel has advised numerous graduate students and collaborated extensively with researchers at UCSB and beyond. His work has been funded by various research grants supporting his security research initiatives. He is actively involved in the International Secure Systems Lab, which focuses on practical security solutions for real-world problems.
Vyas Sekar is the Tan Family Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), with a courtesy appointment in the Computer Science Department. He is affiliated with CyLab and co-directs the Future of Enterprise Security initiative. His research focuses on networking, cybersecurity, distributed systems, and IoT security, with an emphasis on data-driven approaches and network verification. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science (2010) from CMU; B.Tech. from IIT Madras (President of India Gold Medal recipient). Professional roles include Chief Scientist at Conviva and co-founder of Rockfish Data. Research Interests: Cybersecurity, network security, software-defined networking (SDN), IoT security, DDoS defense, privacy-preserving data sharing, and network performance optimization. Recent work includes developing tools like Pigasus (FPGA-accelerated intrusion detection), Nomad (cloud side-channel mitigation), and frameworks for anomaly detection in IoT networks. Articles Trends: Recent publications address advanced threats like LLM-driven network attacks, stealthy automotive network exploits (CANDid), and optical-layer DDoS defenses. Emphasis on practical solutions (e.g., SketchPlan for telemetry, Pryde for firewall evasion detection). Awards: ACM SIGCOMM Test of Time Award (2022), IIT Madras Young Alumni Achiever Award (2022), Intel Outstanding Researcher Award (2021), and NSF CAREER Award (2016). Recognized for contributions to intrusion prevention, network security, and IoT resilience. Grants & Projects: Led NSF-funded ONSET project (optical-layer DDoS defense), CyLab's Secure IoT Initiative, and collaborations with industry partners like Intel, Facebook, and Nokia Bell Labs. Advises graduate students in cybersecurity and networking. Labs & Teams: Active contributor to CyLab, co-developer of frameworks like Lumos (hidden IoT device detection) and KalKi (IoT security platform). Engages in interdisciplinary research across CMU’s Robotics Institute and Software Engineering Institute.
Martin Müller is a Professor in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Alberta, where he conducts research in artificial intelligence, game theory, and heuristic search. He holds the Canada CIFAR AI Chair at Amii and is an Amii Fellow, underscoring his leadership in AI. His research group focuses on Monte Carlo tree search, reinforcement learning, combinatorial game theory, and automated planning, with applications in games such as Go, Hex, and NoGo. His research interests span Monte Carlo and exact methods in game-tree search , exploration in heuristic search and machine learning , and algorithms in combinatorial game theory . He has developed open-source software like MCGS (Minimax-based Combinatorial Game Solver) and contributes to game-playing systems such as Fuego for Go. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations in AI-driven game solvers. Recent publications show a strong trend in reinforcement learning , particularly in deep Q-learning, policy gradient methods, and anomaly detection in deep RL. His team also explores combinatorial game solving , sparse reward environments , and imperfect information games . The research integrates machine learning with classical AI techniques, emphasizing empirical validation and algorithmic innovation. Canada CIFAR AI Chair Amii Fellow Best student paper award at IEEE Conference on Games 2024 Best paper award at IEEE COG 2021 Outstanding paper award at AAAI-18 Faculty of Science Dissertation Award (2016) Dissertation Award from the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Association (2013) Müller has supervised numerous PhD and MSc students, including Hongming Zhang, Henry Du, and Timo Bertram, many of whose theses focus on game AI, reinforcement learning, and combinatorial optimization. He is funded by NSERC, Mitacs, and Compute Canada. His group collaborates on projects involving neural networks for game playing, SAT solving, and planning algorithms. He is currently on sabbatical but remains academically active, teaching a graduate course on combinatorial games in 2025 and hosting visiting researchers. His lab is involved in the development of MCGS, a solver for sum games, and contributes to open-source AI software. The team publishes regularly in top venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, AAAI, and IEEE Transactions on Games. Future work includes advancing combinatorial game solvers, improving deep RL robustness, and exploring generalization in game representations.
Ting He is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, specializing in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of network sciences, energy systems, and cybersecurity. Their work addresses critical challenges in network tomography, software-defined networking, and cyber-physical systems, with a strong emphasis on advancing edge computing and decentralized learning paradigms. NSF-funded research on Distributed Edge Intelligence (2024–2025) Collaborative projects on Overlay Networks and Adversarial Reconnaissance in SDN Recent publications analyze network topology inference, energy-efficient decentralized learning, and secure cloud file systems. Their research aligns with UN SDGs through contributions to sustainable energy systems and secure IT infrastructure. Key collaborations with Silvestri, La Porta, and Chaudhuri Active in Smart Grid resilience and cascading failure mitigation
Alexandru G. Bardas is an Associate Professor at the University of Kansas in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) and the Institute for Information Sciences (I2S) . He received his PhD from Kansas State University under advisors Xinming (Simon) Ou and Scott A. DeLoach. His research focuses on cybersecurity from a systems perspective , including moving target defenses, security operations center (SOC) metrics, DevOps security, power grid cybersecurity, and defensive technologies for political activists. He explores UDP-based DDoS detection, DNS traffic analysis, and the intersection of AI with cybersecurity, emphasizing foundational knowledge over tool-specific training. Key research areas: Cybersecurity, Systems Security, Moving Target Defenses, SOC Metrics, DevOps Security Recent publications in ACSAC 2024 , USENIX Security 2024/2023 , and IEEE Security & Privacy 2022 Dr. Bardas has received significant recognition including: NSF CAREER Award (2022) for SOC automation Bellows Scholar (2021) at KU NSA SoS Honorable Mention (2023) He actively advises students across disciplines, with graduates now at Sandia National Laboratories , Blue Cross Blue Shield , and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory . Dr. Bardas participates in NSF grant reviews , serves on program committees for SOUPS and MILCOM , and leads outreach initiatives like the GenCyber Summer Camp .
Pedro Miguel Sanchez Sanchez is a researcher affiliated with the University of Murcia , specializing in Machine Learning , Cybersecurity , and IoT . He earned his doctorate in 2024 with the thesis Identical IoT device identification via hardware performance fingerprinting and Machine Learning , supervised by Dr. Alberto Huertas Celdrán and Dr. Gregorio Martínez Pérez. Research Interests Pedro's work focuses on applying Machine Learning and Federated Learning to solve critical challenges in Cybersecurity and IoT environments. His research includes: Developing decentralized federated learning frameworks (e.g., Flighter, ProFe) for secure and efficient model training. Designing malware detection systems using system call data and large language models . Enhancing IoT device authentication via hardware fingerprinting techniques. Exploring moving target defense strategies to counter zero-day attacks on IoT networks. Building knowledge graphs for cyber defense applications. Recent Publications Pedro's 2025–2024 publications demonstrate a strong focus on decentralized federated learning , malware mitigation , and hardware-based security . Key trends include: Advancements in zero-shot learning for multilingual tasks on edge devices. Security frameworks (e.g., Cyberforce, Sentinel) for military reconnaissance and industrial IoT . Behavioral analysis techniques for ransomware detection and continuous authentication . Robustness studies on federated learning architectures under adversarial conditions. Creation of benchmarks like LwHBench for hardware performance evaluation. Collaborations He has collaborated with researchers in the Intelligent Systems and Telematics group, contributing to projects in 5G security , crowdsensing platforms , and trusted execution environments .
Vedhus Hoskere is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Houston. His research focuses on interdisciplinary areas at the intersection of civil engineering, computer science, and robotics, emphasizing automated infrastructure inspection, machine learning, and AI-driven solutions for structural health monitoring. He holds the Liu Huixian Earthquake Engineering Scholarship (2018) for his work on automated post-earthquake building inspections. Key research areas include image analysis, machine learning, robotics, scientific computing, and visualization. His work integrates computer vision with civil infrastructure challenges, such as flood modeling, structural damage assessment, and autonomous inspection systems using drones and robotics. Notable projects include developing digital twin frameworks for bridges, synthetic environment testing for inspection algorithms, and semi-supervised learning for disaster damage analysis. His recent publications highlight advancements in transformer networks for instance segmentation, physics-informed generative models for damage assessment, and AI-driven hurricane resilience strategies. Hoskere collaborates on platforms like InstaDam for automated damage segmentation and explores Bayesian neural networks for quantifying uncertainties in infrastructure monitoring. Key Awards: Liu Huixian Earthquake Engineering Scholarship (2018) Advising & Labs: While no specific student names or grant details are provided, his research group likely focuses on robotics, computer vision, and AI applications in civil engineering. He contributes to open-source tools like the InstaDam platform and collaborates with institutions like the University of Illinois and USACE.
Johanna Ullrich is a Professor at the University of Vienna's Faculty of Computer Science and a Key Researcher at SBA Research in Vienna. She leads the Research Group Communication Technologies and serves as Head of the Networks and Critical Infrastructures Security Group at SBA Research. Her academic journey includes positions as Principal Investigator & Manager of Third Party Funded Projects at the University of Vienna and Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Security and Quality Improvement in the Production System Lifecycle. Her educational background includes a PhD sub auspiciis praesidentis in Computer Science from TU Wien (2013-2016), an MSc in Automation Engineering from TU Wien (2010-2013), and a BSc in Electrical Engineering from TU Wien (2007-2010). She also holds a Venia Docendi for Computer Engineering from the University of Vienna. Ullrich's research focuses on the intersection of computer science and classical engineering, with particular emphasis on network security, IPv6 measurement experiments, and critical infrastructure protection. Her groundbreaking work demonstrated vulnerabilities in the IPv6 Privacy Extension that led to modifications in major client operating systems, protecting millions of users. She is renowned for her research on cyber-physical attacks against power grids, showing how coordinated load attacks can destabilize electrical infrastructure. Her work spans both theoretical security frameworks and practical implementations with significant real-world impact. Her publication record reveals a consistent trajectory from fundamental network security research toward increasingly complex interdisciplinary investigations at the boundary of computer science and physical infrastructure. Recent work emphasizes AI/ML applications for network security, power grid resilience, and socio-technical approaches to cybersecurity. Her research demonstrates a progression from protocol-level security (IPv6) to system-level security (cloud, IoT) and now to infrastructure-level security (power grids, critical national infrastructure). 2nd in the Faculty of Computer Science's Best-of-the-Best Ranking 2024 Category Third Party Funding Nomination for the Hedy Lamarr Prize 2019 and 2020 Scholarship of Excellence 2018 Research Prize of the Dr. Maria Schaumayer Foundation 2018 Promotio Sub Auspiciis Praesidentis 2017 Diploma Thesis Award of the City of Vienna 2013 Ullrich actively contributes to the academic community through extensive grant acquisition and service. She has secured numerous research projects including SPyCoDe (Semantic and Cryptographic Foundations of Security and Privacy by Compositional Design), DynAISEC (Adaptive AI/ML for Dynamic Cybersecurity Systems), and Q-Crit (Quantum-Safe Critical Infrastructure for Austria). Her leadership extends to committee roles including Program Committee Member of IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (S&P) 2024 and Technical Program Chair of Network Traffic Measurement and Analysis Conference (TMA) 2023. At SBA Research, she leads the Networks and Critical Infrastructures Security Group, which investigates security challenges at the intersection of digital networks and physical infrastructure. The group conducts both theoretical research on security frameworks and practical measurements of real-world systems. Their work combines network measurement techniques with power systems engineering to develop comprehensive security approaches for critical infrastructure.
Munindar P. Singh is the SAS Institute Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at North Carolina State University . He serves as a core faculty member in the Science of Security Lablet and contributes to initiatives in responsible computing and ethical AI . His research spans artificial intelligence , software engineering , and computing ethics . Education: Ph.D. in Computer Sciences from University of Texas at Austin (1993) B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (1986) Research Focus: Dr. Singh's work centers on trustworthy AI and sociotechnical systems , with key contributions in Multiagent systems and BDI architectures Defensive cyberdeception using hypergame theory Normative systems for blockchain applications Equitable transportation systems via AI Service-oriented computing and protocol engineering Scientific Recognition: Fellow of AAAI , IEEE , and ACM Recipient of NSF CAREER Award and multiple industry awards Editor-in-Chief of ACM Transactions on Internet Technology Grant Activities: Currently leading several major NSF-funded projects including: SCC: Serving Households in Food Insecurity ($2.018M) RI: Foundations of Ethics for Multiagent Systems ($500K) Science of Security Lablet ($3.65M)
Dr. Md Golam Moula Mehedi Hasan is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Iona University. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Science from Tennessee Tech University, an MBA in Finance from IBA, Dhaka, and a B.Sc. in Computer Science & Engineering from BUET, Bangladesh. His research focuses on cyber security, machine learning explainability, and game-theoretic applications. Dr. Hasan teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in computer science and has published extensively in conferences like FLAIRS and IEEE COMPSAC. His work emphasizes counterfactual explanations in machine learning and game-theoretic approaches to cyber defense. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, Tennessee Tech University (2022) M.S., Computer Science, Tennessee Tech University (2017) MBA, Finance, IBA, Dhaka (2014) B.Sc., Computer Science & Engineering, BUET, Bangladesh (2009) Research Interests: Dr. Hasan’s research combines game theory with cyber security and machine learning. Key areas include counterfactual explanation generation for model interpretability, game-theoretic defense strategies against network attacks, and secure IoT/Smart Grid infrastructure design. His work bridges theory and practice, addressing challenges in explainable AI and resilient system architectures. Publications: His publications span topics like counterfactual data augmentation, game-theoretic pricing in V2G systems, and fraud detection in AMI networks. Recent work emphasizes the application of game theory to enhance cyber security and machine learning robustness. Teaching & Service: Dr. Hasan teaches courses in programming, algorithms, and Unix systems. He has served as a reviewer for multiple conferences and held roles in academic organizations like the Data Science League.
Dr. Tirthankar Ghosh is a Professor and Director of the Connecticut Institute of Technology at the University of New Haven within the Tagliatela College of Engineering's Department of Computer Engineering and Computer Science. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Florida International University and has over 18 years of experience in cybersecurity education and research. His research focuses on network anomaly detection in industrial control systems, autonomous vehicle security, threat detection, and adversary behavior analysis. Primary domains include cybersecurity, network defense, and industrial IoT security, with specialized work on entropy-based analysis and MITRE ATT&CK framework applications. Dr. Ghosh has secured over $15 million in grants from entities including the National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, and Office of Naval Research. Notable projects include the CyberCorps Scholarship Program ($2.4M), Connected Vehicle Security Metrics ($278K), and NCAE Cybersecurity Curriculum Commission ($199K). He established multiple research labs and co-founded workforce development consortia like MN Cyber Careers. Publications emphasize experimental security frameworks, industrial system vulnerabilities, and cybersecurity pedagogy, with consistent focus on practical threat detection methodologies across network and embedded systems.
Dipl.-Ing. Oliver Eigner BSc is a Researcher in IT Security and Coordinator for AI & Digital Transformation at St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences' Department of Computer Science and Security. He holds a Master's degree in Information Security and Bachelor's degree in IT Security from the same institution. Master Information Security (2014-2016), St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences Bachelor IT Security (2011-2014), St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences HTL Ybbs a.d. Donau, Network Technology (2011) His research focuses on Trustworthy AI , Cyber-Physical Systems Security , and Resilient Artificial Intelligence . He leads projects like TrustAI (2026), FAIRAI, and Secure Supply Chains for Critical Systems (SSCCS). His work bridges AI ethics , security in multimodal logistics , and cybersecurity education . Recent publications demonstrate his expertise in AI security frameworks (2024), active learning applications (2024), and environmental monitoring via microwave links (2022). He contributes to conferences like Machine Learning Prague and IEEE COINS. Contact: oliver.eigner@fhstp.ac.at
William Eberle is a Professor of Computer Science and Interim Assistant Dean of Graduate Education at the College of Engineering, Tennessee Technological University. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Arlington and a B.A. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on graph-based anomaly detection, fraud detection, data mining, and artificial intelligence, with applications in telecommunication, healthcare, and cybersecurity. He has led industry projects in fraud detection systems and currently explores scalable anomaly detection in dynamic graphs. Dr. Eberle teaches courses in data science, software engineering, and anomaly detection. He advises numerous graduate students and has contributed to funded research through the Department of Homeland Security and National Science Foundation. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Texas at Arlington (2007) M.S. in Computer Science, University of Texas at Arlington (1991) B.A. in Computer Science, University of Texas at Austin (1986) Research Interests: Graph-Based Anomaly Detection (GBAD) Scalable algorithms for dynamic graph streams Fraud Detection in telecommunications, finance, and healthcare Explainable AI and ethical automated decisions Notable Projects: Developed PLADS software for pattern learning and anomaly detection in streams NSF-funded research on anomaly detection in graph streams DOE-funded work on insider threat detection systems Teaching: Graduate courses: Data Mining, Anomaly Detection Systems Undergraduate courses: Software Engineering, Data Science, AI Labs/Teams: Active contributor to Tennessee Tech’s data science and cybersecurity initiatives, collaborating with industry partners on fraud detection and network security solutions.
