Illinois Tech Professor Awarded Prestigious Grant to Develop Cyber-Resilient and Attack-Secure Framework for Air Force Power System
The framework will create control systems that could potentially ward off cyber attacks
Illinois Tech College of Science Assistant Professor of Computer Science Dong (Kevin) Jin has been named a recipient of an Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) award for his proposal “DDDAS-CRAFTS: A DDDAS-based Cyber-Resilient and Attack-Secure Framework for Trustworthy Industrial Control Systems.”
Modern industrial control systems, such as weapon systems, electrical power systems, gas and oil distribution networks, and wastewater treatment are increasingly adopting Internet technology to boost control efficiency, which unfortunately opens up a new front for a potential “cyber Pearl Harbor”. Cyber incidents in the energy sector have significantly grown in both number and sophistication. Jin and his team are developing a dynamic data-driven application systems (DDDAS) based framework to enhance cyber-resilience and cyber-security of the critical energy infrastructures for the Air Force of the future.
Jin, whose research interests include trustworthy cyber-physical critical infrastructures, simulation modeling and analysis, software-defined networking, and cyber-security, joined the Illinois Tech faculty in January 2014.
“My long-term research goal is to build a more secure, resilient and safe network environment for those industrial control systems that operate many national critical infrastructures,” said Jin. “The AFOSR YIP award is a milestone towards that goal.”
The YIP is open to scientists and engineers at research institutions across the United States who received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees in the last five years and who show exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. The objective of this program is to foster creative basic research in science and engineering, enhance early career development of outstanding young investigators, and increase opportunities for the young investigators to recognize the Air Force mission and the related challenges in science and engineering.
About Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, is a private, technology-focused, research university, located in Chicago, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law. One of 21 institutions that comprise the Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU), Illinois Tech offers exceptional preparation for professions that require technological sophistication, an innovative mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
