REU Site: Deep Learning Driven Cybersecurity Research in a Multidisciplinary Environment

Old Dominion University Research Foundation, Norfolk VA

Investigators

Abstract

This award renews a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Old Dominion University. The REU Site is led by faculty from the Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research (CCSER) at the university. CCSER includes faculty from a large number of departments and colleges across the university that can provide multidisciplinary research projects that focus on applying deep learning techniques to solve a broad range of cybersecurity problems. Cybersecurity has become an important pervasive issue to our society. Machine learning offers unique new ways to approach cybersecurity problems and develop more robust and secure systems and cyberinfrastructure. The REU Site will host undergraduate students from across the nation to conduct research during the summer. The site plans to recruit a diverse cohort of undergraduate students each year, particularly targeting students from groups traditionally under-represented in computing and from institutions where undergraduate research opportunities are limited. The students will also participate in other professional development activities that will prepare them for entering the computing workforce and for possible futures as researchers. The REU site is led by faculty mentors from the Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research. The faculty of the Center have significant research expertise and offer state-of-the-art facilities that should provide compelling research experiences to undergraduates. This REU Site offers unique learning and research opportunities for undergraduate students in the inherently multidisciplinary cybersecurity discipline. Students will use deep learning technologies to solve problems in areas such as mobile and network security, malware, Internet of Things security, risk management, and human factors. The huge and complex nature of cyber-security-related data and information often requires modern artificial intelligence techniques such as deep learning for processing, detection, analysis, and recognition as part of cybersecurity research. Thus, this site has the potential to address problems that are timely and critical to providing cybersecurity for our nation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.