Research

Area of Research Interest

• Cyber-Physical System Security 

Malware Analysis | Intrusion Detection | Blockchain | Quantum Security | Security Assessment | Forensics

• Secure and Efficient Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Intelligence

AI Security  | Quantum AI and Optimization  | Efficient AI

• Power Electronics  

Smart Inverter | Controller Security | Comprehensive Diagnosis  | Hardware Security  

• Cyber-Resilient Energy Infrastructure

 Energy OT Device Security | Network and Platform Security | Security and Resilience Management System

• Applications (Power and Energy Systems)

Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Systems | Battery Energy Storage Systems | Renewable Energy Systems | Microgrid | EV Systems and Charging Infrastructure | Digital Substation | Energy Infrastructures

Research Projects

Current:

1. Collaborative Research: CISE-MSI: RPEP: CPS: A Resilient Cyber-Physical Security Framework for Next-Generation Distributed Energy Resources at Grid Edge, NSF (CNS-2219733), 10/2022-09/2025, Award Amount: $737,373, Role: PI (Total Award Amount: $1,187,373)

2. Development of a high-efficiency smart power conversion system applying AI based C&PD platform technology, KETEP, 11/01/2024-10/31/2027,  Award Amount: $376,000, Role: PI at MU

Under Review: 

1.  Collaborative Research: CPS: Frontier: Holistic Zero-Trust Security in Complex Cyber Physical Systems Exposed to Evolving Attackers, NSF, 04/2025-03/2030, Award Amount: $3,738,206, Role: PI (Total Award Amount: $6,987,970)

2. SOLAR-DEMO: Solar Deployment and Efficient Modeling Operations in Connecticut, DOE,03/2025-02/2028,  Award Amount: $400,719, Role: Co-PI

3. MTDSO: Multi-Tenant Distribution System Operator Model for Distributed Energy Resources-Rich Electric Power Grids , DOE, 07/2025-06/2028, Award Amount: $2,965,647, Role: PI

4. NextGen CREDI: University-Based Research Consortium for NextGeneration Cyber-Resilient Energy Delivery Infrastructure , DOE, 10/2025-9/2030, Award Amount: $9,772,521, Role: PI

5. Uncertainty-Aware DER Network Security: Post-Quantum Authentication with Mixed Certification and Uncertainty-Aware Intrusion Detection, DOE, 10/2025-10/2028,  Award Amount: $1.25M, Role: PI

6. SENTRY: Secure AI-Driven Energy Resilience and Threat Response System, DOE, 10/2025-10/2028,  Award Amount: $1.25M, Role: PI

7. CICI:UCSS:Knowledge-driven Cloud-in-the-loop Defense for Wide-Area Control of Electric Power Systems, NSF, Award Amount: 11/2025-10/2028, $600,000, Role: Co-PI 

8. Demonstration of Advanced Smart Charge Management and Solid-State Transformer-Based Grid Integration for EVs: A Suburban Use Case in the City of Columbia, DOE,  03/2026-02/2029, Award Amount: $1.5M, Role: PI

Completed:

1. Collaborative Research: CISE-MSI: DP: CCF: SHF: MSI/HSI Research Capacity Building via Secure and Efficient Hardware Implementation of Cellular Computational Network, NSF (CNS-2131163) , 10/2021-09/2024, Award Amount $260,000, Role: PI

2. Multilevel Cybersecurity for Photovoltaic Systems, DOE-SETO (DE-EE0009026), 04/2020-12/2023, Award Amount: $326,565+$113,454 Cost Share, Role: Co-PI (Total Award Amount: $3.6M+1.14M Cost Share)

3. Digital Twin for grid-connected battery energy storage systems, Korea-US International Joint Research Project, Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation, 05/2021-04/2022, Award Amount: $66,607, Role: PI  at TAMUK (Total Award Amount: $259,000)

4. A study on Cybersecurity Function for Power Transformer Diagnosis System, KERI, 02/2020 – 11/2021, $76,958.76, Role: PI

5. Development of cybersecurity technology for cloud-based big data platform in smart grid, Korea-US International Joint Research Project, IITP, 06/2020-08/2021, Award Amount: $85,723), Role: PI at TAMUK (Total Award Amount: $245,000)

6. Cloud-based health monitoring platform for battery energy storage systems, Korea-US International Joint Research Project, IITP, Grant No.: 2019-0-01602 (Korean Government), 07/2019-08/2020, Award Amount: $67,680), Role: PI  at TAMUK (Total Award Amount: $240,000)

7. Development of a new Internet of Things (IoT) network and cybersecurity framework toward wireless battery management systems in cyber-physical environments, Myron Zucker Student-Faculty Grant Program of IEEE Industry Application Society (IEEE Foundation), 09/2018 – 08/2019, Award Amount: $25,000, Role: PI

8. Development of cloud-based battery testing and research platform, Microsoft Azure Research Award, 12/2017 – 11/2018, Award Amount: $20,000 (for cloud usage), Role: PI 

9. Development of SOC/SOH algorithm for high power Li-ion battery system, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, 07/2016 – 09/2018, Award Amount: $123,442, Role: PI.

10. Innovative improvement of engineering properties of expansive soils and characterization of their nano-scale properties, University Research Award at TAMUK, 09/2018 – 08/2019, Award Amount: $15,000, Role: co-PI.

11. Powering wireless sensor nodes for wind turbine condition monitoring, TCUR Awared at TAMUK, 02/2017 – 07/2017, Award Amount: $5,000, Role: PI.

12. Novel automatic power factor correction using automated capacitor banks, TCUR Award at TAMUK, 02/2016 – 08/2016, Award Amount: $5,000, Role: PI.

Senior Design Projects

• Cybersecurity of battery management systems within a cyber-physical environment, Team Members: Fahad Almalki, Joshua Garcia, Adrian Naranjo, and Justin Ochoa, 2020 (2nd place in CS program).

• Powering a wireless sensor node via energy harvesting, Team Members: Patrick J. Hernandez and Ason Ochoa, 2017 .

• Active and reactive power estimator, Team Members: Daron M. Briscoe and Randall L. Pendleton, 2017.

• Monitoring lithium-ion batterires using sensor nodes and cloud-based platform, Team Members: Brandon H. Sandoval, Daniel Navarro, and Bernabe Ruiz, 2017.

• Novel automatic power factor correction using automated capacitor banks, Team Members: Ron Huerta, Nathanael Pritchard, Ricky Marshall, 2016.

NSF Undergraduate Projects

• A Resilient Cyber-Physical Security Framework for Next-Generation Distributed Energy Resources at Grid Edge, Participants: Logan A. Atkinson (TAMUK) and Hugo D. Tavarez-Vengas (TAMUK), NSF CISE-MSI, 06/05/2023-07/28/2023

• Digital Twin for Power and Energy Systems, Participants: Nigel Raymundo (Cosumnes River College), and Alycia M. Jenkins (TAMUK), NSF REU, 05/30/2022-08/05/2022

• Cybersecurity Threat Modeling and Defense for Photovoltaic (PV) Systems, Participants: Ying Su (UT Austin), and Abigail Villasenor (TAMUK), NSF REU, 05/31/2021-08/06/2021