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  | Physics-Informed ML 

• Power Electronics  

Smart Inverter | Controller Security | Comprehensive Diagnosis  | Hardware Security  

• Cyber-Resilient Power Grid 

 Smart Grid Device Security | Network and Platform Security | Security and Resilience Management System

• Applications (Cyber-Physical Power and Energy Systems)

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

Research Projects

Current:

1. Zero-Trust Authentication: Multifactor, Adaptive, and Continuous Authentication with Post-Quantum Cryptography, DOE-CESER (DE-CR0000060), 09/2024-08/2027, Award Amount: $4.51M ($3,314,851+$1,196,671 Cost Share), Role: Lead PI

2. 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)

3. 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

Under Review: 

1. Tradeoffs and Deployment Options for Transitioning to Zero-Trust in Energy OT Networks, Google CAHSI, 09/2024-08/2025, Award Amount: $80,000, Role: Co-PI.

2. Multilevel Malware Detection and Resilience-Aware Incident Response for Distributed energy resource (DER)-Rich Power Grid, DOE-CESER, 11/2024-10/2027, Award Amount: $5.89M ($4,247,113+$1,647,857 Cost Share), Role: Lead PI

3. Cross-Layer Cyber-Physical Security of Power Electronics Power Distribution Systems, ONR, 01/2025-12/2028, 400K, Role: Co-PI (Total Award Amount: $1M)

4. PARTNER: Building Proactive Partnerships to ExpandAI Research AND Education in Complex Spatial Decision Support Systems for Energy Sustainability and Community Resilience, NSF, Award Amount: $2,798,235, NSF, 10/01/2024-09/30/2028, Role: Co-PI 

Completed:

1. 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)

2. 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)

3. A study on Cybersecurity Function for Power Transformer Diagnosis System, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, 02/2020 – 11/2021, $76,958.76, Role: PI

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

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

6. 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

7. 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 

8. 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.

9. 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.

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

11. 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 

Lab Facilities

• Real-time simulators (OPAL-RT's OP5705XG and OPAL-RT's OP4510) 

• AI Workstation (Lambda Quad) 

• Power electronics testing/development equipment: AC and DC power supply (PCR6000WE2R );  DC power supplies (PWR800L and PWR801MH ); Variable Power Supplies ( 5A/10A 30V DC); a DC electric load (PLZ334); 3kW AC Load (FFLB-3KW, 230V); Oscilloscopes (TBS2104);  a differential probe (P5202A); a current probe (TCP305A);  current probe amplifier (TCPA300); passive probes; an SMD Hot Air Rework Soldering Iron Station Fume Extractor

• 3kW SMA smart inverter, SMA data manager    

•  Solar micro inverter development kits (TMDSSOLARUINVKIT) 

• Electrochemical battery and fuel cell testing equipment (Arbin’s MSTAT4-10V-5A-4)

• Electric Motors (1/4 HP SMP, 1/2 HP SPM)

• Transformer (20 Amp Variac Variable Transformer)

• Piezoelectric generator kit (Piezo Product: PPA-9001 Clamp Kit-PPA-2014, LTC3588EMSE-1 Demo Board )

• Internet-of-Things (IoT) development kits ( Ineda’s  I7 series IoT kits)

• Wireless sensor network device (LORD’s WSDA-1500 data aggregator starter kit, V-LINK-200-M sensor node)

• IoT boards: Raspberry pi board kits (Raspberry Pi 3) and LattePanda kits

• Battery Management System Boards: 4 BQ76920EVM + EV2400;