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Computer Systems, Networks, and Security

Computer Systems, Networks, and Security is a major research area in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Delaware. Networking and system research not only forms the foundation of today’s Internet, but also shapes the next generation, including edge computing, autonomous driving, and connected health. Meanwhile, cybersecurity is an emerging and rapidly expanding computer science field that addresses practical real-world problems, covering exciting topics such as machine learning security, blockchain and decentralized applications, and privacy issues in wireless networks.

The Department of Computer and Information Sciences has a long history of success in this area. Research projects have been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, DARPA, ARL, NIST, NASA, and USDOT, as well as industrial sponsors, including Cisco, GM, NVIDIA, and Toyota. Research outcomes have been published in top-tier journals and conferences.

The current major research thrusts are in the areas of:

  • Network Management and Protocol Design;
  • Mobile and Wireless Sensor Networks;
  • Network Performance Modeling and Analysis;
  • Networking Systems and Internet Measurement;
  • Edge Computing;
  • Cloud Computing;
  • Autonomous Driving;
  • Mobile and Connected Health;
  • Cloud and System Security;
  • Cybercrime;
  • Blockchain and Decentralized Applications;
  • Machine Learning Security.

Current Faculty

  • Guangmo (Amo) Tong, (NSF CAREER Awardee), Assistant Professor:  Machine Learning, Computational Social Networks, Real-Time Embedded Systems, and Autonomous Systems.
  • Xing Gao (NSF CRII Awardee), Assistant Professor: System and Networking Security, Cloud and Mobile Security, Adversarial Machine Learning, Web 3 security.
  • Lena Mashayekhy (NSF CAREER Awardee), Associate Professor: Edge Computing; Edge Intelligence; Internet of Things; Cloud Computing; Cyber-Physical Systems; and Game Theory.
  • Adarshpal S. Sethi, Professor: Network Management Protocols and Architectures, Fault Management and Diagnosis; Software Defined Networks, Mobility Management for Wireless Networks.
  • Chien-Chung Shen (NSF CAREER Awardee), Professor: Mobile and Wireless Sensor Networks; Underwater acoustic networks; Mobile cloud computing and communications.
  • Weisong Shi (NSF CAREER Awardee), Professor, IEEE Fellow: Edge Computing, Vehicle Computing, Autonomous Driving, Mobile and Connected Health.
  • Rui Zhang (NSF CAREER Awardee), Daniel L. Chester Mid-Career Professor: Security and Privacy in Wireless Networks, Mobile Crowdsourcing, Cloud Computing, and Social Networks.

ECE Joint Faculty

  • Chengmo Yang (NSF CAREER Awardee), Associate Professor: Security and reliability of embedded systems, Cyber-Physical Systems,  and Internet-of-Things.
  • Nektarios Georgios Tsoutsos, Assistant Professor: Applied Cryptography, Hardware Security, Trustworthy Computing, and Privacy Outsourcing.

Courses

  • CISC 450/650 Computer Networks
  • CISC 464/664 Introduction to Network Security
  • CISC 465/665 Introduction to Cybersecurity
  • CISC 467/667 Cloud Computing
  • CISC 469/669 Computer Security Principles and Practice
  • CISC 651 Data Compression in Multimedia
  • CISC 653 Simulation of Computer Networks
  • CISC 659 Topics in Communications, Distributed Computing and Networks
  • CISC 659 Mobile Ad-hoc and Sensor Networks
  • CISC 663 Advanced Operating Systems
  • CISC 852 Network Performance
  • CISC 853 Network Management
  • CISC 856 TCP/IP & Upper Layer Protocols
  • CISC 859 Advanced Topics: Internet Protocols and Technologies
  • CISC 859 Mobile Cloud Computing
  • CISC 861 Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing
  • CISC 864 Research Topics in Network Security

Computer Systems, Networks & Security Laboratories

The CAR Lab

Professor Weisong Shi

In partnership with our industry collaborators and community leaders, the CAR lab, led by Professor Weisong Shi, aims to design and implement enabling technologies, including real-time operating systems, edge computing, C-V2X, data analytics and applications, a secure trusted execution environment, privacy-preserving models and tools, to realize the vision of connected and autonomous systems.

https://www.thecarlab.org/

DEGAS Networking Laboratory

214 Smith Hall, Professor Chien-Chung Shen.

The DEGAS (Distributed, EnerGy conscious, Ad hoc and Sensor/Space) Networking Laboratory pursues advanced research in mobile wireless networks. Research areas include mobile ad hoc networks, wireless sensor networks, wireless mesh networks, dynamic spectrum access networks, underwater acoustic networks, and ad hoc airborne networks, energy-aware protocols, and mobile cloud computing.

Network Management and Optimization Laboratory

342 Smith Hall, Professors Adarsh Sethi and Errol Lloyd.

Network management involves the design of techniques for the monitoring and control of computer networks to ensure optimal performance and resource utilization. We focus on fault management whose aim is to detect, diagnose, localize, and recover from hardware and software failures and performance bottlenecks that may plague a network. We are also interested in the management of wireless networks including methods for managing mobility to provide seamless operation of network services.

In network optimization we aim to provide provably optimal or near optimal solutions to a range of power specification and control problems arising in wireless ad hoc and sensor networks. The primary focus is on topology control (assigning power levels to network nodes so as to achieve a specified network topology) in both stationary and mobile networks. Additional work includes the study of relay node placement and of power back off as a collision resolution mechanism.

Protocol Engineering Laboratory (PEL)

28 West Delaware Ave, Professor Paul Amer.

The PEL is dedicated to the research, development, and improvement of new and existing computer network protocols. PEL researchers currently are investigating innovative transport protocol alternatives to TCP and UDP, such as the SCTP (stream control transport protocol) and MPTCP (multipath TCP), emphasizing their use within army mobile ad-hoc networks, and Google’s SPDY protocol for faster web surfing.