CAREER: SOlSTICe: Software Synthesis with Timing Contracts for Cyber-Physical Systems
Lead PI:
Qi Zhu
Abstract
This project aims to develop innovative design automation methodologies and algorithms for software synthesis of cyber-physical systems (CPS), which have applications in key sectors such as automotive, aerospace, healthcare, and industrial automation. Software has become critical and drives future innovations for many such systems, but faces significant challenges in its development, in particular regarding the formulation, exploration and validation of timing constraints.
Performance Period: 01/15/2016 - 12/31/2020
Institution: University of California-Riverside
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1553757
CPS: Synergy: Collaborative Research: Learning control sharing strategies for assistive cyber-physical systems
Lead PI:
Siddhartha Srinivasa
Abstract
CPS: Synergy: Collaborative Research: Learning control sharing strategies for assistive cyber-physical systems Assistive machines - like powered wheelchairs, myoelectric prostheses and robotic arms - promote independence and ability in those with severe motor impairments. As the state- of-the-art in these assistive Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) advances, more dexterous and capable machines hold the promise to revolutionize ways in which those with motor impairments can interact within society and with their loved ones, and to care for themselves with independence.
Performance Period: 06/01/2017 - 09/30/2019
Institution: University of Washington
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1745561
CPS:SMALL: Privacy-preserving Network Congestion Control: Theory and Applications
Sayan Mitra
Lead PI:
Sayan Mitra
Co-PI:
Abstract
The goal of this project is to enable greater sharing of crowd-sensed data, while achieving provable privacy guarantees. Our approach is to limit knowledge of the location traces of crowd-sensed data to exclude the origin and destination, and then consider the system using techniques from distributed control and differential privacy: this enables exploration of the theoretical bounds on the cost of privacy.
Performance Period: 10/01/2017 - 09/30/2020
Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1739966
CPS: Small: Scaling Cyber-Physical Systems to the Low-Power Internet of Things
Lead PI:
Fadel Adib
Abstract
Battery-free sensors are annually attached to billions of items including pharmaceutical drugs, clothes, and manufacturing parts. The fundamental challenge with these sensors is that they are only reliable at short distances. As a result, today's systems for communicating with and localizing battery-free sensors are crippled by the limited range. This research proposes a cyber-physical system architecture that can overcome this challenge to enable sensing, communicating with, and localizing these sensors at an unprecedented scale.
Performance Period: 09/01/2017 - 08/31/2020
Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1739723
CPS: Medium: Collaborative Research: Cyber-Enabled Online Quality Assurance for Scalable Additive Bio-Manufacturing
Lead PI:
Prahalada Rao
Abstract
Close to one million lives could be saved each year in the United States alone by organ transplantation if a sufficient number of organs were available, potentially preventing 35% of all deaths in the nation. In contrast, due to critical shortages of organs, only about 28,000 organ transplants are performed each year, with a waiting list of 120,000 people. A promising potential solution to this shortage is the high quality and production-scale 3D printing of human organs by bio-additive manufacturing (Bio-AM).
Performance Period: 09/01/2017 - 08/31/2021
Institution: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1739696
CPS: Small: Statistical Performance Analysis and Resource Management for Cyber-Physical Internet of Things Systems
Lead PI:
Harpreet Dhillon
Co-PI:
Abstract
Realizing the vision of pervasive Internet of Things (IoT) that will endow a myriad of physical objects that include sensors, wearables, mundane objects, and connected vehicles, with cyber capabilities, is contingent upon effectively managing the interwoven synergies across its cyber and physical realms. The overarching goal of this project is to develop a novel cyber-physical system (CPS) science that can enable effective modeling, optimization, and management of the IoT as a fully-fledged CPS.
Performance Period: 01/15/2018 - 12/31/2020
Institution: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1739642
CPS:Small: Imposing Recovery Period for Battery Health Monitoring, Prognosis, and Optimization
Kang Shin
Lead PI:
Kang Shin
Abstract
The prevalence of battery-powered systems such as electric vehicles, smartphones, and IoT devices has made batteries crucial to everyone's daily life and business. Battery health, however, degrades over time, not only decreasing system reliability such as unexpected system shutoffs, but also causing overheating/gassing which, in turn, increases safety risks such as thermal runaway or even battery fire/explosion. To address these problems, we must monitor, prognose, and optimize battery health throughout the physical system life.
Performance Period: 09/01/2017 - 08/31/2020
Institution: University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1739577
CPS:Small:Collaborative Research: Incentivizing Desirable User Behavior in a Class of CPS
Lead PI:
Mingyan Liu
Abstract
In Cyberphysical Systems (CPS) such as large scale infrastructure systems, individual users are shifting from being passive consumers of services to active participants. This shift promises societal, economic, and environmental benefits. For example, turning consumers into "prosumers" through distributed renewable energy integration can improve sustainability, and turning users into sources of data about traffic and road conditions can help alleviate congestion. However, an explosion of decision makers also leads to heterogeneity in concerns, aims, and quality of decision making.
Performance Period: 10/01/2017 - 09/30/2020
Institution: University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1739517
CPS: Medium: Collaborative Research: An Actuarial Framework of Cyber Risk Management for Power Grids
Lead PI:
Lingfeng Wang
Abstract
As evidenced by the recent cyberattacks against Ukrainian power grids, attack strategies have advanced and new malware agents will continue to emerge. The current measures to audit the critical cyber assets of the electric power infrastructure do not provide a quantitative guidance that can be used to address security protection improvement. Investing in cybersecurity protection is often limited to compliance enforcement based on reliability standards.
Performance Period: 09/01/2017 - 08/31/2020
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1739485
CPS: Medium: Collaborative Research: Trustworthy Cyber-Physical Additive Manufacturing with Untrusted Controllers
Saman Zonouz
Lead PI:
Saman Zonouz
Co-PI:
Abstract
Additive manufacturing is finding increased application in industry. Safety-critical products, such as medical prostheses and parts for aerospace and automotive industries are being printed by additive manufacturing methods, but there currently are no standard methods for verifying the integrity of the parts that are produced. Trustworthy operation of industrial additive manufacturing depends on secure embedded controllers that monitor and control the underlying physical manufacturing processes.
Saman Zonouz

Saman Zonouz is an Associate Professor at Georgia Tech in the Schools of Cybersecurity and Privacy (SCP) and Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Saman directs the Cyber-Physical Security Laboratory (CPSec) which recently hosted a U.S. Congressional visit to demonstrate its research outcomes. His research (supported by ~$136M collaboratively) focuses on security and privacy research problems in cyber-physical systems including attack detection and response capabilities using techniques from systems security, control theory and artificial intelligence. Saman recently delivered the Plenary Keynote in DOE’s Cybersecurity Conference to a large audience (~2,000 people). His research has been awarded by Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) by the United States President, the NSF CAREER Award in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), Significant Research in Cyber Security by the National Security Agency (NSA), Faculty Fellowship Award by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Google Hall of Fame Security Award, Provost Research Award, Outstanding Faculty Research Award by the Georgia Tech College of Computing, and Cybersecurity Fellowship by the Georgia Tech College of Engineering. His research group has disclosed several security vulnerabilities with published CVEs in widely-used industrial controllers such as Siemens, Allen Bradley, and Wago. Saman is currently a Co-PI on President Biden’s American Rescue Plan $65M Georgia AI Manufacturing (GA-AIM) project. Saman was invited to co-chair the NSF CPS PI Meeting as well as the NSF CPS Next Big Challenges Workshop. Saman has received two Georgia Tech Teaching Awards for his courses “Cybersecurity of Drones” and “Critical Infrastructure Security”. Saman has served as the chair and/or program committee member for several conferences (e.g., IEEE S&P, USENIX Security, CCS, NDSS, DSN, and ICCPS). Saman obtained his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Performance Period: 08/01/2017 - 07/31/2020
Institution: Rutgers University New Brunswick
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1739467
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