Qinghua Li
University of Arkansas, AR·Computer Science
Power grids depend on computers and networks to generate, transmit and distribute electricity, which makes them targets for cyberattacks and vulnerable to failures. Grid control equipment, called operational technology (OT), comes in many types.
- Fields
Computer Science
Engineering
- Topics
cybersecurity
cyber resilience
energy systems
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jul 2027
What they work on
- Develop methods to assess the risk of security vulnerabilities in energy system operational technology and choose the most effective ways to mitigate them, including lowering the cost and risk of patching.
- Detect cyberattacks, incidents and anomalies on power grid systems quickly and effectively using artificial intelligence methods.
- Design secure, resilient communication methods for energy system networks and supply-chain protections that ensure equipment integrity and traceable origin.
- Create reference designs for hardening power electronic devices, including firmware security and in-device attack detection, and test them on university power system facilities.
More about the research
It is increasingly connected to ordinary information technology (IT) systems, and it has special security needs. This work belongs to the Center for Infrastructure Trustworthiness in Energy Systems (CITES), an industry–university center with sites at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Arkansas and Florida International University. The center works with energy providers, national labs and industry groups to make energy systems more secure and resilient.
Why it matters
Cyberattacks or failures in the computer systems that run the electric grid could disrupt power for homes, hospitals and emergency services. This research could give energy providers practical ways to detect attacks, recover quickly and patch systems more cheaply and safely. It could also give equipment manufacturers tested designs for more secure power electronics. The center also aims to train more cybersecurity professionals who understand grid technology.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Dong Jin
University of Arkansas, AR·Computer Science
Build an in-network cyberattack detection system for power-grid communication networks that uses programmable data planes for high-speed, customizable packet inspection.
Mingxi Liu
University of Utah, UT·Engineering·Early-career
Develop optimization, machine learning and statistical tools for a grid-edge resource control framework that scales with device population and network size and works across different device types and grid services.
Ying Huang
North Dakota State University, ND·Engineering
Identify key risks to North Dakota's energy systems from extreme weather and cyber threats, and assess statewide research capacity and gaps, through capacity assessments and scenario development.
The school
University of Arkansas: 12 labs on PI Pages, $231M a year on research, 179 research doctorates a year.
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