The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences received a $13.5 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop technology that will advance national cybersecurity.
Electrical and system engineering professor Andre DeHon will lead this research in an effort to strengthen computer protection against software threats. DeHon will draw on his experience as director of the Implementation of Computing Group, which aims to create computing systems that are resilient to flaws.
“Security today is an art, and a poorly practiced one at that,” DeHon said in the Penn Engineering announcement. “Engineers and practitioners lack a set of fundamental principles and quantitative metrics to guide design. This project allows us to bring it into the realm of science and engineering, which is at the heart of what a School of Engineering and Applied Science is about.”
Penn and the Implementation of Computing Group have previously received funding from DARPA, which is the Unites States agency that invests in national security technologies. In 2016, the School of Arts and Sciences received a two-year, $2.95 million grant to develop methods of studying human social behavior. Penn, along with the University of California, Los Angeles were selected in 2014 to lead DARPA’s Restoring Active Memory program, with Penn to receive up to $22.5 million in funding. The Implementation of Computing Group’s website lists DARPA as a funding agency.
DeHon will work with associate professor in electrical and signal engineering and computer and information science Jing Li, who was a 2016 recipient of DARPA’s Young Faculty Award. DeHon will be joined by Olga and Alberico Pompa Professor Jonathan Smith, who brings extensive experience in network systems.
“This significant investment in critical computing security research not only recognizes the unique expertise and leadership of our faculty, but also highlights our commitment to advancing national cybersecurity,” Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering Vijay Kumar said.
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