The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant to support the University of Arkansas' participation in the planning phase of the proposed Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Infrastructure Security in the Era of AI.

The $20,000 award will assist the U of A in joining the center as a partner university site through coordinated planning activities aimed at building a network of industry partners and identifying industry-relevant challenges in critical infrastructure security and resilience.

As a collaborative effort, electrical engineering and computer science faculty Kevin Jin and Chris Farnell act as the principal investigators on this NSF grant, working closely with researchers at George Mason University and the University of North Dakota as partner sites of the Center for Infrastructure Security in the Era of AI. The goal of the center is to tackle critical cybersecurity challenges faced by essential sectors including energy, supply chain, financial services, transportation, healthcare and others.

Jin highlighted the importance of the planning stage of the NSF award, stating "this grant will enable the University of Arkansas to enhance its collaboration with industry leaders and government partners as we work to protect infrastructure systems from emerging AI-enabled cyber threats."

Farnell added, "Through this initiative we aim to develop innovative solutions that will bolster national security, artificial intelligence and economic stability."

As a part of the initiative, the U of A will engage in a customer discovery process, conducting interviews with industry partners to understand the real-world challenges they face in protecting critical infrastructure. These insights will help inform the development of practical applications to improve infrastructure security across the state of Arkansas.

The Center for Infrastructure Security in the Era of AI is expected to hold a planning workshop in spring 2025. During this phase, academic and industry partners will come together to shape the center's collaborative opportunities and strategic direction. This initiative highlights the U of A's role in workforce development, engaging students at all educational levels to contribute to research and prepare for careers in technology.

For more information about the Center for Infrastructure Security in the Era of AI and the U of A research involvement, please contact Kevin Jin at dongjin@uark.edu or Chris Farnell at cfarnell@uark.edu.