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Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR)

Center Overview

The Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) addresses research challenges related to securing individual identity in a global society with a focus on automated biometric recognition and credibility assessment. CITeR's mission is to advance the state of the art in human identification capabilities through coordinated university research, working in partnership with the U.S. government and industry stakeholders.

CITeR achieves this mission through research in emerging enabling technologies; interdisciplinary training of scientists and engineers; and facilitation of technology transfer to the private and government sectors.

CITeR researchers focus on biometric vulnerabilities and intelligence; biometrics and related identification technology and systems; and traditional and soft biometrics, fusion, cryptography, and mobile applications.

Universities

Clarkson University
West Virginia University
University at Buffalo
Michigan State University

View Center Website

Center Personnel

Dr. Venu Govindaraju
CITeR, University at Buffalo Site Director
+1 716 645 3321
govind@buffalo.edu

Laura Holsopple
CITeR Managing Director
+1 315 268 2134
lholsopp@clarkson.edu

Dr. Matthew Valenti
CITeR, West Virginia University Site Director
+1 304 293 9139
matthew.valenti@mail.wvu.edu

Srirangaraj Setlur
CITeR, University at Buffalo Co-Director
+1 716 645 1568
setlur@buffalo.edu

Dr. Stephanie Schuckers
CITeR Director
+1 315 268 6536
sschucke@clarkson.edu

Venugopal Govindaraju
Center Staff
+1 716 645 2634
govind@buffalo.edu

Dr. Sebastien Marcel
CITeR, IDIAP Site Director
+41 27 721 77 27
marcel@idiap.ch

Dr. Nasser Nasrabadi
CITeR, West Virginia University Site Co-Director
+1 304 293 4815
nasser.nasrabadi@mail.wvu.edu

Dr. Arun Ross
CITeR, Michigan State Site Director
+1 517 353 9731
rossarun@cse.msu.edu

Research Focus

CITeR's research portfolio advances the understanding of biometrics and credibility assessment that is central to realizing the next-generation identification management systems necessary for private sector and government applications. Research areas include:

Activity analysis in human networks.
Automated credibility assessment (video- and audio-based, textual).
Biometric fusion and multibiometric systems.
Biometric modalities (face, fingerprints, ocular, voice, gait, DNA).
Camera sensor networks.
Fusion of diverse information sources.
Novel biometric modalities.
Performance evaluation.
Sociolegal and policy frameworks.
Surveillance applications and human identification in challenging environments.
System-level design and evaluation.
Vulnerability assessment and reduction.

Awards

1841517

Phase II IUCRC Michigan State University: Center for Identification Technology Research

The Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) is an Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) focusing on the development of technology, such as biometrics, for the automated recognition of individuals. Application domains for this technology include cybersecurity, border security, healthcare, banking, law enforcement, forensics, access control, autonomous vehicles, consumer electronics, e-commerce, robotics, e-voting and national ID cards. CITeR seeks to strengthen the fundamentals of Identity Science whilst addressing practical challenges encountered by operational systems in the field. Besides embracing a cutting-edge research agenda, CITeR will also engage in various educational and outreach activities to a diverse audience.

Michigan State University (MSU) will expand the research portfolio of the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) by leveraging the expertise of its faculty in multiple areas including AI, machine learning, computer vision, security, forensics, biosensors, mobile computing, autonomous vehicles, genomics, and medical imaging. To facilitate this, MSU will work with industry and government stakeholders whose partnership will be instrumental in furthering the frontiers of human identification technology. This collaborative framework will broaden CITeR's leadership role in transitioning biometric research into practice and influence the development of policies, including those related to the security and privacy of personal data.

The active involvement of graduate and undergraduate researchers will ensure the development of a strong workforce in identification technology - consisting of visionaries, leaders, educators, researchers, professionals, and administrators. Collaboration with experts from other fields such as forensics, anthropology, nanotechnology, literary neuroscience, bioinformatics, and health sciences, will expand the domain-of-influence of the technology and create novel opportunities for inter-disciplinary research and education. MSU researchers involved with the Center will promote the participation of underrepresented groups in research and education by launching new programs. In addition, researchers will be encouraged to showcase their findings to middle school and high school students.

CITeR products such as research portfolios, peer-reviewed publications, public-domain software, datasets, and opinion articles will be maintained at the following URL: https://citer.clarkson.edu/. This website will also host resources such as tutorials about the technology; demos and videos to enhance public awareness of the technology; information about various CITeR-related activities, including community programs; and schedules of lab tours to engage school students with the technology. The website will also facilitate focused dialogues with stakeholders in order to further the impact of CITeR. This is expected to generate an ecosystem where the technology intersects with the community in a useful manner.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

1650503

I/UCRC Phase II: I/UCRC for Identification Technology Research

The goal of the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) as an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center is to serve an enabling role in the development of identity systems. Having a provable and verifiable identity is necessary for an individual to function in modern society. Your identity is what allows you to have a job, maintain a bank account, and drive a car. Identity is also what allows society to be free and safe, as dangerous individuals can be excluded from the public, for instance through placing suspected terrorists on no-flight lists and by capturing known criminals. In particular, CITeR research, education, and technology transfer is focused on confirming identity as well as development of privacy-enabling technology.
The universities that make up CITeR include West Virginia University, University of Arizona, The University at Buffalo and Clarkson University. CITeR affiliates (members) at Clarkson include both government agencies as well as public and private companies. In addition, CITeR's focus on identification technology impacts "improved national security" by meeting the research needs of other government agencies that depend on this technology.

CITeR's overall research focus is human analytics, identity science, biometric analysis, and policy/privacy; Clarkson's specific focus is vulnerabilities/countermeasures, novel and behavioral biometrics, and advanced computing. Clarkson University as the lead institution adds complementary Center capabilities for measurements and signal processing to identity humans and human intent. In conducting research, CITeR faculty actively engages undergraduate students in their research, involving them in active roles beginning as early as their freshman year. CITeR is active in outreach to K-12; hosting STEM outreach activities in for elementary and high school students. Clarkson specifically has worked to identify and address educational needs of next-generation professionals in the identification technology arena, and is providing broad-reaching and positive impact to higher education in these areas.
Read More >

1822190

IUCRC Phase II: University at Buffalo: Center for Identification Technology Research CITeR

The Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) is an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center focused on developing identity systems. A provable and verifiable identity is a necessity in modern society and the foundation for reliable identity systems. A confirmed identity allows one to work, maintain a bank account, and drive a car. It also facilitates a safe society, allowing authorities to identify bad actors, such as suspected terrorists on no-fly lists. In partnership with government and industry stakeholders, CITeR advances the state of the art in human identification capabilities through coordinated university research related to identity.

CITeR is focused on developing technologies for providing, confirming, and determining identity. CITeR's core research focuses on identity systems resting on firm pillars of trust, privacy, security, and reliability. The focus of the SUNY University at Buffalo (UB) site is on innovative applications of traditional, soft and behavioral biometrics, biometric template security, multi-modality fusion, behavioral biometrics, emerging biometrics (brain, heart, cognitive etc.), and novel biometric test phantoms, and this complements the strengths of the other university sites. CITeR affiliates will also benefit from being able to benchmark and assess the effectiveness of various biometric technologies in real applications.

The UB site will further CITeR's objective to serve as a comprehensive academic center serving the growing identification technology research and outreach needs of the public and private sectors. Led by faculty, UB students, graduate and undergraduate, will actively engage in STEM outreach programs that use biometrics research as a draw to pique the interest of K-12 students under the BEAM (Buffalo Area Engineering Awareness for Minorities) program. UB faculty will work with the NSF-AGEP (The Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate) program whose goal is to increase the number of underrepresented students and postdocs preparing for faculty careers.

CITeR is committed to data sharing and intends to maintain a project repository well beyond the current duration of the grant. Information regarding all data sets generated from CITeR projects will be archived at the single center-wide repository at https://citer.clarkson.edu/biometric-dataset-collections/ Project results such as publications and tools will be disseminated through the center portal maintained at the lead site https://citer.clarkson.edu/ Open sourced code will be disseminated through github repositories for individual projects and links will be shared through the central CITeR portal.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

1650474

I/UCRC Phase II: Center for Identification Technology Research

The Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) is an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) that is focused on developing and championing technologies and systems for managing the identity of individuals. Having a provable and verifiable identity is necessary for an individual to function in modern society. Working in partnership with government and industry stakeholders, CITeR advances the state of the art in human identification capabilities through coordinated university research related to providing, confirming, and determining identity. Its overall focus is on human analytics, identity science, biometric analysis, and technical implementation of privacy and policy. The WVU site provides innovations related to the increased use of biomolecular analysis (e.g., rapid DNA), cloud computing, mobile devices (e.g., smartphones), and video analytics. These innovations help to protect society and improve the national defense by providing pathways for identifying bad actors, while advancing the science of computing, analytics, and signal processing. CITeR engages graduate students and undergraduates in research, is active in outreach to K-12 students, and actively identifying and addressing the educational needs of next-generation professionals in the identification technology arena. The WVU site brings to the Center its first-ever undergraduate degree specifically focused on biometrics (B.S. in Biometric Systems) and is positioned in proximity to the expanding hub of biometric activity that has arisen in North Central West Virginia.

The WVU Site will focus on four technical areas related to CITeR's technical area of Identity: (1) Biomolecular biometrics, (2) Cross-modal and cross-spectral matching, (3) Mobile and cloud biometrics, and (4) Video analytics. Recent advances in rapid DNA will be leveraged to provide tools and techniques to aid investigators, for instance, by providing the capability to extract small amounts of DNA from fingerprints. Cross-modal and cross-spectral matching provide improved ways to recognize subjects in unconstrained environments; for instance, by comparing thermal-to-visible images, thermal surveillance imagery can be compared with visible gallery imagery. Empowered by the cloud, mobile biometrics can improve convenience, but technical solutions must take privacy and security into account. Video analytics can allow subjects to be tracked across multiple camera views and allow their actions to be recognized. Read More >

Member Organizations

IUCRC affiliated member organizations are displayed as submitted by the Center. Non-federal organizations are not selected, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Center author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.