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Center for Science, Management, Application/s, Regulation, and Training (Cyber SMART)

Center Overview

The Center for Science, Management, Application/s, Regulation, and Training — Cyber SMART — combines computer science, related social and economic sciences, and behavioral and cognitive sciences to conduct cyber research for public and private sector organizations. With its analysis of current and emerging cyber issues, Cyber SMART is positioned to conduct collaborative research that is needed for the new era of cyber.

Cyber SMART’s approach includes working with those who have expertise in law, economics, management, neuroscience, and ethics. By coordinating, synthesizing, and holistically applying this multidisciplinary expertise to undertake cyber research and training, Cyber SMART is able to address all major considerations. This benefits industry, regulators, consumers, and society in general.

Cyber SMART’s members and affiliates include national and international corporations from the communications, banking, finance, insurance, retail, and logistics sectors as well as public sector organizations including regulatory agencies and law enforcement. These organizations face similar issues but from different perspectives, and that range of viewpoints informs Cyber SMART’s work. Cyber SMART’s multidisciplinary approach enables better understanding of cyber issues and opens new, underutilized avenues of inquiry. Its unique set of skills and expertise significantly increases the depth and breadth of research available to organizations and the research and education opportunities available to the workforce, academics, and students in a range of disciplines. It also informs policy, standards, and regulation.

Cyber SMART is uniquely positioned to conduct research that comprehensively addresses the consequences of increased digitization.

Universities

University of Notre Dame
Georgetown University

View Center Website

Center Personnel

Professor Ophir Frieder
Center Director
+1 202 687 2165
of22@georgetown.edu

Professor Clare Sullivan
Center Executive Director and Lead Researcher
+1 443 534 8980
Cls268@georgetown.edu

Professor Eric Burger
Lead Researcher
+1 202 687 4107
eric.burger@georgetown.edu

Professor James Giordano
Lead Researcher
+1 202 444 8525
g353@georgetown.edu

Research Focus

Cyber SMART’s computer science research expertise covers distributed ledger technology, secure information systems, artificial intelligence (AI), neurotech, communications, and cybersecurity. Its social and economic sciences and behavioral and cognitive sciences expertise includes cyber and international law, finance, economics, business management, neuroscience, psychology, and cyber ethics.

Cyber SMART has a strong focus on distributed ledger technology’s new and future applications. New applications include banking; finance; insurance; logistics and supply chains in manufacturing and trade; defense and national security; law enforcement and investigation; and the development of international standards. Future applications are forecast for the health care, communications, and energy sectors. Cyber SMART’s research examines the computer science technological requirements as well as social and economic sciences and behavioral and cognitive sciences aspects — specifically legal requirements, user behaviors, and business management considerations, including environmental impact and other cost considerations and ethics.

Cyber SMART also focuses on cybersecurity, secure communications, and AI, such as new AI applications that bridge distributed ledger technology and secure communications. The social and economic sciences and behavioral and cognitive sciences expertise involved in this research includes data protection law, U.S. and international regulatory requirements for AI, data privacy and data transfers, finance, economics and business management implications, and the interplay between neuroscience, psychology, and cyber ethics.

Each university partner has leading expertise in a specific area that complements the capabilities of the others. For example, Georgetown University has leading expertise in policy and standards, especially in blockchain and secure communications and cyber law and regulatory expertise that covers digital identity, privacy, and data security, as well as cyber ethics — particularly in relation to AI. Notre Dame also has leading expertise in distributed ledger technology, but with a focus on its application to supply chains, in law enforcement and investigation, and in defense and national security applications. Notre Dame brings additional cross-discipline expertise in biometrics anti-spoofing and bioethics, as well as leading expertise in human cognition and behavior.

Awards

2113718

IUCRC Phase I University of Notre Dame: Center for Science, Management, Application/s, Regulation, and Training [SMART]

Cyber SMART is one of the first IUCRC to strategically combine computer science (CS) and the related NSF social and economic sciences (SES) and behavioral and cognitive sciences (BCS) programs to cyber research. This multidisciplinary approach enables better understanding by industry, educators, students, and government of the impact of cyber. This comprehensive approach opens significant new and under-utilized avenues of enquiry, particularly at the intersection of CS, SES and BCS. The Center’s unique skill-set significantly increases the depth and breadth of research available to organizations, the research and education opportunities available to academics and students in a range of disciplines, and informs policy, standards, and regulation. Cyber SMART’s CS expertise covers distributed ledger technology and standards, secure information systems, artificial intelligence (AI), including neuroscience and neurotech, cybersecurity and secure communications, post-quantum cybersecurity, finance/economics, business management, digital identity, cyber law/regulation, policy, psychology, and ethics. Across the Center, each Site has specific, complementary expertise. While all Sites have strong CS, SES, and BCS capability, each site has leading expertise in specific areas. For example, the University of Notre Dame is known for its expertise in crime investigation and national security; digital ledger technology, biometrics anti-spoofing and bio ethics, and its leading expertise in human cognition and behavior complements and supplements the capabilities of other Sites. Cyber SMART is uniquely positioned to produce research that comprehensively addresses the consequences of increased digitization. In broader impact, the Center’s work will benefit industry, individuals who use products and services, educators and scholars, regulators, and society in general. Applying CS, with relevant SES and BCS expertise enables comprehensive understanding of all the issues, better framing of research, and development of targeted and feasible solutions. Most importantly, new cross-discipline collaboration will bring innovation in education and training and greater inclusion. The Center’s industry engagement and outreach is specifically designed to engage women, girls, and underrepresented minorities for career motivation, training and employment. Cyber SMART will maintain a Center-wide project repository including research data, code, results, emulators, simulators, scientific papers, etc., for at least three years after the end of the IUCRC. The Center lead site at Georgetown University has an institutional repository that will outlast the life of the IUCRC. 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 >

2113811

IUCRC Phase I Georgetown University: Center for Science, Management, Application/s, Regulation, and Training [SMART]

Cyber SMART is one of the first IUCRCs to strategically combine computer science (CS) and the related NSF social and economic sciences (SES) and behavioral and cognitive sciences (BCS) programs to cyber research. This multidisciplinary approach enables better understanding by industry, educators, students, and government of the impact of cyber. This comprehensive approach opens significant new and under-utilized avenues of enquiry, particularly at the intersection of CS, SES and BCS. The Center’s unique skill-set significantly increases the depth and breadth of research available to organizations, the research and education opportunities available to academics and students in a range of disciplines, and informs policy, standards, and regulation. Cyber SMART’s CS expertise covers distributed ledger technology and standards, secure information systems, artificial intelligence (AI) including neuroscience and neurotech, cybersecurity and secure communications, quantum computing, finance/economics, business management, digital identity, cyber law/regulation, policy, psychology and ethics. Across the Center, each Site has specific, complementary expertise. All Sites have strong CS, SES, and BCS capability but each site has leading expertise in specific areas. For example, Georgetown University has leading expertise in cyber ethics, cyber law, regulation, standards, and policy that complements and supplements the CS, SES and BCS expertise of other Sites. Cyber SMART is uniquely positioned to produce research that comprehensively addresses the consequences of increased digitization. In broader impact, the Center’s work will benefit industry, individuals who use products and services, educators and scholars, regulators, and society in general. Applying CS, with relevant SES and BCS expertise enables comprehensive understanding of all the issues, better framing of research, and development of targeted and feasible solutions. Most importantly, new cross-discipline collaboration will bring innovation in education and training and greater inclusion. The Center’s industry engagement and outreach is specifically designed to engage women, girls, and underrepresented minorities for career motivation, training and employment. Cyber SMART will maintain a Center-wide project repository including research data, code, results, emulators, simulators, scientific papers etc. for at least three years after the end of the IUCRC. Georgetown University has an institutional repository that will outlast the life of the IUCRC. 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 >

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.