Vision

The Institute of Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) is George Mason University’s commitment to inclusively shaping the future of our digital society, promoting well-being, security, and prosperity.

IDIA is a sector leader that provides transdisciplinary research, innovation, and next-generation workforce development strategy across the university for scaled, sustainable growth in digital innovation, leverages synergies, strengthening the innovation ecosystem and growing capacities for transdisciplinary research, scholarship, and innovation, supports placemaking, instigating and building research and innovation communities around places and activating and supporting a culture of transdisciplinary research and shared research infrastructure, and amplifies the visibility and awareness of George Mason University as a globally recognized leader for its world-class research, innovation, and economic impact activities, as well as its next-generation students and scholars.

Information systems security is of increasing importance in government, military and commercial arenas.  The Center for Secure Information Systems (CSIS) provides a dedicated environment to encourage the development of expertise in both the theoretical and applied aspects of information systems security.  CSIS emphasis on information security makes it unique among the institutions of higher learning in this country.

Securing the World’s Cyber Infrastructure

Established in 1990, CSIS has the distinction of being the first academic center in security at a U.S. university. CSIS differentiates itself from other centers by working in a broad spectrum of security topics and issues.  The Center resides within the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) at George Mason University.

The C5I (Center of Excellence in Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Cyber and Intelligence) at George Mason University is the nation’s first and only civilian university-based entity offering a comprehensive academic and research program in military applications of information technology and cyber security.

Vision
To serve as a multi-disciplinary hub connecting faculty and researchers with interests in the Center’s mission and be widely recognized as a premier source of knowledge and innovation to military and civilian authorities.
Mission
The Center’s mission is to perform advanced research in defense, intelligence, and security-related applications in IT and Cyber; bridging cultural gaps and aligning requirements between government, industry, and academia.

The Center for Trusted, Accelerated, and Secure Computing and Communication (C-TASC) is a multidisciplinary research center with overarching research spanning the cybersecurity, hardware security, accelerated computing, and machine learning domains.

Our researchers make chips produced in other countries safer and develop new technologies that implement machine learning algorithms faster and use significantly less power. We develop novel brain-inspired and quantum-based computing systems. We make future microprocessors resistant to sophisticated attacks and support the development of new cryptographic standards.

Source: webpage

The Wireless Cyber Center (WirelessCyber@Mason) is a chartered multidisciplinary research center within the College of Engineering and Computing. The center comprises top-notch researchers with diverse expertise and backgrounds from multiple departments and units across Mason including Electrical and Computer Engineering; Computer Science; Cyber Security Engineering; Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering; Geography and Geoinformation Science; and the Office of Technology Transfer.

Mission

Source: website

The NSI Cyber and Technology Center (CTC) expands NSI’s current efforts to promote American leadership in technology innovation and engage with policymakers on critical issues at the intersection of technology and national security.

NSI CTC’s mission is to promote – through dialogue with experts, engagement with policymakers, and cutting-edge research – American technology leadership and to tackle critical innovation, cyber, and emerging technology challenges.

Throughout much of the 20th century, the United States led the world in technological innovation, with the new systems and industries arising from this leadership driving sustained economic growth and underpinning U.S. national security capabilities. To maintain its global leadership, the U.S. must continue to promote rapid innovation and economic growth domestically, and create effective capabilities to protect and defend the U.S. and allied economic base.

NSI CTC’s focuses on critical issue areas for U.S. technological innovation:

• Harnessing and advancing U.S. technology innovation, including emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, as it relates to U.S. economic and national security;
• Bringing together the public and private sectors to create a collaborative, productive, and effective national cyber defense to confront the evolving cyber threat environment;
• Working with allies and partners to ensure a global tech ecosystem that promotes trusted systems and U.S. competitiveness;
• Affirming the U.S.’s dominance in blockchain innovation to protect U.S. national security; and
• Maintaining U.S. dominance in technology innovation through growing and strengthening the U.S. tech workforce.

Source: Website

Center for Assurance Research and Engineering, or CARE, is a research center focusing on cybersecurity, housed in the College of Engineering and Computing, George Mason University. CARE’s research has the following unique approaches:

• Research to Practice Orientation – We transform our research into innovative technology and policy solutions to increase security in real-world settings including through research spinoffs and corporate startups.
• Multi-disciplinary Approach – Cybersecurity is multidisciplinary by nature and CARE expertise and approach to cybersecurity challenges spans technology, business and governance and policy.
• Wide Ranging Perspective – With engagement at the city and county level and internationally with governments, companies and universities in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America, CARE has perspectives and insights into cybersecurity issues in widely varying contexts and circumstances.

Source: Website

The Radar and Radio Engineering Lab (RARE Lab) is located at George Mason University’s Volgenau School of Engineering and is focused on enhancing the state of the art in safety and security applications of cognitive radios. The lab has partnerships with industry players, government agencies, as well as other academic institutions in the US and abroad; conducting research projects in areas as diverse as air transportation, high-speed trains, autonomous vehicles, smart power grids, and others. The lab is equip ed with telecommunications hardware capable of conducting cyber-physical experiments within electromagnetically controlled environments, including high-fidelity emulations and simulations with up to four distinct electromagnetic environments synchronized.

Source: Website

The Cryptographic Engineering Research Group (CERG) is part of the George Mason University Electrical & Computer Engineering Department.

Cryptography, from Greek krpto (hidden) and grapho (write), is the science and practice of hiding information. Most Internet users come in contact with cryptography when they go to a secure website of an Internet retailer. Other popular applications are secure e-mail, Internet banking, mobile phones, etc. Cryptography has its roots in mathematics, computer science and engineering. Cryptographic Engineering is concerned with all aspects of implementing cryptographic algorithms in hardware and / or software. This ranges from high performance implementations to ultra-low power implementations of public key and secret key algorithms, fault tolerant implementations, attack resistant implementation and even implementations of attacks.

The Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC) conducts research and provides unique educational opportunities to address local and global needs in autonomy, embedded artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics.

Our interdisciplinary activities take a holistic approach to growing technological demands by combining computer science, electrical and mechanical engineering, systems engineering, psychology, philosophy, and policy education and research.

Working in conjunction with our other research affiliates and technology partners has created a proven and repeatable technology development program, uniting faculty, students, government agencies, and corporate sponsors.

Source: Website

Proven Track Record in National Security
RPRC’s Research Drives Advancements that Enable Competitive Edge.

Mason’s Rapid Prototyping Research Center was established to further advance research and innovation development that requires accelerated processes combined with specialized expertise to meet national security and defense objectives. RPRC, working in conjunction with our other research affiliates and technology partners has created a proven and repeatable technology development program, uniting engineers, students, mentors, and technology vendors to deliver rapid and resilient solutions.

Eric Vollmecke  is the Director of  RPRC.

The Center for Air Transportation Systems Research at George Mason University was chartered in 2003.

The CATSR mission is to foster excellence in education and research in Air Transportation System Engineering. Contributions to the field include:

• transportation network-of-networks simulation, optimization, and analysis
• complex adaptive systems simulation and analysis
• NAS, airport and airspace simulation and performance analysis
• rare-event safety analysis for systems and devices
• aviation environment (noise and emissions)
• strategic planning and forecasting/industrial sector economics
• auctions and other allocation schemes
• portfolio analysis/costs-benefits analysis
• flightdeck design and human factors

Our outstanding students are successful leaders in industry, government and academia. Where are they now?

CATSR Director is Lance Sherry.