Experts Guide

Weitzenfeld is director of the USF Biorobotics Laboratory. He studies biologically-inspired robotics, cognitive robotics, multi-robot systems, human-robot interaction, robot learning, robot navigation, spatial cognition, reinforcement learning, spatio-temporal learning and computational neuroscience.

Chhabra is a computer scientist with expertise in next-generation AI models across multiple domains: from Natural Language Processing (e.g. LLMs such as ChatGPT) to Computer Vision. He leads the PALM Lab at USF where he and his team develop approaches that can augment the safety of AI models and systems (e.g. security, privacy, and robustness), safeguarding users from potential negative outcomes. He teaches courses on Large Language Models and Fair/Trustworthy AI.

Howell is an expert in cybercriminal behavior and motivation, darknet markets and stolen data supply chains, digital forensics and incident response, AI-driven threat intelligence systems, cyber-enabled financial fraud and account takeovers and cybersecurity strategy for critical infrastructure.

Qiao teaches an undergraduate course in algorithms, a foundational subject that introduces students to the design and analysis of efficient computational methods for solving real-world problems. He also studies machine learning and AI. Before USF, Qiao conducted research in the Deep-REAL Lab at the University of Delaware, where he focused on out-of-distribution generalization. He also interned at AWS AI Labs, where he worked on vision-language models.

Burruss studies policing, homeland security and victimization in cyberspace. His research examines the structure and function of criminal justice agencies and the evolving landscape of cybercrime. He studies the causes and consequences of online offending and victimization, and how law enforcement and cybersecurity professionals respond to digital threats. He is affiliated with Cyber Florida, the state’s center for cybersecurity, and serves as a Faculty Fellow with both the Global and National Security Institute and Rapid7. He is the founding director of CIBR Lab — the Cybercrime Interdisciplinary Behavioral Research Laboratory — which trains students in research on cybercrime and cybersecurity.

Javidi teaches courses in cybersecurity in USF's School of Information Systems, Muma College of Business. She also serves as the academic director of the Information Assurance and Cybersecurity Management undergraduate program. Her research interests include design solutions for secure smart devices, cybersecurity management and analytics and data analytics applications in business.

Jeanty's research focuses on object-oriented software design, logic design and teaching about the ethical issues associated with cyber technology. He has worked in industry for companies including United Parcel Service, Nielsen Media Research and IBM.

Ligatti is an expert in runtime security mechanisms, authentication, policy composition, injection attacks, enforceability theory, type systems, subtyping and policy-specification languages.

Huang leads the High Performance & Intelligence Lab (π Lab), which focuses on building high-performance systems for large-scale artificial intelligence and scientific applications. He is developing a new course in high-performance computing, a critical specialty area that powers modern AI and scientific applications. He also teaches undergraduate computer architecture, which helps students understand the fundamentals of computing systems and their real-world hardware and software challenges.

Licato is a foremost expert on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. His research focuses on AI, NLP, human reasoning, cognitive modeling and legal/regulatory reasoning, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications. He is founder/director of the Advancing Machine and Human Reasoning (AMHR) Lab and owner of the startup company Actualization.AI.

Woodward studies human-computer and child-computer interaction. Her research has focused on the impact of artificial intelligence and smart technologies such as virtual and augmented reality on the development of younger children and adolescents — and the role of parents and educators.

Chagal-Feferkorn is a legal scholar and an attorney whose work explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, law and public policy. She can discuss AI ethics, legal liability and damages related to AI product development, the risks AI poses to children and how to mitigate them, and how scientists, engineers and policymakers can work together to improve AI designs.

Dutta has 22 years of professional and research experience in the field of enterprise IT infrastructure, data analytics and big data systems. He is a professor in the School of Information Systems. His current research interest is big data analytics. Dutta's primary expertise combines operations research and data mining techniques with computer science systems knowledge to efficiently handle big data and manage large IT infrastructure. He has been the mentor of two startups out of USF in the NSF-iCorps program.

Friday is an assistant professor of instruction with expertise designing real‑time, efficient and practical solutions for cybersecurity, forensics and AI. Drawing on his collaborations with industry, government and critical‑sector partners, he is developing hands‑on, industry‑focused courses that expose students to technologies they will encounter in their careers and equip them with the skills to excel from day one.

Chen's research focuses on quantum engineering (communications, computing, machine learning, sensing, cryptography and photonics); artificial intelligence and multi-robot systems with applications to smart factory and self-driving; wireless communications and networking, particularly 6G and communication for AI; cryptographic systems, post-quantum cryptography and cybersecurity; and social networks and data analytics.

Hall is an expert in artificial intelligence and teaches courses in data mining, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. He can discuss AI regulation, AI in image processing and AI and its effects on jobs and the workplace. His research interests include integrating multimodal foundation models into medical image analysis, large language model stability, robust learned models for vision recognition tasks and explainable AI.

Hagen's research focuses on how to apply artificial intelligence and big data for social science research and government decision making. Current interests are in the domains of human-centered data science, social media, cybersecurity, public health crisis and undergraduate data science education.

Pazos Revilla is an engineer with expertise in critical infrastructure cybersecurity, who researches consumer, industrial and enterprise cybersecurity. He can discuss those topics in addition to the Internet of Things and advancements in cybersecurity and engineering education, including his involvement with USF's CyberHerd student competitive team and Whitehatters Computer Security Club.

Alam is an assistant professor of instruction in the USF Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing. He joined the college in 2025 and teaches courses in cybersecurity, computer systems, and operating systems. He is also developing new offerings in malware analysis and adversarial modeling that emphasize real-world application and hands-on student engagement. Before pursuing his academic credentials, Alam worked as an engineer at Kona Software Labs Ltd, where he created mobile payment apps, worked on point-of-sale terminals, designed and developed authentication protocols, and integrated a payment platform with banking systems.

Kermani's research interests are fault diagnosis and tolerance in cryptography, cryptographic engineering and computer arithmetic.

Ghani's research focuses on cybersecurity, including ransomware analysis, denial-of-service attack mitigation, Internet of Things security, cyber skills development and workforce training. He can also discuss cyberinfrastructure design, cloud computing and disaster recovery.

Karam's research focuses on hardware security, Internet of Things, biomedical implants and reconfigurable computing. He is founder/director of the USF Interface Research Lab and can discuss energy-efficient and secure hardware design, including low-power design for on-chip AI/ML and signal processing with a focus on IoT and healthcare applications.

Pandey teaches computer architecture, a core subject that explores how hardware and software interact to execute computing tasks efficiently and reliably. Before joining USF, he held research positions at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and, most recently, Google, where he contributed to projects focused on accelerating microarchitecture simulation with machine learning.

Canavan studies the intersection of psychology, math, and computer science. He is an expert in computer vision, affective computing and human-computing interaction. He research explores these areas as well as biometrics and image processing and pattern recognition.

Zhang develops courses that reflect emerging areas in the field, including an integrated sensing and communication course that explores how existing wireless infrastructure can be repurposed for sensing applications. Before USF, he collaborated on projects spanning millimeter-wave networking to contactless RF-based health monitoring.

Katkoori's research focuses on embedded system design, smart transportation, smart health, hardware security and Very-Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) chip design Automation.

Chellappan is an expert who can speak to issues related to AI and public health. He teaches courses related to Autmata theory and information security and privacy. He leads a research lab examines how to overcome critical emerging problems when societies and

computing technologies interact, while simultaneously enabling new applications.

Gary studies cyber threats to elections, cyber threat actors and reasonings and cyber threats to public and private sectors. His focus is on cyber threat actors, who are responsible for cybercrimes including ransomware and cyber espionage. He was a highly-decorated career U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer.

Walczak's primary research interests are in applied artificial intelligence systems (including artificial neural networks, expert and knowledge-based systems, cognitive modeling, machine learning and intelligent software agents), healthcare information systems, knowledge management and organizational learning and electronic commerce specializing in online auctions and virtual presence.

Sarkar is the launch dean for the newly established Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing. He is an expert in computer vision, predictive learning, biometrics, and AI. He has varied research interests, ranging from AI involving images and videos to biometrics and gait recognition to collaborative efforts mixing computer science with psychology, linguistics, medicine, and more. He has worked on projects to build computer vision/AI algorithms to anticipate and proactively assist with daily living activities, such as using a robotic arm on a wheelchair.

Hyslip is a former U.S. Secret Service special agent who can discuss cybersecurity, cybercrime, financial cybercrime, digital espionage, computer hacking, cyberfraud, digital forensics, malware and DDoS attacks.

Triparna de Vreede is an assistant professor of information systems. Her research expertise covers how AI can be harnessed to benefit society, human responses to AI and its impact on workplace behavior and AI consciousness and ethics in human-AI collaboration

Liu is an NSF CAREER Award recipient who studies computer and network security with an emphasis on designing and implementing defense approaches that protect mobile, network and computer technologies from being undermined by adversaries. Her research interests also include security applications for cyber-physical systems, Internet of Things and machine learning.

Tu's research interest is in scientific data management, energy-efficient computer systems, high performance computing and data stream management systems. He is conducting research on accelerating key algorithms in various computational biology areas with modern parallel hardware systems. He is the recipient of a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation.

Sun the director of USF Center for Innovation, Technology and Aging who is an expert in robotics, AI, deep learning, biomarkers, healthcare applications, and technology for aging. He teaches courses in these areas.

Han studies human-robot interaction, robotics, artificial intelligence and augmented reality. He designs, develops and evaluates novel robotic systems and experiences with a focus on improving their interaction and collaboration with humans.