Graduate students Zengxiang Lei, Eunhan Ka and Omar Hamim test cybersecurity algorithms in the Urban Mobility Networks and Intelligence Lab.

Purdue's first national university transportation center to assess vulnerabilities associated with transportation systems

As the United States transitions further toward smart and connected cities, the need for increased cybersecurity and resiliency research grows as well.

In February 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded $435 million in grant awards for 34 University Transportation Centers (UTC) that will help the next generation of transportation professionals make roads, bridges, rail, shipping and airspace safer, more innovative, and more efficient. The UTCs will advance transportation expertise and technology in the varied disciplines that comprise the field of transportation through education, research and technology transfer activities.

Purdue University was selected as a major partner in a national UTC with Satish Ukkusuri, the Reilly Professor of Civil Engineering, leading the team. The $4 million-per-year grant issued to this consortium, with Clemson University as the lead institution, has tasked researchers to focus on cybersecurity — specifically, the vulnerabilities of cybersecurity associated with transportation cyber-physical-social systems (TCPSS).

TCPSS uses computations and communication embedded in and interacting with physical processes to add new capabilities to transportation systems. The UTC will work on identifying challenges and threats across transportation modes, geographies and applications; and pioneering advanced cybersecurity and resiliency strategies and solutions for multimodal transportation.

“Our goal is to be at the forefront of cybersecurity,” Ukkusuri said. “As the world develops and integrates autonomous vehicles and smart cities, the cyberthreats we face increase significantly. And these threats will only continue to grow and evolve over time.”

Eunhan Ka and Zengxiang Lei, both civil engineering PhD students, will be part of the research team. Both said the need for a nationwide program in transportation cybersecurity is absolutely necessary to protect and prepare the U.S. to defend future threats.

“We see emerging technology coming out almost every day — and with that, it’s clear that we need to explore our vulnerabilities,” Lei said. “We have to understand where exactly — in both our hardware and software — the risks are.”

“It’s definitely time for an effort like this,” Ka added. “New developments and breakthroughs are coming faster and faster and we’re going to leave ourselves vulnerable if we don’t start working now.”

By the end of 2023, Ukkusuri said, a central office will be established as the project expands. This interdisciplinary research project at Purdue will include faculty from computer science, industrial engineering and electrical and computer engineering.

“We want to explore and tackle this issue from all angles,” Ukkusuri said. “Understanding the extent of connection within the infrastructure enables us to be both better protected against cybersecurity threats and more resilient in our recovery.”

Other members in the Clemson-Purdue UTC consortium include Benedict College, Florida International University, Morgan State University (Maryland), South Carolina State University, University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, University of California at Santa Cruz and University of Texas at Dallas.