Cybersecurity, Internet of Things & Autonomous Vehicles: UCC Computer Science leading the way as part of the CONNECT Research Centre for Future Networks and Communications

2 Mar 2021

In February 2021, Minister Simon Harris announced a €193m investment in five world leading SFI Research Centres, including CONNECT - the SFI Research Centre for Future Networks and Communications. Professors from the UCC School of Computer Science & Information Technology play a leading role in the Centre, pushing forward the boundaries for cybersecurity, the Internet of Things and autonomous vehicles.

Computer and telecommunication networks have a critical role for commerce, work, leisure and social interaction, a fact that has been to the fore during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. CONNECT will focus on the sustainability, resilience, and scalability of future networks, and will propose new models of ownership for network assets such as infrastructure and spectrum. It seeks to apply cutting-edge data analytics and machine learning to manage this increasingly heterogeneous and complex network environment. The UCC team are especially interested in future wireless networks for connected and autonomous vehicles (including drones), embedded sensor networks and Internet of Things for applications such as smart cities and homes, and ensuring privacy and security in the increasingly networked world in which we live. By enhancing their deep technical and research expertise in these areas, UCC will be well placed to advance the state of the art and engage with companies and other organisations to provide value through collaboration, as well as meeting the needs of industry by training the next-generation of employees that are imbued with such knowledge and skills.

Professor Cormac Sreenan, Head of UCC Computer Science, deputy director and principal investigator of CONNECT has played a leadership role in the Centre since its inception in 2014.  “Being a part of the SFI Research Centre for Future Networks and Communications has been very exciting for me and my UCC colleagues; it has given us an opportunity to work in advanced areas of networking research and engage closely with sponsor companies. Will look forward to the next phase of the Centre”. Professor Dirk Pesch is a CONNECT principal investigator renowned for his expertise in the Internet of Things, having founded the NIMBUS Centre at Cork Institute of Technology (now MTU) prior to joining UCC. Professor Utz Roedig joins CONNECT as a new principal investigator, leading the CONNECT research on cybersecurity for networks, having previously directed the Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research at Lancaster University. The UCC CONNECT team also includes Dr Aisling O’Driscoll with expertise in vehicular wireless networking, Dr Paolo Palmieri who specialises in cybersecurity and privacy, and Dr Ahmed Zahran who is an expert in wireless networking and multimedia streaming.

For further information, or to discuss ways in which to engage with CONNECT, please contact the UCC School of Computer Science & Information Technology.