SISSC 2024 Afternoon Keynote

"Opportunities and Challenges in Critical Infrastructure Security Research"

Abstract:
Critical Infrastructure Security Research is a complex domain. Current approaches are useful in solving fundamental research problems in this area and add value to the scientific body of knowledge. However, in practice, they rarely adequately address the full range of challenges faced in DHS operational environments. Preparing the next generation of problem solvers warrants exploring approaches to enhance their skill set in real-time while progressing through the academic trajectory. I will discuss the value for developing multidisciplinary thinking and opportunities to apply these skills during DHS internships.

Bio:
Juan Lopez Jr., Ph.D., CISSP, is currently a Lead Scientific Consultant in Industrial Control Systems and Open-Source Software under the Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Research (CISSR) program at DHS Science & Technology Directorate. His prior work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory included serving as Group Leader, Energy and Control Systems Security, National Security Sciences Directorate. 

He leads research in Critical Infrastructure Protection, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Nuclear Power Cybersecurity, Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) modeling, and UWB Communications. He led research for DOE under the Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems (CEDS), DOD sponsors, and provided cybersecurity training for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). He holds a patent in Radio Frequency-DNA fingerprinting. 

He served as the technical lead in SCADA/ICS research at the Air Force Cyberspace Technical Center of Excellence located at the Air Force Institute of Technology on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Lopez earned a PhD in Computer Science at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, Master of Science in Information & Telecommunications Systems Management from Capitol College, and a Master of Science from the Air Force Institute of Technology under the NSA’s Information Assurance Scholarship Program. Lopez is an IEEE Senior Member, ACM member, Co-Chair for the Industrial Society of Automation’s Work Group 4, Task Group 7 (Security of ICS Sensors), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified SCADA Security Architect (CSSA), Certified Scrum Master, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and has an Extra Class amateur radio license from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). He served on active duty for 27 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a distinguished pistol shot.