Hassan Reza
Director of Graduate Studies, Computer Science
Hassan Reza is a Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Computer Science at the University of North Dakota since 1999. He is a technical member of the Center for Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), and Research Institute for Autonomous Systems (RIAS) at the University of North Dakota, USA. He received the B.S. degree in Computer Science from the Chicago State University in 1988, the M.S. degree in Computer Science from the Loyola University Chicago in 1991, and a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the North Dakota State University in 2002. His research focuses include software architecture, formal specifications and verifications of Cyber-physical systems, and Cybersecurity. He is members of the IEEE and the ACM.
Mark Hagerrott
Chancellor, North Dakota University System
Prior to his move back home to North Dakota, Dr. Hagerott served on the faculty and held numerous academic leadership roles at the United States Naval Academy. He also served as a planning and strategy director in one of the largest U.S. Army educational organizations, NATO Training Mission, which included the Afghanistan army, police, air force, and medical school programs. Hagerott served as distinguished professor and deputy director of the Center for Cyber Security Studies at the Naval Academy and served on the Defense Science Board summer study of unmanned systems 2014-2015. He is a commissioner on The American Council on Education, Midwestern Higher Education Compact, and Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Chancellor Hagerott's research and writing are focused on the evolution of technology, education, and changes in technical career paths, and he is the author of multiple articles and book chapters, with a recent emphasis on unmanned systems. He served as a non-resident cyber Fellow of the New America Foundation, 2015-2017. Prior to his transition to an academic career path, Hagerott held numerous leadership positions in the U.S. Navy, both aboard ships and in administrative positions in the Department of Defense. A certified naval nuclear engineer in power generation and distribution, he served as chief engineer for a major environmental project defueling of two atomic reactors. Hagerott also ran tactical data networks for the Navy and rose to ship command prior to his career in higher education. He also served in both Bush administrations, as a White House Fellow in the first Bush administration; and in the office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense in the second Bush administration. Hagerott holds a B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy, an M.A. in political science and economics from Oxford University where he attended as a Rhodes Scholar, and a Ph.D. in history from University of Maryland. The chancellor hails from a multi-generation North Dakota family of farmers and energy producers. The Hagerott-Brandenburg family homesteaded in Center and Mandan before statehood, where his father continues work on the fourth-generation farm, and his mother's family came with the first Bakken oil boom.
Naima Kaabouch
Professor, Master of Science in Cyber Security
Dr. Naima Kaabouch is currently Full professor and Graduate Program Director in the Electrical Engineering Department at University of North Dakota. Her main research interests include wireless communication & networking, cybersecurity, sensing, signal/image processing, and smart systems. She is the PI and CoPI of numerous grants for a total about $10M funded by federal agencies and state sources, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ND Chamber of Commerce, EPSCoR/NSF, and EPSCoR NASA. As of May 2018, she is the co-author of over 160 peer reviewed journal and proceeding papers and the co-author of 4 research books and handbooks. She is also the recipient of numerous awards in research and education, including the 2016 UND Outstanding Faculty Scholar in Research, Teaching, and Service in 2016; and the Presidential Scholars Star Faculty in 2010. Dr. Kaabouch has advised numerous graduate and undergraduate students in her projects. These projects have resulted in several local, regional, and national awards. These awards include: Several NASA Robotics Competition awards (NASA Joe Kosmo Award of Excellence in 2011, Second Place in 2013, 1st Place in the Outreach Component in 2016, 2d Place in the Presentation & Demonstration Component in 2016, 4th Place in the overall competition in 2016, 4th Place in the Mining Component in 2015), 4 IEEE Contest Awards (2006, 2010, 2011, 2012), 4 “Outstanding Senior Design Prototype Project” Awards (2010, 2011, 2013, college level award), and Andrew Freeman Award (2012, college level award).
Prakash Ranganathan
Program Director, Master of Science in Cyber Security
Dr. Prakash Ranganathan is currently an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, and also the Director for Cyber Physical Systems and Data Sciences Laboratory at the UND. He has over 12 years of higher education experience as an engineering educator, and 6 years as a Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) and Optimization researcher. He has been PI or Co-PI on over $1 million of externally funded awards. His research involves identifying a solution to challenges on topics such as smart grid, cyber security, uncertainty quantification, co-ordination of UAS in swarm environments, and verification and validations techniques.Dr. Ranganathan also plays a leadership role in cyber educational and research initiatives for North Dakota University System (NDUS). Dr. Ranganathan received the College of Engineering and Mines (CEM) Dean’s Outstanding Faculty Award in 2018, North Dakota Spirit Faculty Achievement Award in 2013 from UND Alumni Foundation recognizing his significant contribution in teaching, research, and service. He is also a recipient of Public Scholar Award in 2014 from the Center for Community Engagement. He received his Ph.D. in Software Engineering from North Dakota State University (NDSU) in 2013, and MS in Electrical Engineering in 2005 from NDSU.
Hossein Salehfar
Professor, Master of Science in Cyber Security
Dr. Hossein Salehfar received his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and his Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctorate (Ph.D.) degrees both in electrical engineering from the Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He was a research assistant with the Electric Power Institute at Texas A&M University during 1985-1990. He was an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at Clarkson University in New York during 1990-1995. Since 1995 he has been with the Department of Electrical Engineering at University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, where he is now a full Professor. Dr. Salehfar served as the Interim Chair of the UND Department of Electrical Engineering from 2010 to 2012 and as the Director of Engineering Ph.D. Programs for several years. Dr. Salehfar worked as a consultant for the New York Power Pool in New York and electric utilities and coal industries in the State of North Dakota. Dr. Salehfar has had active and externally funded multidisciplinary research projects funded by various government and private organizations. He has worked on a number of projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Some of the projects that he has worked on include microgrids, alternative and renewable energy systems, fuel cell technologies, power electronics, electric drives and electric vehicles, wireless power transmission, neuro-fuzzy intelligent systems, smart grid and conventional electric power and energy systems, power systems reliability, engineering systems reliability and security, power systems production costing, energy and load management programs, and energy efficiency. He has supervised several Ph.D. and master’s level graduate students and has published his research work extensively in various national and international journals, conferences, and books. During the past several years, Dr. Salehfar has developed and taught numerous courses at undergraduate and graduate levels including various power systems courses, alternative and renewable energy systems, electric drives, power electronics, power and other engineering systems reliability performance and evaluation, engineering statistical data collection and analytics, electric circuits, senior design courses and projects, electromagnetics, control systems, signal processing, signals and systems, etc. Dr. Salehfar has served as an active reviewer of proposals and manuscripts for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the IEEE, various Power Electronics Conferences and several international journals, conferences, and publications. He is a professional member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and a senior member of the IEEE. For more details on Dr. Salehfar’s research work please visit http://www.h2power.und.edu
Joel Liams
Professor, Master of Science in Cyber Security
Professor Joel Iiams earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Colorado State University in 1993 under the direction of Robert A. Liebler. He specializes in Algebraic Combinatorics with special expertise in coding theory and the theory of combinatorial designs. He joined the Mathematics Department at the University of North Dakota in 1995. He served as Associate Chair of the department from 2000 to 2005 and Chair from 2011 to 2017. He was promoted to full professor in 2010. He developed and piloted MATH 425 Cryptological Mathematics in 2001.