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Research Groups

Advanced VLSI Design and Test Group

The Advanced VLSI Design and Test Group, led by Professor Sandip Kundu, works on hardware security for cryptographic circuits, IoT and cyber-physical devices, and neural processing units. Topics include side-channel defenses, physically unclonable functions (PUFs), true random number generators, supply-chain authentication, and hardware-supported protection of machine-learning IP on edge devices.

Computer Networks Research Group

The Computer Networks Research Group (Gaia) is led by Distinguished Professor Don Towsley, with Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jim Kurose. Alongside network protocols, architecture, and measurement, the group has a long record of network security research, including covert communications, traffic analysis, and the security and privacy properties of networked systems. Work combines theory with experimental systems.

DREAM Lab

The DREAM Lab (Data systems Research for Exploration, Analytics, and Modeling) builds systems for efficiently and securely managing data. Security and privacy topics include privacy-preserving data analysis, secure database architectures, and database auditing, along with probabilistic databases, graph data, provenance, and fairness.

EMTECH Lab

The Emerging Embedded Technologies (EMTECH) Lab, directed by Associate Professor Fatima Anwar, designs networked embedded systems that interact safely with the physical world. Research emphasizes cyber-physical systems security, privacy and robustness of federated learning at the edge, resilient timing systems, and human-centered embedded computing.

Holcomb Lab

The Holcomb Lab, led by Professor Daniel Holcomb, builds secure embedded systems that are also reliable and efficient. Work spans hardware security for ASICs and FPGAs, obfuscation and reverse engineering, physically unclonable functions, and microelectronics supply-chain security.

Knowledge Discovery Laboratory

The Knowledge Discovery Laboratory (KDL) studies causal models of complex systems. Applications include fraud detection and models that help design, manage, and secure the Internet, cyber-physical systems, financial systems, social networks, and other adaptive systems. Current work focuses on causal explanations of deep networks, assessing when models fail, and evaluating causal inference methods.

Network Systems Laboratory

The Network Systems Laboratory (NSL), associated with Professor Tilman Wolf, has approached future network architecture, programmable routers, embedded systems, and network security from both theoretical and systems angles, with an emphasis on prototype implementations for validation and performance measurement.

Programming Languages And Systems at Massachusetts

PLASMA (Programming Languages And Systems at Massachusetts), led by Professor Emery Berger, works on programming languages, run-time systems, and operating systems. A central theme is robust, reliable, and secure software: memory safety, error-resistant allocators, and systems that improve integrity and resilience of programs. The group also builds widely used profiling and debugging tools.

Rescue Lab

Since 2007, the UMass Rescue Lab has been the premier computer science research group working to rescue children from Internet-based victimization. The lab develops digital forensics methods, investigation tools, and research on Internet privacy and online harms. Those tools are used by investigators in every U.S. state and in many countries. Thousands of children have been rescued from sexual abuse by investigators using the lab's tools. The lab has never charged for its tools or trainings.

Secure, Private Internet (SPIN) Research Group

The Secure, Private Internet (SPIN) Research Group, led by Professor Amir Houmansadr, aims to make Internet communications secure and private. The group analyzes the security and privacy of real-world network protocols and services, then designs stronger systems or clean-slate tools. Active topics include Internet censorship resistance, traffic analysis, covert communications, and the security and privacy of emerging AI systems. Work combines practical systems with cryptography, networking, and statistical analysis.

UMass AI Security Lab

The UMass AI Security Lab, co-led by Professors Amir Houmansadr and Eugene Bagdasarian (with affiliated faculty Shiqing Ma and Adam O'Neill), advances the security, privacy, and safety of AI systems. Research includes attacks on generative models, AI privacy (membership inference, memorization, contextual integrity), security of autonomous agents, and ethics and societal impact of GenAI.