C-TASC

The Center for Trusted, Accelerated, and Secure Computing and Communication (C-TASC) is a multidisciplinary research center with overarching research spanning the cybersecurity, hardware security, accelerated computing, and machine learning domains.


Our researchers make chips produced in other countries safer and develop new technologies that implement machine learning algorithms faster and use significantly less power. We develop novel brain-inspired and quantum-based computing systems. We make future microprocessors resistant to sophisticated attacks and support the development of new cryptographic standards.

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Leadership
Professor Kris Gaj

Director – Kris Gaj

Assistant Professor Khaled Khasawneh

Associate Director – Khaled Khasawneh

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Additional Members

Ethan Ahn, Associate Professor

CEC faculty member Anomadarshi Barua wears a gray polo shirt and glasses

Anomadarshi Barua, Assistant Professor

ECE Associate Professor Xiang Chen

Xiang Chen, Associate Professor

ECE Assistant Professor Weiwen Jiang

Weiwen Jiang, Tenure-track Assistant Professor

ECE Associate Professor Jens-Peter Kaps

Jens-Peter Kaps, Associate Professor

ECE Assistant Professor Sai Manoj

Sai Manoj, Assistant Professor

ECE Professor Brian Mark

Brian Mark, Professor

ECE Assistant Professor Maryam Parsa

Maryam Parsa, Tenure-track Assistant Professor

Associate Professor Tolga Soyata

Tolga Soyata, Associate Professor

Mason ECE professor Kai Zeng in his cybersecurity lab

Kai Zeng, Professor

Assistant Professor Xiaokuan Zhang

Xiaokuan Zhang, Tenure-track Assistant Professor

Labs

Join any of our eight labs and meet the faculty who lead them.

Lab Name   Abbreviation Directors
Computer Architecture, Machine Learning, and Security Lab
CAMsec logo green and yellow
CAMLsec Lab Khaled Khasawneh
Cryptographic Engineering Research Group
CERG lab logo
CERG Kris Gaj and Jens-Peter Kaps
Hardware Security and Artificial Intelligence Lab   HArt Lab Sai Manoj PD
Intelligence Fusion Lab
IF logo teal and white
IF Lab Xiang Chen
Mason Nanoelectronics Lab   Nano Lab Ethan Ahn
Networks Lab
NetLab globe logo
NetLab Brian Mark
Parsa Research Lab
PRL logo with brain
PRL Maryam Parsa
Quantum-Classical Computer-Aided Design Lab   JQub Weiwen Jiang
Wireless Innovation and Cybersecurity Lab
WiCL black font logo
WICL Kai Zeng

 

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Research Areas
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Security
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Systems
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Computer Architecture

Hardware Security and Trust

  • Trusted computing
  • Trusted supply chain
  • Secure logic design

Computing System Security

  • Hardware support for system security
  • Micro-architecture security

Communication and Network Security

  • NextG security
  • Spectrum sharing security and privacy

Internet of Things, Cyber-Physical Systems, and Edge Computing Systems

  • Internet of Things security
  • Cyber-physical systems design & security
  • Mobile computing and security

Cryptographic Engineering

  • Post-quantum cryptography (PQC)
  • Lightweight cryptography (LWC)
  • Side-channel analysis and countermeasures

Machine Learning and Intelligent Computing Architectures

  • Design and optimization of machine learning accelerators
  • Trustworthy machine learning
  • ML applications in Cyber Security and Electronic Design Automation
  • Distributed and Federated ML

Emerging Computing Architectures

  • Non von Neumann computing
  • Neuromorphic computing
  • Quantum computing