Lincoln Laboratory cyber systems expert named to DARPA ISAT Study Group
Hamed Okhravi, a senior researcher and cybersecurity expert at Lincoln Laboratory, has been appointed to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Information Science and Technology (ISAT) Study Group.
Established in 1987, the ISAT Study Group brings together approximately 30 of the nation's top computer scientists, engineers, and information technologists. The group's mission is to provide DARPA with an independent assessment of advanced information science and technology as it relates to national security and defense, and to identify new technical areas in need of attention or opportunities for innovation.
Okhravi joins the group as a leading researcher in the area of systems security. At Lincoln Laboratory, he is a senior staff member in the Secure Resilient Systems and Technology Group, where he contributes to national-level strategic planning activities and develops R&D roadmaps. He has also led the development of many systems security technologies that have transitioned outside of the Laboratory into government and industry use.
"ISAT helps identify the future of computing for DARPA. MIT Lincoln Laboratory has been a pioneer in envisioning this future with the Resilient Mission Computer (RMC) moonshot that has already led to the creation of an ISAT study," Okhravi says. "I am looking forward to bringing our vision to DARPA and helping DARPA identify new, promising research directions."
The RMC moonshot program is pursuing a new computer system design in which large classes of vulnerabilities are inherently prevented. The project is Okhravi's current research focus at the Laboratory. It also spurred a new ISAT study announced in 2021, for which he is a co-chair.
Okhravi's recent recognitions include the 2020 Stratus Award for Cloud Computing, an R&D 100 Award in 2020 for the TRACER technology, and Lincoln Laboratory’s Best Invention Award in 2019. He holds MS and PhD degrees in electrical and computer engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.