The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that New York University (NYU) has been selected to establish a new university-based electric power cybersecurity center.
Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
October 2, 2024
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that New York University (NYU) has been selected to establish a new university-based electric power cybersecurity center. Selected by the DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), NYU joins six other universities building regional cybersecurity centers with industry partners to conduct innovative research and train the energy workforce in cybersecurity skills. This expanded investment in universities across the U.S. allows DOE to continue to advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to safeguard critical infrastructure and to expand the energy sector’s cybersecurity capabilities nationwide.
“Universities are pivotal partners to help us build a more secure and resilient energy sector,” said Puesh M. Kumar, Director of CESER. “I am thrilled that NYU will be joining the network of university-based cybersecurity centers to help tackle the growing cyber threats to U.S. energy systems.”
NYU will lead a project called INSPIRE: Innovations in Securing the Powergrid by Integrated Research and Education. The research team will focus on addressing gaps in cybersecurity that arise from integrating components into the electric grid, such as electric vehicle charging infrastructure and distributed energy resources. They will develop an anomaly detection system that can be used on the grid and its distributed assets to monitor for malicious cyber activities in real-time. Industry partners will work with NYU to inform the education and training needs that the new cybersecurity center will provide to the energy workforce.
The initiative has received high praise from U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who touted the partnership between NYU, DOE, and industry in cybersecurity research.
“I am thrilled New York University has been selected to establish a new university-based electric power cybersecurity center,” Schumer said. “This will position NYU to conduct cutting-edge cybersecurity research and train the energy workforce in cybersecurity skills. I’m proud to support NYU’s forthcoming cybersecurity center to combat increasing cyber threats and to build a more secure and resilient energy sector.”
Gillibrand pointed to the importance of protecting the energy grid from cyber threats globally.
“Our energy sector is a target for cyber actors from around the world,” Gillibrand said. “The work NYU will do is critical to ensuring that advancements in the electric grid are done with a cyber workforce aware of and able to address cyber threats. I look forward to seeing the work done by NYU in this important project.”
DOE is committed to investing in efforts to secure America's energy sector and ensuring the workforce is prepared to take on the evolving threats, including but not limited to cyber risks. To learn more about CESER’s work on energy security and resilience, click here.