Thwarting Drones’ Threat

Overview

Abstract

UAVs, or drones, are a dual-use technology that is gaining momentum, with applications spanning from agriculture to warfare. In this talk we will survey some of the threats posed by drones, and will discuss some scientific contributions to the field aimed at providing a way to reduce the risk posed by a rogue use of this technology. We will also highlight some related research directions.

Brief Biography

Roberto Di Pietro (Fellow, IEEE; Distinguished Scientist, ACM; Member Academia Europaea) is a Full Professor in Computer Science with the KAUST-CEMSE-RC3, KSA. Previously, he was Full Professor in Cybersecurity and founder of the CRI-Lab at HBKU-CSE, Doha-Qatar. He also served as Global Head for Security Research for Nokia Bell Labs, coordinating Depts in France, Germany, and Finland. He has been working in the cybersecurity field for more than 25 years, leading technology-oriented and research-focused teams in the private sector, government, and academia (MoD, United Nations HQ, EUROJUST, IAEA, and WIPO). Besides being involved in M&A of startups—and having founded one (exited)—he is a board member of a few research institutions. In 2011–2012, he was the recipient of a Chair of Excellence from the University Carlos III, Madrid. In 2020, he was the recipient of the Jean-Claude Laprie Award for significantly influencing the theory and practice of Dependable Computing. In 2022 he was awarded the Individual Innovation Award from HBKU. His education accounts for an MS in Computer Science ('94) and an MS in informatics ('03), a two-years post-MS Specialization Diploma in Operations Research and Strategic Decisions ('03), and a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science ('04).