At Polytechnique, cybersecurity is one of the university’s identified priorities, and an element that the GRCC shares with academic and industrial partners, in close collaboration with the Canadian government. The goal is to foster the protection and resilience of systems, spur scientific development, innovation, talent development, entrepreneurship - all with strong collaborative pan-Canadian and internationals relationships.
Frédéric Cuppens is a full professor at Polytechnique Montréal. From 2003 to 2020, he was a professor at IMT Atlantique, Campus de Rennes, and lead the IRIS team (system security and resilience) at the Lab-STICC. He also lead the Cyber CNI Chair on Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. From 2012 to 2016, he lead the IMT thematic network on digital security systems, and from 2014 to 2018, he headed the Pôle d’excellence’s Cyber Training group.
Dr. F. Cuppens’ research focuses on the field of information system security (expression, deployment and formal validation of security policies, intrusion detection and response, and system resilience to cyberattacks). Notably, he designed the CRIM - Corrélation et Reconnaissance d’Intentions Malveillantes (Alert Correlation and reaction module) security surveillance model, based on an innovative approach of alert correlations, and developed the OrBAC (Organization Based Access Control) security policy expression model.
Recognized as one of the “100 de la cybersécurité” (top 100 in Cybersecurity) by Usine Nouvelle magazine in 2019, and acknowledged as among the “Têtes de Bretagne” (Top Thinkers of Brittany), he has published over 250 articles in international journals, as well as conference proceedings. He has been president of numerous cybersecurity conference programs, including ESORICS, IFIP SEC, DBSEC, CRISIS, FPS and PST. In 2015, Dr. F. Cuppens was awarded the Médaille Ampère de la SEE, and received an IFIP TC11 Outstanding Research Award in 2016. Since that time, he has lead the SEE’s Technical Club, focused on cybersecurity and smart grids. He also presides over the steering committee for the following international conferences: CRISIS (International Conference on Risks and Security of Internet and Systems) and FPS (Foundations and Practice of Security). In 2019, he was named emeritus member of the SEE.
Nora Boulahia Cuppens is a full professor at Polytechnique Montréal. From 2014 to 2020, she was Research Director at IMT Atlantique, Campus de Rennes, in addition to being head of cybersecurity training. She co-lead IMT Atlantique’s IRIS Team (information system resilience and security) and lead the Cyrus Transverse Program on cybersecurity at the Lab-STICC (CNRS, UMR 6285). She earned her PhD from the École nationale supérieure de l'aéronautique et de l'espace and received authorization to conduct research at Université de Rennes 1.
Her research addresses the formalization of security properties and policies, analysis of cryptographic protocols, formal validation of security properties and the assessment of cyber-risks and attack responses. Dr. Cuppens’ current research includes a posteriori access and usage control and traceability, malware detection, and intrusion responses via artificial intelligence algorithms, security data protection, as well as cyberattacks cyber-resilience.
Prof. Cuppens has published over 200 technical articles in peer-reviewed journals, as well as conferences proceedings. She is the French representative of IFIP TC11 “Sécurité de l’information”, and has been involved with the FP7 DEMONS and INTERTRUST, and H2020 SuperCloud projects. She was a key member of the naval system cyberdefence chair, and the IMT Atlantique advisor for the Cyber CNI Chair on cybersecurity for critical infrastructure. She received an IFIP TC11 Oustanding Service Award in 2016, and an IFIP WG 11.3 Outstanding Service Award in 2017. Nora Cuppens is the French co-founder of the Académie franco-allemande’s ASSET project for the security of the industrial Internet of Things.
Gabriela Nicolescu learned an Engineering degree and a Master’s of Electronics from the Bucharest Polytechnique University in Romania. After attending the Grenoble INP Institut d’ingénierie et de management at the Université Grenoble Alpes, she became a Doctor of Microelectronics, and in her graduating year she merited the award for best thesis in microelectronics. Prof. Nicolescu has been teaching at Polytechnique Montréal since 2003, where she was named full professor in 2011.
Gabriela Nicolescu is the founder of a start-up that offers security solutions for intelligent software, and whose research interests extend to design methods and advanced security systems, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing. She uses artificial intelligence to analyse and increase security system robustness, and creates integrated artificial intelligence security solutions for these systems. Dr. Nicolescu researches and explores security solutions at both the equipment and software levels, and her team is presently working on next-generation security solutions in collaborations with industrial and academic partners.
In addition to having published 5 books, some 200 journal articles, and having spoken at conferences across the globe, Dr. Nicolescu is a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ), the Regroupement Stratégique en Microsystèmes du Québec (ReSMiQ) and Serene-risc -Smart Cybersecurity Network. She is also a member of the CRIAQ Scientific Committee, the IN-SEC-M Board of Directors, and the ReSMiQ Board of Directors. Further, Dr. Nicolescu actively participates in the organization of the prestigious IEEE-ACM (DATE, MPSoC, DAC, ESWEEK) conference programs.
Omar Abdul Wahab is an assistant professor at Polytechnique Montréal. From 2019 to 2022, he was an assistant professor at the UQO. He obtained his PhD in information systems engineering from Concordia University in 2017. He was valedictorian of Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science for the year 2018. From 2017 to 2018, he did his postdoc at the École de technologie supérieure, where he worked on a research project in collaboration with Rogers and Ericsson. Omar obtained his bachelor's degree in computer mangement from the Lebanese University and his master's degree in computer science from the Lebanese American University.
His research interests are in the fields of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT). He is interested in AI methods to improve detection and prevention of cyber attacks in IoT. He also studies cyber attacks against machine learning and federated learning. Professor Abdul Wahad also studies human factors in cybersecurity to better understand psychological and social aspects of cyber attacks and to explore the consequences of cyber attacks on the most vulnerable communities.
Professor Abdul Wahab has published more than 60 technical papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. He is involved in several cybersecurity activities in research, development and education. He was an active member of the mixed research unit INRS-UQO in cybersecurity.
