Li Selected for IEEE 2024 Class of Fellows

Recognizing his extraordinary contributions to controlling data breaches, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers selected University Distinguished Scholar in Electrical and Computer Engineering Ming Li to their 2024 Class of Fellows. 

“It’s a big honor, and I’m really delighted. I also have to thank my peers, students and collaborators. My work would not have been possible without them,” said Li, whose appointment makes him the ninth IEEE fellow in ECE. 

Li is dedicated to improving security in the integrated systems becoming increasingly commonplace in vehicles, appliances and health monitors, for example.

“Ming Li stands at the forefront of nationally significant research in security and privacy for next-generation wireless and cyberphysical systems,” said Michael Wu, department head and professor of electrical and computer engineering. “His technological achievements are nothing short of remarkable.”

For one research area, Li developed a way for wearable devices such as medical monitors and health trackers to recognize one another without the risk of information falling into unwanted hands. 

“You want to be sure all the devices belong to you, and you don’t want your data leaked to some bad guys eavesdropping,” he said. “That means you have to authenticate the devices.”

Sensors in these types of devices typically use very low power, and their interfaces don’t offer many ways to interact. They may not even support use of a password. Accordingly, Li created an authentication method that recognizes unique characteristics of the environment.

For instance, two sensors seeking to connect could compare the profiles of the local radio frequency network or wireless channel to authenticate.

“If you put a couple of devices on your body, those profiles are unique. No one else should be able to spoof them,” he said. “The process is proximity-based, and it just ensures the devices are in the same context.”

This process uses such precise location data that even a distance of a few feet would prevent the security tool from making unauthorized connections, Li said.

Most recently, Li has extended his research to developing safe data sharing and efficient communication technologies for automated vehicles taking to the road together. Long-haul trucking companies, for instance, are interested in the possibilities of platooning vehicles on highways.