Z. Morley Mao Awarded VeriSign Grant for Mobile Internet Infrastructure Research

Assoc. Prof. Z. Morley Mao has been selected to receive a grant from VeriSign, Inc. to pursue a project aimed at strengthening Internet infrastructure. The grant, one of four given by VeriSign, was awarded as part of a VeriSign program designed to promote and foster Internet innovation. Prof. Mao will present her findings at a Washington, D.C. symposium later this year.

Prof. Mao’s project is entitled “Enhancing Mobile Internet Infrastructure for Improved Performance and Security.” This project aims to investigate mobile network infrastructure support to improve network performance, energy efficiency, and security assurance for mobile users and service providers.

Distinguished judges for the grants included Rod Beckstrom, President and CEO of ICANN; Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google; Michael Chertoff, former Homeland Security Secretary; Paul Mockapetris, computer scientist and inventor of the Domain Name System; and Danny McPherson, Chief Security Officer at VeriSign.

“At VeriSign, we are committed to ensuring the infrastructure of the Internet is constantly evolving to meet new demands, and supporting these types of research projects is critical to that effort,” said Mark McLaughlin, president and chief executive officer of VeriSign. “These grant recipients will help to pioneer the next generation of the Internet and continue to shape how we live in an increasingly connected world.”

Prof. Mao’s research interests encompass network systems, routing protocols, mobile and distributed systems, and network security. Her work involves both empirical data collection and analysis, as well as the design and implementation of new systems. Her research group, the RobustNet Research Group, is actively engaged in pursuing network research projects, from Internet routing to enterprise network management and Malware behavior and security.