Yingying (Jennifer) Chen
Rutgers University University
Title: AI-Driven Efficiency and Security in Edge Sensing and Computing: Advancements, Vulnerabilities, and Opportunities
Abstract: The pervasive usage of edge devices such as IoT devices, smartphones, AR/VR headsets, delivery drones, and autonomous vehicles, has experienced a notable upward trend. This trend offers unprecedented opportunities for on-device intelligence and a wide range of edge sensing and computing applications. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a key enabler enhancing the efficiency of these emerging applications, including AR/VR applications, intelligent audio assistant systems, and in-baggage dangerous object detection, while also providing enhanced security. However, the increasing reliance on AI also introduces inherent security vulnerabilities, which pose significant threats when deploying these applications in real-world environments. This talk aims to discuss recent advancements in AI-enabled edge sensing and computing achieved through hardware-software co-design and on-device AI, highlighting their significant contributions to achieving efficient inference. Additionally, it will delve into the exploration of new attack surfaces, such as adversarial attacks and backdoor attacks, that arise with the integration of AI. Case studies of AR/VR applications and intelligent edge-based audio systems will be presented to illustrate these concepts. Furthermore, the talk will explore novel opportunities, such as domain invariant modeling, which leverage AI to enhance efficiency and bolster security defense in edge devices, thereby advancing next-generation edge sensing and computing capabilities.
Biography: Yingying (Jennifer) Chen is a Professor and Department Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Peter Cherasia Endowed Faculty Scholar at Rutgers University. She is the Associate Director of Wireless Information Network Laboratory (WINLAB). She also leads the Data Analysis and Information Security (DAISY) Lab. She is a Fellow of IEEE and a Fellow of National Academy of Inventors (NAI). She is also an ACM Distinguished Member. Her research interests include Applied Machine Learning in Mobile Computing and Sensing, Internet of Things (IoT), Security in AI/ML Systems, Smart Healthcare, and Deep Learning on Mobile Systems. She is a pioneer in RF/WiFi sensing, location systems, and mobile security. Before joining Rutgers, she was a tenured professor at Stevens Institute of Technology and had extensive industry experiences at Nokia (previously Lucent Technologies). She has published 3 books, 4 book chapters and 240+ journal articles and refereed conference papers. She is the recipient of seven Best Paper Awards in top ACM and IEEE conferences. She is the recipient of NSF CAREER Award and Google Faculty Research Award. She received NJ Inventors Hall of Fame Innovator Award and is also the recipient of IEEE Region 1 Technological Innovation in Academic Award. Her research has been supported by many funding agencies including NSF, NIH, ARO, DoD and AFRL and reported in numerous media outlets including MIT Technology Review, CNN, Fox News Channel, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio and IEEE Spectrum. She has been serving/served on the editorial boards of IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing (TMC), IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (TWireless), IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking (ToN) and ACM Transactions on Privacy and Security (TOPS). For more information, please refer to her homepage at: http://www.winlab.rutgers.edu/~yychen/.
Host: Prof. Scott Acton
Organizers: Dr. Cong Shen and Dr. Mona Zebarjadi