Cyber-Physical Systems Education
Undergraduate and graduate education specializing in Cyber-Physical Systems.
Cyber-Physical Systems
Are you a new graduate student starting in fall 2022?
If you have interest in CPS, please email kt2q@virginia.edu to learn how you can become a part of the Link Lab, earn a Graduate Certificate, and participate in the National Science Foundation Research Traineeship.
Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) is an emerging engineering discipline focused on the interface between cyber and physical in the areas of smart health, smart cities, autonomous systems and hardware for IoT. The focus requires a forward thinking and interdisciplinary approach to education and research – both of which the University of Virginia is uniquely positioned to lead - through the Link Lab.
Six engineering degree programs are involved with the Link Lab and CPS. Students in the following degree programs who are interested in CPS education and/or research can participate:
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- Systems Engineering
A recent National Academies Consensus Study Report authored by John A. Stankovic (Director, UVA LinkLab) James W. Sturges, and Jon Eisenberg, highlights the critical need for 21st Century Cyber-Physical System Education.
Please view our short video (~3 minutes) about CPS Education at UVA - including information about our graduate certificate and the NRT program.
CPS Faculty
CPS at the University of Virginia includes students and faculty from six degree programs: Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Systems Engineering. One of the advantages to our CPS NRT program is the ability to utilize the CPS expertise and participation of over 40 Link Lab faculty.
CPS Research Areas of Focus
The CPS classes are designed to provide foundational knowledge and integrate with ongoing Link Lab research, which includes:
- Formal and model-based reasoning through all levels of design and operation
- Sensor design, including RF sensing, novel sensing devices, and application thereof
- RF and mixed-signal circuits
- Robotics, drones, and autonomous and connected vehicles
- Machine learning and signal processing as applied to cyber-physical systems
- Communications, and networking and applications to support the Internet of Things (IoT)
- Cyber-Physical Systems with humans in the loop; human-automation interaction
- Smart Cities
- Smart and Connected Health
- Internet of Things (IoT)
CPS Education Areas of Focus
Overall, the key technical principles that underlie a CPS education span both the physical side (physics, digital signal processing, embedded hardware such as sensors and actuators, control and hybrid systems, wireless communication and dynamic systems modeling) and the cyber side (networking, embedded systems programming, machine learning, model-based design and formal methods, privacy and security, real-time systems and software engineering).
Cyber-Physical Systems courses are available at the undergraduate and graduate levels in various departments.