Welcome to the Center for Infrastructure Security in the Era of AI
The Center for Infrastructure Security in the Era of AI (ISEAI) is an interdisciplinary research center housed in the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) at George Mason University. ISEAI, which was officially established in April 2025, collaborates with external partners at the University of North Dakota and the University of Arkansas and a broad range of industry partners.
Applications are now open for the DoD Cyber Service Academy (CSA) scholarship program.
Vision and Mission
ISEAI envisions a future where Artificial Intelligence (AI) seamlessly integrates into the security fabric of modern infrastructure across a wide range of domains. including energy and transportation, among others.
ISEAI’s mission is to address current and future challenges in Infrastructure Security through collaborative research between interdisciplinary academic researchers, government labs, and industry partners. The Center will address both traditional and AI-enabled cyber threats and will develop advanced AI techniques to tackle these challenges and increase the resilience of critical national infrastructure.
National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C)
George Mason University is a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) and an active member of the CAE in Cybersecurity Community. It is one of the National Security Agency’s original Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE-IAE), later rebranded as CAE in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD). In 2008, NSA established a new designation, the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research (CAE-R), later rebranded as CAE in Cyber Research, a designation that Mason earned for the cutting-edge research being conducted at CSIS. Mason is designated for CAE-CD through 2027 and CAE-R through 2028.
The NACE-C validated cybersecurity Programs of Study (PoS) at George Mason are the BS in Information Technology (BS IT) with a concentration in Cyber Security and the MS in Applied Information Technology (BS IT) with a concentration in Cyber Security. Both programs are offered by the Department of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) and are regularly updated based on the recommendations of the IST Industry Advisory Board.
Dr. Albanese serves as George Mason’s Point of Contact (POC) for the NCAE-C Program, and Dr. Torabi serves as the Alternate POC.
News
- Marcos Zampieri Partners with Redshred to Advance AI-Driven Data Integration for Navy Systems George Mason University’s Center for Infrastructure Security in the Era of AI (ISEAI)’s Marcos Zampieri, Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology, […]
- Dr. Albanese Named Executive Director of the Institute for Digital InnovationISEAI Director, Dr. Massimiliano Albanese, has been named the new Executive Director of George Mason University’s Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA). In this role, Dr. […]
- Joint Work by ISEAI Researchers to be Presented at NAPS 2025The paper “Physical and Cyber Security Vulnerabilities in Substation Infrastructure” has been accepted for presentation at the 57th North American Power Symposium (NAPS 2025) in Hartford, CT. The research, led by the University of North Dakota with contributions from George Mason University and the University of Arkansas, reviews vulnerabilities in modern substations and proposes strategies for mitigating physical and cyber threats.
- Dr. Albanese Partners with OneTier and Receives Funding from CCIGeorge Mason University has received a $75,000 grant from the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) to advance AI-driven cyber defense. Led by Dr. Massimiliano Albanese in partnership with Virginia-based startup OneTier, the project will develop a Zero Trust Command Center (ZTCC) that integrates AI-powered threat detection with modular security frameworks to help public agencies, critical infrastructure, and mid-market companies defend against sophisticated cyberattacks.