Vijay K. Shah

Assistant Professor
Cybersecurity Engineering Department
School of Engineering and Computing
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

(Adjunct Assistant Professor, ECE, Virginia Tech)
(Faculty member, Commonwealth Cyber Initiative)

328 Research Hall
10401 York River Rd, Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: +1 (573) 578-4238
Email: vshah22@gmu.edu
GMU

Vijay is an Assistant Professor in the Cybersecurity Engineering (CYSE) Department at George Mason University (GMU), Virginia, USA. He also holds Adjunct Assistant Professor position with the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer (ECE) Engineering at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA. Before joining GMU, he was a Research Assistant Professor in the Bradley Department of ECE at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA and was affiliated with Wireless@Virginia Tech Research Lab. He is also a faculty member of Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI), a Virginia state-wide initiative to foster 5G wireless, autonomous systems, data and cybersecurity research. He received his PhD degree in Computer Science from University of Kentucky and B. Tech degree in Computer Science and Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Durgapur India in 2019 and 2013 respectively. He is a native of Janakpur, Nepal.

Key research areas include:

  • 5G/Next-G Cellular Networks
  • Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) Architecture
  • AI/ML for Wireless
  • Cybersecurity for Wireless
  • Information Freshness and Age of Information (AoI)
  • mmWave Communications and Beamforming
  • Dynamic Spectrum Sharing
  • UAV Communications and Networking

RECENT NEWS

  • May, 2022 [PhD Defense] My first PhD student, Biplav Choudhury, (co-advised with Prof. Jeff Reed) successfully defended his PhD dissertation and becomes Dr. Choudhury. Many Congratulations!
  • March, 2022 [Service] TPC member IEEE SECON 2022. Consider submitting your high-quality work!
  • March, 2022 [Paper Acceptance] O-RAN paper accepted to IEEE Network Magazine [ arXiv ].
  • February, 2022 [Service] TPC member IEEE ICNP 2022. Consider submitting your high-quality work!
  • February, 2022 [Service] Publicity co-chair IEEE SECON 2022. Consider submitting your high-quality work!
  • February, 2022 [Service] TPC member for SLICES workshop 2022 (in conjunction with IFIP Networking 2022). Consider submitting your best work!
  • February, 2022 [Service] Topic Editor for Frontiers in Space Technology - Research Topic "Space Networks: Inter- and Intra-Connectivity" . Consider submitting your best work!
  • January, 2022 [New Members] Vikram and Ta-seen joined our group as PhD students. Welcome on board!
  • January, 2022 [Service] Topic Editor for Frontiers in Communications and Networks - Research Topic "SDN migration challenges and practices in ISP/Telcos Networks" . Consider submitting your best work!
  • December, 2021 [Grant] Two CCI (Securing NextG) proposals awarded.
  • November, 2021 [Short Talk] Short talk on Open AI Cellular (OAIC) at Open 5G Forum . Find more info on OAIC at here and here .
  • October, 2021 [Service] Review committee member IEEE COMSNETS Posters 2022
  • October, 2021 [Service] TPC member of IEEE SMARTCOMP 2022
  • October, 2021 [Service] TPC member of ACM/IEEE SEC Posters 2021
  • September, 2021 [Paper Acceptance] Paper accepted to IEEE MILCOM 2021
  • August, 2021 [PhD Defense] Avik Dayal successfully defended his PhD dissertation and becomes Dr. Dayal. Many Congratulations! He will be joining John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.
  • August, 2021 [Paper Acceptance] Paper accepted to IEEE IoT Journal 2021
  • August, 2021 [Grant] NSF SWIFT grant awarded.
  • August, 2021 [Service] TPC member of IEEE MILCOM 2021
  • August, 2021 [Service] TPC member of IEEE GLOBECOM Wireless-Sec 2021
  • August, 2021 [Service] TPC member of IEEE ANTS 2021
  • July, 2021 [Grant] NSF CCRI grant awarded.
  • July, 2021 [Paper Acceptance] Paper accepted to IEEE MASS 2021
  • June, 2021 [M.S. Thesis Defense] Darshan A. Ravi successfully defended his M.S. thesis defense. Many Congratulations! He will be joining Analog Devices.
  • June, 2021 [GRANT] CCI Research Infrastructure Grant awarded.
  • May, 2021 [Service] TPC member of IEEE Milcom 2021
  • April, 2021 [Paper Acceptance] Paper accepted to IEEE TNSM 2021
  • April, 2021 [Paper Acceptance] Paper accepted to IEEE Wireless Communications Letters
  • April, 2021 [Paper Acceptance] Paper accepted to ISIE 2021
  • April, 2021 [Service] TPC member of IEEE REFRESH 2021 . (co-located with IEEE DCOSS 2021)
  • April, 2021 [Service] TPC member of IEEE WiMob 2021
  • April, 2021 [Paper Acceptance] Paper accepted to IFIP Networking 2021
  • March, 2021 [Service] Co-chairing ACM 6G-ABS 2021 workshop, co-located with ACM MobiCom 2021
  • March, 2021 [Service] TPC member of IEEE Wi-DroIT 2021 (co-located with IEEE DCOSS 2021)
  • March, 2021 [Service] TPC member of IEEE WPSN 2021 (co-located with IEEE DCOSS 2021)
  • Feb, 2021 [Seminar] Invited Seminar Talk at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), BHU, India. Talk title - "Artificial Intelligence meets 5G Networks"
  • Feb, 2021 [Service] Publicity chair for ACM ICDCN 2022
  • Jan, 2021 [GRANT] Co-PI for an ARL Grant
  • Dec, 2020 [GRANT] PI/Co-PIs for three CCI grants awarded under Cybersecurity Research Collaboration
  • Dec, 2020 [Paper Acceptance] Paper accepted to IEEE INFOCOM 2021
  • Dec, 2020 [Paper Acceptance] Paper accepted to Computer Communications
  • Nov, 2020 [GRANT] Co-PI for a CCI grant under CCI Art and Design Collaboration Program
  • Oct, 2020 [GRANT] Co-PI on a NSF CCRI Planning Grant
  • Sept, 2020 [Seminar] Invited Seminar Talk at Missouri S&T, Rolla. Talk title - "The Freshness of Information: Age of Information and V2X Networks"
  • Aug, 2020 [Paper Acceptance] Paper accepted to IEEE GLOBECOM 2020

OPEN POSITIONS

I am always looking for self-motivated students with a solid background in wireless communications, AI/ML and cybersecurity. Selected applicants will join my research group as graduate research assistants (GRAs) and will pursue a Ph.D. (or M.S.) degree in Information Technology (or Cybersecurity Engineering) with School of Engineering and Computing at George Mason University. The areas of research are at the intersections of wireless communications (5G/next-G cellular systems), AI/ML, and cybersecurity - applications to various fields, such as, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, autonomous systems (e.g., vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), smart power grids, and cyber-physical systems (CPS).

Required Qualifications

  • Hold a M.S. (or B.S.) degree in ECE, CS, IT, Cybersecurity, or other related disciplines.
  • Strong programming skills (e.g., Python, Matlab etc.)
  • Solid background in mathematics and analytical thinking
  • Excellent written and communication skills
  • Ability to work in an inter-disciplinary team

Preferred Qualifications

  • Strong background in wireless communications and networking, particularly, 5G and next-G technologies
  • Hands-on experience with open-source cellular software, e.g., srsRAN, and software-defined radios, e.g., USRP X310.
  • Hands-on experience with experimental research in communications and with communications testbeds
  • Research experience and good publication record
  • Hands-on experience with network simulators, such as, ns-3 and OMNET++.

How to Apply

Please email me at vshah22@gmu.edu with your CV, bachelor/master transcripts, and any relevant documents that will support your application. Formal application must be submitted to the Volgenau School of Engineering Graduate School.

NextG Lab@Mason

NextG Wireless Laboratory (NextG Lab@Mason) is a research group that focuses on research and prototyping of next-generation wireless communications and networking with a focus on 5G/6G cellular systems, wireless security, AI/ML to wireless, Open radio access network (O-RAN), and spectrum sharing. We primarily focus on the experimental research and prototyping of secure, intelligent cellular communication systems, leveraging open cellular software (such as srsRAN), and software-defined radios (such as, USRP X310s and N310s).

Active Grants & Funding

  • [CCI Securing NextG] DoS Attack-Resilient Initial Access for mmWave/THz based NextG Communications, $100, 000, 01/2022 - 08/2023
  • [CCI Securing NextG] Securing Softwarization and Disaggregation in NextG: Call To Disaggregate Trust Management, $100, 000, 01/2022 - 08/2023
  • [NSF SWIFT 2021] Collaborative Research: SWIFT: Context-aware Spectrum Coexistence dEsign aNd implemenTation in satellite bands (ASCENT), $562, 500, 10/2021 - 09/2024 [Abstract].
  • [NSF CCRI 2021] Collaborative Research: CCRI: New: Open AI Cellular (OAIC): Prototyping Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Control and Testing Systems for Cellular Communications Research , $999, 947, 10/2021 - 09/2024 [Abstract].
  • [CCI Cybersecurity Research Collaboration Fund] O-RAN Compatible User Driven RAN System for Next-generation Mobile and C-V2X Communications, $200, 000, 01/2021 - 12/2022
  • [CCI Cybersecurity Research Collaboration Fund] 5GEM: 5G MEC-Enhanced C-V2X for Intersection Management, $220, 000, 01/2021 - 05/2022
  • [CCI Cybersecurity Research Collaboration Fund] C3-5GPG: Cybersecure Communications and Control for a 5G-Enabled Power Grid, $200, 000, 01/2021 - 05/2022

Current PhD Students


    Vikramreddy Anapana

    Vikramreddy Anapana is currently a PhD student in the Department of Information Technology, College of Engineering and Computing at George Mason University. He obtained his M. Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 2014. His research interests include 6G wireless communications, mmWave communications and beamforming, signal processing, digital system design, antennas and applied electromagnetics, and machine learning.


    Ta-seen Niloy

    Ta-seen Niloy is current a PhD student in the Department of Information Technology, College of Engineering and Computing at George Mason University. She obtained her B.S. in electrical and electronic engineering from American International University (AIU), Bangladesh in 2019. She was award Magna Cum Laude Award and Dr. Anwarul Abedin Leadership Award, Deans Award on Capstone Project all at 19th convocation of AIUB. She is the winner of 6th Inspiring Women Award 2021 in the category of "Leaders of Tomorrow" organized by Bangladesh Brand Forum. Her research interests include wireless communications, machine learning, antenna design and fabrication, and signal processing.


PhD Students (co-advised with Prof. Jeff Reed, Virginia Tech)

  1. Tarun C. Cousik, ECE, Virginia Tech
  2. Pratheek Upadhyaya, ECE, Virginia Tech
  3. Javad SabzehAli, ECE, Virginia Tech

Past Students

Ph.D. and M.S. Student(s)
  1. Biplav Choudhury - Graduated in May, 2022
    Dissertation Title = "Information Freshness: How To Achieve It and It's Impact On Low Latency Autonomous Systems"
    Doctor of Philosphy, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech
    Initial Appointment: Senior Inventive Scientist at AT&T Labs

  3. Avik Dayal - Graduated in September, 2021
    Dissertation Title = "Practical Algorithms and Analyses for Next-Generation Decentralized Vehicular Networks"
    Doctor of Philosphy, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech
    Initial Appointment: Postdoc at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab

  4. Darshan A. Ravi - Graduated in June, 2021
    Thesis Title = " Identifying and Prioritizing Critical Information in Military IoT: Video Game Demonstration"
    M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech
    Initial Appointment: Wireless Engineer at Analog Devices

Undergrad Student(s)
  1. Brian Luciano, Undergraduate Student at University at Kentucky. Currently at Cisco Corp.
  2. Tej Patel, Undergraduate Student at University of Kentucky. Currently at AillianceBernstein.
  3. Rishabh Patel, Undergraduate Student at IIT Guwahati, India. Currently at JP Morgans.
  4. Parker Jones, Undergraduate Student at Missouri S&T, Rolla. Currently COO at Ellem Inc.

Publications

Please find the complete list of publications on Google Scholar.

Selected Journals

[NetworkMagazine'22]
Towards Next Generation Open Radio Access Network -- What O-RAN Can and Can not Do!
Aly S. Abdalla, Pratheek S. Upadhyaya, Vijay K. Shah, and Vuk Marojevic
IEEE Network Magazine 2022 (Accepted).
Preprint available on [arXiv]

[IoTJ'21]
RAN Slicing in Multi-MVNO Environment under Dynamic Channel Conditions
Darshan A. Ravi, Vijay K. Shah, Chengzhang Li, Thomas Hou, and Jeffrey H. Reed
IEEE Internet of Things Journal 2021.
Preprint available on [arXiv]

[TNSE'21]
Deep Learning for Fast and Reliable Initial Access in AI-Driven 6G mmWave Networks (Major revision)
Tarun Cousik, Vijay K. Shah , Tugba Erpek, Yalin Sagduyu and Jeffrey H. Reed
IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering, Special Issue on AI-Driven 6G Mobile Wireless Networks: Key Enabling Theories, Architectures, Protocols and Techniques (Major Revision)
Preprint availabe on [arXiv]

[TNSM'21]
Exploring Biological Robustness for Reliable Multi-UAV Networks
Krishnandu Hazra, Vijay K. Shah, Satyaki Roy, Swaraj Deep, Sujoy Saha and Subrata Nandi
IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, Vo. 18, Issue 3, 2021

[WCOM'21]
3D Placement and Orientation of mmWave-based UAVs for Guaranteed LoS Coverage
Javad Sabzehali, Vijay K. Shah, Harpreet Dhillon, and Jeffrey H. Reed
IEEE Wireless Communication Letters, Vol. 10, Issue 8, 2021
Preprint availabe on [arXiv]

[TNSM'20]
A Diverse Band-aware Dynamic Spectrum Access Network Architecture for Delay-Tolerant Smart City Applications
Vijay K. Shah, Brian Luciano, Shameek Bhattacharjee, Simone Silvestri, and Sajal K. Das
IEEE Transactions on Network Service and Management, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2020

[TMC'18]
QnQ: Quality and Quantity based Unified Approach for Secure and Trustworthy Mobile Crowdsensing
Vijay K. Shah, Shameek Bhattacharjee, Simone Silvestri, and Sajal K. Das
IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, Vol. 19, No. 1, 2018

[TMBMC'18]
Design of Robust and Efficient Topology using Enhanced Gene Regulatory Networks
Satyaki Roy, Vijay K. Shah, and Sajal K. Das
IEEE Transactions on Molecular, Biological and Multi-Scale Communications, Vol. 4, Issue 2, 2018

[TOSN'18]
Designing Green Communication Systems for Smart and Connected Communities via Dynamic Spectrum Access
Vijay K. Shah, Shameek Bhattacharjee, Simone Silvestri, and Sajal K. Das
ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks, Vol. 14, Issue 3-4, 2018

Selected Conference Papers

[MILCOM'21]
Fast Initial Access with Deep Learning for Beam Prediction in 5G mmWave Networks
Tarun Cousik, Vijay K. Shah , Tugba Erpek, Yalin Sagduyu and Jeffrey H. Reed
IEEE Military Communications Conference, 2021
Preprint available on [arXiv]

[MASS'21]
AoI-minimizing Scheduling in UAV-relayed IoT Networks
Biplav Choudhury, Vijay K. Shah, Aidin Ferdowsi, Jeffrey H. Reed, and Y. Thomas Hou
IEEE Conference on Mobile Ad-Hoc and Smart Systems, 2021
Preprint available on [arXiv]

[ISIE'21]
Power Systems Performance under 5G Radio Access Network in a Co-Simulation Environment
Rahul Iyer, Biplav Choudhury, Vijay K. Shah, and Ali Mehrizi-Sani
IEEE Conference on Industrial Electronics, 2021
Preprint available on [arXiv]

[Networking'21]
Adaptive Semi-Persistent Scheduling for Enhanced On-Road Safety in Decentralized V2X Networks
Avik Dayal, Vijay K. Shah, Biplav Choudhury, Vuk Marojevic, Carl Dietrich, and Jeffrey H. Reed
IFIP Networking, 2021
Preprint available on [arXiv]

[INFOCOM'20]
Joint Age of Information and Self Risk Assessment of 802.11p based V2V Networks
Biplav Choudhury, Vijay K. Shah, Avik Dayal, Jeffrey H. Reed
IEEE Conference on Computer Communications, 2021
Preprint available on [arXiv]

[GLOBECOM'20]
Cross-layer Band Selection and Routing Design for Diverse Band-aware DSA Networks
Pratheek S. Upadhyaya, Vijay K. Shah, and Jeffrey H. Reed
IEEE Global Communications Conference, 2020
Preprint available on [arXiv]

[VTC'20]
Experimental Analysis of Safety Application Reliability in V2V Networks
Biplav Choudhury, Vijay K. Shah, Avik Dayal, Jeffrey H. Reed
IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference Recent Results, 2020
Preprint available on [arXiv]

[MASS'19]
Bio-DRN: Robust and Energy-efficient Bio-inspired Disaster Response Networks
Vijay K. Shah, Satyaki Roy, Simone Silvestri, and Sajal K. Das
IEEE Conference on Mobile Ad-Hoc and Smart Systems, 2019

[INFOCOM'19]
X-CHANT: A Diverse DSA based Network Architecture for Next-generation Challenged Networks
Vijay K. Shah, Simone Silvestri, Brian Luciano and Sajal K. Das
IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications, 2019

[BuildSys'17]
Designing Sustainable Smart Connected Communities using Dynamic Spectrum Access via Band Selection
Vijay K. Shah, Shameek Bhattacharjee, Simone Silvestri, and Sajal K. Das
ACM Conference on Systems for Energy-Efficient Built Environments, 2017

[CNS'17]
QnQ: A Reputation Model to Secure Mobile Crowdsourcing Applications from Incentive Losses
Shameek Bhattacharjee, Nirnay Ghosh, Vijay K. Shah, and Sajal K. Das
IEEE International Conference on Communications and Network Security, 2017

TEACHING

CYSE 610: Networks and Cybersecurity - Fall, 2021

Course Description: This graduate-level course focuses on key aspects of access control mechanisms, including, DAC and MAC. Furthermore, it covers architecture and protocols of computer networks. Topics includes ISO standard layer model, physical interfaces and protocols, data link control, routing and flow control, wireless communications, network security and privacy and various examples of computer networks. Security threats and countermeasures are addressed in detail to include firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention, physical security and network monitoring. Various malware detection schemes and cryptography techniques will be discussed.

CYSE 211: Operating Systems and Lab - Spring, 2022

Course Description: This undergraduate-level course addresses basic issues such as virtual memory, kernel and user mode, system calls, threads, context switches, interrupts, interprocess communication, coordination of concurrent activities. It also covers topics on concurrency, processes and multi-threading, context switching, synchronization, scheduling, and deadlock, memory management, dynamic memory allocation, address translation, management of file systems, storage devices, directories, protection, scheduling and crash recovery.

SELECTED HONORS AND AWARDS

2019
Tau Beta Pi College of Engineering "2019 Outstanding Computer Science Ph.D. Student " Award.
2016 - 2019
Five ACM/IEEE Student Travel Grant Awards
  • IEEE SECON 2019
  • IEEE COMSNETS 2019
  • ACM BuildSys 2017
  • ACM WiSec 2017
  • IEEE PerCom 2016
2018
Recipient of best poster award at Second Annual Commonwealth Computational Summit (CCS2) 2018 at University of Kentucky. (Two posters get selected for top position.)
2017
Recipient of best poster award at First Annual Commonwealth Computational Summit (CCS2) 2017 at University of Kentucky. (Two posters get selected for top position.)
2017
Recipient of second best poster award at Annual Computer Science Student (Ph.D. Category) Research Poster Competition (CSSRPC) organized by Computer Science Department at Missouri S&T, Rolla, USA
2017
Recipient of Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) Scholarship 2009 - 13 for admission to undergraduate engineering programs in NITs/IIITs, sponsored by the Government of India.
2017
Recipient of Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship 2006 - 07 sponsored by Indian Embassy at Kathmandu, Nepal for pursuing Higher Secondary Education (10+2 Science).

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