How to join the IT Security Lab

The Information Technology Security Lab (ITSL) is looking for students in all colleges, majors, and fields of study to conduct research in cyber security and privacy, both from offensive and defensive perspectives. Providing a teaching hospital for research support, projects in the lab are validated theoretically using modeling and simulation and empirically through applied research, testing, and validation in a live environment. Current and past research projects include:

Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) exploits
Moving Target Defenses
Bluetooth Security
Visualizing Security Data
Intellectual Property Protection
Security and Privacy in Virtual Worlds
Using Biological Models in Cyber Security

The lab has the ability to conduct research with undergraduate and graduate students. If you have any interest, please look at the opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and email Randy Marchany (marchany@vt.edu) or David Raymond (raymondd@vt.edu).

Undergraduate Students

Independent Study

Independent studies are opportunities for students to devise a learning plan around a cyber security topic of interest and to engage in a collaborative relationship with a professor. The topic of the independent study must not duplicate any course currently offered at Virginia Tech at the undergraduate level. The student must choose a topic for their research, create a proposal outlining the work to be completed during the semester, and have the proposal and departmental Independent Study forms completed by the third day of the semester. Please contact Randy Marchany (marchany@vt.edu) or David Raymond (raymondd@vt.edu) with questions or topic ideas. This work provides course credit.

Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate research provides the opportunity for undergraduates assist on existing research projects in the IT Security Lab. Please refer to Projects to see the current research thrusts in the lab and contact Randy Marchany (marchany@vt.edu) or David Raymond (raymondd@vt.edu) to see if there are any opportunities available on specific projects. This work provides course credit.

Internships

Periodically, the IT Security Lab has internships available, both during the academic year and the summer. These internships are paid positions that support research projects in the lab. This work does not provide course credit. When available, internship opportunities are posted on Virginia Tech mailing lists.

Graduate Students

Independent Study

Independent studies are opportunities for students to devise a learning plan around a cyber security topic of interest and to engage in a collaborative relationship with a professor. The topic of the independent study must not duplicate any course currently offered at Virginia Tech. The student must choose a topic for their research, create a proposal outlining the work to be completed during the semester, and have the proposal and departmental Independent Study forms completed by the third day of the semester. Please contact Randy Marchany (marchany@vt.edu) or David Raymond (raymondd@vt.edu) with questions or topic ideas. This work provides course credit.

Graduate Research

The IT Security Lab supports Graduate Research relating to cyber security for funded or unfunded students completing either their Master’s or PhD. Graduate students are provided with a working space in the lab and can access to the operational tools, data, and equipment of the IT Security Office for research purposes. Please refer to the Projects page to see the current research thrusts. Contact Randy Marchany (marchany@vt.edu) or David Raymond (raymondd@vt.edu) with any new research ideas, interests or topics or interest in working on a current Project.

Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA)

The IT Security Lab has a number of Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) available for graduate students. These GRAs work for the IT Security Office and Lab, providing research, academic, and operational support to lab projects, undergraduate and graduate classes, and the IT Security Office. All students funded by IT Security Lab GRAs are required to conduct their Graduate Research in the IT Security Lab. Refer to the Graduate Assistantship description website to see if you are eligible. Please contact Randy Marchany (marchany@vt.edu) or David Raymond (raymondd@vt.edu).