The Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems (CARS) has been established to amplify Embry‑Riddle's contribution to the economic development of the region.
Mission
To be a world leader in the research and innovation of safe, secure and resilient aerospace system solutions that meet the needs of our global aerospace community.
Vision
Inspiring the next generation of aerospace systems professionals through innovative research and education, in collaboration with universities, governments and the leading aerospace companies around the world.
See Resilient Aerospace Systems in Action
Get a fast look at how Embry-Riddle’s Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems brings autonomy, simulation and real-time surveillance together. This demo walks through swarm intelligence concepts, high-fidelity UAS training environments, avionics and payload simulation, detect-and-avoid research and live flight tracking with geo-fencing alerts. You’ll see how these tools prepare operators, test edge cases and keep systems performing in complex and contested airspace.
How AI Strengthens Aerospace Resilience
Take a guided tour of how the Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems applies AI driven tools to real-world challenges. This video explores active projects focused on cybersecurity risks across aviation and aerospace and shows how AI, machine learning and data analytics are used to improve cyber safety and system resilience in safety critical environments.
About Us
Emerging and rapidly evolving cybersecurity risks are confronting the aviation and aerospace ecosystem. CARS addresses the cyber resilience of safety-critical aviation and aerospace systems, and cultivates new areas of research and development through innovative applications of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), data science and analytics to enhance cybersecurity, cyber safety, and cyber resilience of the aerospace ecosystem.
- Our national security and economic interests rely on the proper functionality and availability of the aerospace infrastructure.
- Once isolated and independent, aviation and aerospace systems evolve to become more interconnected, software-driven and computationally intensive. While enhancing efficiency, this also increases the risks of compromise.
- The criticality of aerospace systems and their adaptation to evolving demands requires focusing on innovative solution development rooted in safety culture.
The Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems (CARS) will address cyber threats to safety-critical aero systems and cultivate new areas of development through innovative applications of technologies such as Al and data science and analytics in aero systems.
CARS is the nexus of innovation for next-generation, high-assurance aerospace technologies and solutions. Bringing together Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University experts in AI, cybersecurity, data science, software and hardware with specialists from industry and government agencies, CARS provides a creative and collaborative environment to respond to the domain’s greatest challenges.
As the first center to integrate cybersecurity and data analytics R&D focused on aviation and aerospace, CARS advances Embry‑Riddle's service to the aerospace community by providing:
- Multidisciplinary expertise in collaboration with industry, government and academic partners to address challenges facing aerospace systems and infrastructure.
- A partner in commercialization that will work with industry to license technology.
- A centralized knowledge base that shares findings through presentations and publications.
- Resources to support workforce development and customize training scenarios using physical and virtual tools.
- (Lab Director: Neill Fulbright)
- Next-Generation Advanced Research (NEAR) Lab (Lab Director: Carlos Castro)
- Wireless Devices and Electromagnetics (WiDE) Laboratory (Lab Director: Dr. Eduardo A. Rojas-Nastrucci)
- Space Technologies Laboratory (Lab Director: Dr. Troy Henderson)
- Cybersecurity and Assured Systems Engineering (CyBASE) Center (Lab Director: Dr. Laxima Kandel)
Leaders
Executive Director of CARS and Research Professor
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dept
- College of Engineering
Director of Operations, Center for Aerospace Resilience, and Adjunct Faculty
- School of Graduate Studies (SGS)
- College of Aviation
Members
- Jayson Clifford, Research Scholar
- Jake Neighbors, Software Engineer
- John Pesce, Software Engineer
- Tricia Beck-Peter, Administrative Assistant
- Ramin Rashedi, Software Engineer
News
- Embry‑Riddle Researchers Establish Framework for Takeoff of Advanced Air Mobility Operations at Orlando Airport (May 27, 2025)
- AI Leader Joins Forces with Embry‑Riddle CARS Team (March 20, 2025)
- Embry‑Riddle Partners With Space ISAC to Elevate Space Cybersecurity Research and Education (Jan. 13, 2025)
- 2024 ACI Cyber Rodeo: Aviation Week Op-Ed: Embry‑Riddle President Explores Front Lines of Aviation Cybersecurity (May 13, 2024)
- 2024 ACI Cyber Rodeo: Students Engage With Industry Leaders to Sharpen Aviation Cybersecurity Skills (March 5, 2024)
- Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Embry‑Riddle Team Up to Explore Potential Advanced Air Mobility Impacts on Airspace (Feb. 28, 2024)
- 2024 President's Forum: Two Leaders Honored at Cybersecurity Symposium (Feb. 16, 2024)
- 2023 ACI Cyber Rodeo: Eagles Excel in Enabling Cross-Campus Effort in Aviation Cybersecurity (March 1, 2023)
- 2023 President's Forum: Two Cybersecurity Leaders Honored at Embry‑Riddle Expert Symposium (Feb. 15, 2023)
- Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems Seeks Cyber Solutions (Spring/Summer 2022)
Select Publications
Cybersecurity Data Science (CSDS)
The National Strategy for Aviation Security (NSAS) (Trump, 2018), signed by the President in December 2018, identifies that the "aviation ecosystem" includes all aspects of airports, airlines, aircraft, airlift, actors and aviation management.
The FAA NextGen Organization has established the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Cybersecurity Data Science (CSDS) research program to accelerate the aviation industry’s timely adoption and adaptation of novel CSDS and Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) technologies for the enhancement of cybersecurity for the airline, airport and aircraft elements of the national aviation ecosystem to increase safety and resilience.
Recent cyber-attacks and existing cyber-threats to critical infrastructure exemplify the complexity of securing operational technology (OT) driven industries such as aviation, including potential aviation safety and efficiency cyber-risks.
Aviation systems present unique and different constraints and challenges compared to the current, mostly IT-based, cybersecurity approaches. Hence, the aviation industry needs to focus on developing effective methods for aviation cybersecurity.
The CSDS Aviation Architecture Framework (AAF) is defined using a system-of-systems approach for establishing a top-down framework across the entire aviation ecosystem, with a reference model supporting cross-domain and cross-stakeholder sharing.
Stakeholder engagement is critical for the CSDS AAF research program to develop relevant use cases and identify future CSDS program stakeholder collaboration candidates.
CSDS AAF will be beneficial for stakeholders to enhance proactive cyber defense as it enables the adaptation of select methodologies, integration of them into relevant operational environments and transfer of findings through shareable artifacts and use cases.