Currently a third-year PHD student in Electrical Engineering, Hanieh Tabatabaei is advancing knowledge in networked systems control on how to keep complex systems operational in the face of faults and cyberattacks.
Hanieh Tabatabaei
- Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
- Campus: Okanagan
Wanting a career where she could make a difference
Like many people who choose to major in engineering, Hanieh loved physics and math from a young age. “I saw engineering as a way to pursue the subjects I was most interested in,” she says. “I also understood that even though not every engineer is going to be a Nikola Tesla, even ‘ordinary engineers’ make significant contributions to the world. That was important to me. I also liked that – broadly speaking – engineers, unlike scientists, can more easily see the visible results and impact of their work.”
Networked systems and cybersecurity
“My research focus is on cybersecurity and fault diagnoses in networked systems,” says Hanieh. “Networked systems are groups of devices – like collaborative robots, photovoltaic panels or autonomous vehicles – that are connected through communication links, enabling them to operate efficiently. The downside to that is if there is a problem in one device, it can affect the whole system in a chain reaction.”
These systems are often vulnerable to cyberattacks. Hanieh cites Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in 2015 and 2016, as well as more recent attacks since Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022 that have had far-reaching consequences.
“Today’s wars are complicated and dangerous,” she says. “As an electrical engineer, I can help systems perform safely in the face of attacks by designing advanced algorithms and methods to prepare for potential threats and to improve existing defences.”
Hanieh develops mathematical models that can diagnose if there are anomalies in a networked system. Anomalies might be false flags, or they could be the result of a fault in the system or attacks by malicious agents. She then designs algorithms that enable the system to recover to its operating state.
“Depending on the type of anomaly – be it a fault or cyberattack – we can then take counter measures to restore the disrupted system to a functioning state.”
