REU Site: Frontier Technologies for Biometrics and Authentication

Biometrics, the science of recognizing individuals through physical and behavioral traits such as fingerprints, face, iris, voice, and gait, is increasingly important for securing access to devices, facilities, and services. Applications range from smartphone authentication and border security to national identification systems and financial account protection. As biometrics replaces traditional passwords and becomes the preferred authentication approach in everyday scenarios, the demand for scientists and engineers with biometric computing skills continues to grow rapidly. Despite this demand, undergraduate students have limited opportunities to gain hands-on research experience in this critical area. This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site, hosted by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University at Buffalo (UB), will address that gap by providing intensive summer research training in biometrics and authentication to undergraduate students recruited from across the nation. Through mentored research projects, hands-on workshops, seminars, field trips, professional development activities, and project demonstrations, participants will build practical research skills while exploring technologies with direct applications in national security, healthcare, and consumer electronics. The program will recruit students nationwide through broad outreach open to all eligible participants, with emphasis on reaching students from institutions with limited research infrastructure, economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and first-generation college students. The program will contribute to building a skilled cybersecurity and AI workforce prepared to meet pressing national needs. This REU Site on Frontier Technologies in Authentication and Biometrics will support ten undergraduate researchers per year for three years. Despite considerable advances, there remain unresolved challenges regarding the effectiveness and security of biometric recognition systems, including the introduction of new biometric modalities, anti-spoofing measures, system cancelability, continuous authentication, and societal acceptance. Under the long-term research vision of biometrics and authentication, this project will focus on two fundamental directions: biometric modality and biometric security. Research projects will be built on six foundational areas, including sensors and hardware, pattern recognition, machine learning, computer and network security, human-computer interaction, and usability. Specific projects will address topics such as micro-expression biometric algorithms using video and physiological data, three-dimensional finger vein imaging via near-infrared sensing, fingerprint security practice using phantom finger models, continuous biometric authentication via electrocardiography, and cancelable biometric systems based on brainwave signals. Each project will be supervised by faculty mentors and industry advisors with expertise spanning the breadth of biometric computing. Participants will receive introductory lectures, biometrics workshops led by graduate students, seminars on research methodology and professional development, and tours of local industry and border security facilities. The site leverages UB's established partnerships with industry affiliates in the biometrics field. Program effectiveness will be assessed through internal and external evaluations, and research outcomes will be disseminated through publications, open-source tools, and public demonstrations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.