Texas Tech University is one of 21 universities in the country that hold both Carnegie High Research University (R1) classification and Hispanic-Serving Institution designation. The only Texas flagship research university located in the western half of the state, Texas Tech is a proven national research university partner, accomplished in research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. Texas Tech has a long history of collaborations with the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, National Laboratories, and other federal intelligence agencies.
These partnerships and Texas Tech's expertise in managing unique national research resources, centers, and programs makes our institution the appropriate national leader for an institute on infrastructure security. Examples of these assets include:
Global Laboratory for Energy Asset Management and Manufacturing
GLEAMM tests, researches and develops the manufacturing of new electrical grid technologies and next-generation power electronic devices for public and private partners. Microgrid testing translates power system and microgrid technologies from prototype to field deployment.
Microgrids
Microgrids offer clean energy and energy-efficient technologies, flexibility, quick response/control and security during grid- connected and islanded modes. Microgrid testing at GLEAMM's research facility focuses on getting microgrids and microgrid technologies from prototype to field deployment by allowing manufacturers and integrators to test their technology or configuration at actual power before implementation—only possible at a handful of facilities worldwide.
Grid Resilience
One of GLEAMM's chief priorities is in assessing resilience of the grid, including avoiding failures related to extreme weather events, mechanical failures, and cyber security attacks. Research into post-event analysis and preemptive design for resilience is also important.
Current research includes the DoD Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), critical infrastructure security training programs, drone-based renewable Energy inspection systems, an optimum power-aware auto-scale datacenter with limited renewable energy resources, and autonomous grid-forming inverters with an always-on function to avoid trip-off and blackouts in the event of grid faults.
Cyber-Physical Testing
Before field deployments, there is no substitute for testing cybersecurity tools at full power and actual load levels. GLEAMM's cyber-physical research and test platform reduces deployment risks and helps optimize the performance of hardware, communications, and security tools. It is important to simulate the dynamics of both the physical devices and the underlying communication networks, i.e., the communication system used by the cyber-physical system, which can be the target of cyber-attacks.
Center for Pulsed Power & Power Electronics
The P3E Center conducts research on pulsed power storing, shaping, transmitting and measuring high voltage, high current pulses with the goal of delivering electrical energy to a load or applicator. The center's pulsed power/explosives laboratory is considered the largest laboratory of its kind at any university in the nation.
Repetitive Pulsed Power
The P3E Center has active programs for the development of pulsed power drivers with several tens of kilovolts to megavolt output at pulse repetition frequencies of up to 50 MHz as an enabling technology for high-power microwave generation (HPM), directed energy (DE) and industrial applications. This research includes all solid state switching (optically and electrically gated devices) and/or gas switching drivers with nanosecond risetimes and pulse durations from a few nanoseconds to microseconds.
High Power Microwaves
The P3E Center also has a wide range of programs on HPM source technology and associated physics and engineering, including gigawatt vacuum-based HPM devices and all-solid state nonlinear transmission lines (NLTLs). The center was the first to develop a 500 Hz repetition rate, 100 MW class, HPM source with 2 to 7 GHz tunability. Research is also conducted on physical processes in HPM environments, such as multipactor, gaseous HPM breakdown and molecular dynamics models of field emission and outgassing.
Wide Bandgap Switching
The P3E Center has developed a variety of optically triggered high voltage switches using diverse wide bandgap materials, including SiC, GaN, Ba2O3 and others, which has enabled the design of advanced pulsed power drivers. Capabilities include the switching of tens of kilovolts at a record pulse repetition frequency of 65 MHz, which was utilized to excite an NLTL HPM source.
Both optically and electrically triggered WBG switches are investigated. This includes conducting failure analysis on power devices after switching the devices at high energy levels and relies heavily on advanced modeling utilizing SILVACO and Comsol Multiphysics.
Institute for Materials, Manufacturing, and Sustainment
IMMS aims to enable virtual reality and integrated computation, modeling, testing, and analysis research capabilities for aviation futuristic concept and technology demonstration and integration.
Maneuver & Sustainment for Zero-Maintenance Platforms
The determination of damage precursors and their mitigation at the very early stages of damage is key to monitoring platform health and achieving zero-maintenance philosophy. IMMS is establishing the scientific foundation, understanding and explanation of the damage precursors in metallic and composite materials at the inclusion-matrix interface and its propagation within the media from the atomistic point of view based on the failure of the atomic bonds.
Data Refinement and Reduction
IMMS is innovating an artificial intelligence-integrated data fusion method to detect and repair erroneous values in parametric and maintenance data, which will enable the comprehensive health control and ensure robust operation. The proposed innovation reduces the noise that is introduced with data, providing clean, relevant and useful data sets that will increase both timeliness and effectiveness of analytical tools, algorithms and models. The methods will refine data without disturbing the integrity of it.
National Wind Institute
NWI specializes in power quality analysis of renewable energy under grid studies for strong/weak grid scenarios, energy generation and energy demand forecasting studies, grid integration of renewable energy, and non-linear load analysis.
Over the last 50 years, NWI has evolved from its traditional singular focus on wind hazards to three main research pillars of Energy Systems, Atmospheric Measurement & Simulation and Wind Engineering.
Through these pillars, NWI seeks to:
- Advance the understanding of wind, its interaction with the built environment andthe impact of this interaction on society;
- Improve the performance of current energy systems and investigate newtechnologies to enhance future energy systems and;
- Link advancements in the fundamental understanding of atmospheric science toscientific communities that depend on the proper characterization of theatmosphere.
Center for the Science & Engineering of Cyber Security
CSECS researches how to measure, assess, and enforce security in legacy systems, and how to build new systems that are secured. We create holistic and systematic approaches to develop automated tools for cybersecurity system analysis.
The center studies the principles of cybersecurity, including how to measure, assess, and enforce security in legacy systems and how to build new systems that are secured. The center also examines cyber security issues facing the general public, such as security in business enterprises, health care and national infrastructures.
To achieve its objectives, the center focuses on research in:
- Theoretical underpinning of cybersecurity concepts.
- Safe and secure software development.
- Threat modeling, uncertain reasoning about security, and vulnerability analysis.
- Security evaluation, verification, and validation.
- Access and identity management.
- Wired and wireless network security.
Workforce Development
Texas Tech leads cybersecurity preparedness training through a Texas Talent Connections Development grant from the Texas Workforce Commission.
Texas Tech received the grant first in 2019 and has now been awarded more than $1 million in funding for the “Critical Infrastructure Security Training Programs for Industry, University and High School Students.” The program combines efforts from Texas Tech, West Texas A&M and Group NIRE to train high school and university students as well as those already working in industry as information and operations systems security professionals.
The program has trained more than 100 individuals since 2020. Participants include several different affiliations, such as Sandia National Laboratory, Lubbock Power & Light, South Plains Electric Co-op, Golden Spread Electric Co-op, and other private industries, as well as high school students and university and college students. We have developed partnerships with more than 20 private and federal organizations and four educational institutions.
