PNNL

Danny Herrera, a systems engineer and leader in the National Security Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), has been named the new co-director of the Institute for Cybersecurity and Resilient Infrastructure Studies (ICARIS). Herrera was preceded in the role by founding ICARIS co-director and PNNL cybersecurity researcher David Manz. 

“As I step into the role of Co-Director at ICARIS, I am excited about the opportunity to carry forward the foundation laid by David Manz,” said Herrera. “It is an honor to continue our mission in safeguarding our nation's vital systems together with Jeremey Epstein and talented teams at PNNL and Georgia Tech.”

The dynamic threat landscape against our nation’s critical infrastructure increasingly requires the ability to apply novel machine-speed and multidisciplinary methods for cyber threat prevention, detection, and response. ICARIS was established to support national efforts to strengthen and maintain secure, functioning, and resilient critical infrastructure. 

The joint institute leverages robust training data and test beds, representative of actual operational systems, to better understand and predict the downstream consequences of defender and attacker actions. 

ICARIS combines PNNL’s strengths in advanced computing and data science, grid controls, secure architecture, and critical infrastructure security with Georgia Tech’s strengths in cybersecurity for embedded systems, distributed energy systems, and student workforce development. 

Herrera will collaborate with newly appointed ICARIS co-director Jeremy Epstein, representing the institute from Georgia Tech. 

“The US critical infrastructure, including the electrical grid, water systems, transportation network, and many other vital components, face growing threats from malicious actors of all kinds,” said Epstein. “I’m looking forward to working with Danny and his colleagues at PNNL to enable creation of technologies to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure.”

Both Herrera and Epstein emphasized the importance of workforce development in the future plans for ICARIS. 

“We look forward to developing a workforce equipped with the skills to meet tomorrow's challenges in critical infrastructure cybersecurity,” said Herrera.

Herrera holds a master of science from the Air Force Institute of Technology in systems engineering. 

Prior to joining PNNL in 2023, Herrera served as a program manager and lead systems engineer in electronic warfare in the United States Airforce (USAF). Although new to the role of co-director for ICARIS, Herrera has worked closely with staff and colleagues at the Georgia Tech Research Institute through his previous work with the USAF. 

“Danny is an outstanding choice to lead ICARIS as the new co-director” said Deb Gracio, PNNL’s associate laboratory director for the National Security Directorate. “He brings a strong background in systems engineering that will strengthen our collaboration with ICARIS as we tackle essential cybersecurity challenges to protect our nation’s critical infrastructure.”

For more information about the PNNL-Georgia joint research institute, visit the ICARIS website.