IEEE CARS 2026 brings cybersecurity, AI experts to UND Oct. 26-28
Three-day hybrid symposium connects researchers, industry leaders and students through expert talks, technical sessions, hands-on workshops and cybersecurity competitions
Cybersecurity researchers, industry professionals, government partners and students will gather at the University of North Dakota Oct. 26-28 for the sixth annual IEEE Cyber Awareness & Research Symposium.
IEEE CARS 2026 will explore emerging challenges and opportunities across cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and critical infrastructure protection. The first two days of the conference will be offered in person at the UND Memorial Union in Grand Forks with hybrid participation available, followed by a fully online third day.
Jointly hosted by the UND College of Engineering & Mines, Center for Cyber Security Research and Artificial Intelligence Research Center, the international conference brings together experts from academia, industry, national laboratories and government while giving students opportunities to connect with professionals working at the forefront of cybersecurity and AI. IEEE Region 4, the IEEE Red River Valley Section and the IEEE UND PES Student Chapter are technical co-sponsors.
Three days of cybersecurity and AI
Programming begins Monday, Oct. 26, with a focus on research, national priorities and industry.
Featured presentations include “Orbital Necromancy: The Cyber Risk of Reanimated Satellites” by Bryan Torielli, co-founder of NullSat Group; “Hard Problems: What AI Still Can’t Do for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” by Benjamin Blakely of Argonne National Laboratory; and a presentation on federated scientific research from Scott Klasky of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Monday also includes the National CAE-R Cybersecurity Ph.D. Three Minute Thesis Competition, a federal leadership panel on emerging cybersecurity and AI research priorities, a research poster showcase and parallel technical paper sessions. Attendees can participate in industry programming from organizations including SentinelOne, Hack The Box, Deloitte, Fortinet, Google, Cohesity, U.S. Bank and Gen0Sec. The day concludes with a conference dinner and awards.
Tuesday, Oct. 27, turns toward quantum security, cyber defense and hands-on learning. A UND faculty panel will examine quantum security and quantum computing, followed by a featured talk on cybersecurity and autonomous systems. Throughout the day, participants can choose from technical paper sessions and workshops addressing secure programming with Rust, cyberattack and defense methodologies, operational technology security and machine-speed responses to AI-enabled threats.
The conference moves fully online Wednesday, Oct. 28. The final day includes technical paper sessions and workshops exploring explainable AI in medical systems, federated learning and agentic AI on distributed data, and cybersecurity in the age of AI assistants.
Beyond cybersecurity-specific programming, IEEE CARS will host three co-located conferences designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration in AI. Topics span artificial intelligence applications and innovation, security and resilience in AI-enabled smart grids, and trustworthy AI in biomedical engineering and medical technologies.
Connecting research with real-world challenges
Conference tracks span AI, machine learning and large language models in cybersecurity; critical infrastructure and power systems; autonomous systems; network and Internet of Things security; digital deception; and policy and ethics. Together, the program reflects the growing need for cybersecurity expertise across increasingly connected technologies and infrastructure.
IEEE CARS also creates opportunities for UND students and researchers to connect directly with national laboratories, federal agencies, universities and technology companies while sharing research and gaining hands-on experience.
Event details
- Dates: Oct. 26-28, 2026
- Location: UND Memorial Union, 2901 University Ave., Grand Forks; online participation available
- Format: Oct. 26-27, in person and hybrid; Oct. 28, online
- Regular registration deadline: Sept. 30
- Parking: Free visitor parking is available in Lot 5 adjacent to the Memorial Union
