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Dr. Hadis Karimipour is the Canada Research Chair (Tier II), Director of the Smart Cyber-Physical (SCPS) Lab, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Software Engineering at the University of Calgary.  Before joining the University of Calgary in July 2021, she was an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Guelph, 2017-2021, and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Calgary between 2016-2017. She received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta in 2016. 

 

Dr. Karimipour’s research tackles the growing cyber threats outlined in Canada’s National Cyber Threat Assessment, stressing the urgency of strong defenses against state-sponsored attacks, critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, and emerging technology threats. She is a leading pioneer in applying Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine/ Deep Learning to enhance the security of critical infrastructure, Internet of Things (IoT), and Operational Technology (OT).

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Dr. Karimipour’s ground-breaking research has redefined cybersecurity research, resulting in widespread global recognition, including her appointment as the Canada Research Chair in Secure and Resilient Cyber-Physical Systems in Canada, awarded to exceptional emerging researchers identified as leaders in their field. Over the past seven years, her extensive body of work includes over 135 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters, with more than 7000 citations on Google Scholar, which puts her among the top 2% of globally cited researchers according to the Stanford ranking. Her research has secured nearly 5 Million CAD in funding from both government and industry agencies, such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Research Chair, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, to name a few. She was named one of the Top 20 Women in Cyber Security by IT World Canada in 2021 and received the IEEE Communication Society Early Achievement Award and APEGA Early Accomplishment Award in 2022. She was also named one of the world’s 20 Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Security by IT Security Guru, a UK cybersecurity news digest, in an award sponsored by industry giants, including BT (formerly British Telecom) and KPMG (accountancy). In 2023, she was honored as one of Avenue Magazine's Top 40 Under 40 and received the University of Calgary Excellence Award in Research Excellence, along with the prestigious ASTech Award in AI/ML Advancement. In 2024, she was named one of the Top 10 Under 40 by Canadian Security Magazine, the voice of the security industry in Canada for more than 40 years. She also received the Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award, which celebrate female trailblazers who break barriers, redefine leadership, and make a transformational difference for all.

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Dr. Karimipour is deeply committed to public education and awareness, engaging in podcasts (e.g., Cybercrimeology), as well as newspaper, radio, and television interviews (CBC, QR Calgary, Global TV, CTV News). She serves as an expert on various committees, including Canada’s National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure Policy Renewal Committee, the NSERC Discovery Grant Review Panel, the Research Executive Agency of the European Commission, and the Standards Council of Canada (ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42 – Artificial Intelligence and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 27 – Information Security, Cybersecurity, and Privacy Protection). She is also an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics (IF: 11.7) and the International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems (IF: 5.0), two leading journals in the field. Additionally, she has served as a Guest Editor for several IEEE journals, including the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics (2024, 2025), IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics (2023, 2024), and IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems (2024, 2025), among others.

 

Dr. Karimipour is a driving force for diversity and inclusion in STEM, advocating for underrepresented groups and f an inclusive environment where all can thrive. Through leadership roles such as Chair of IEEE Women in Engineering (K-W Section, 2017–2022), Chair and organizer of the annual Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference at the University of Calgary (2023–present), and active mentorship in organizations like The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Heart Home Network's 2024 Mentorship Auction, and Women in Cybersecurity (WiCys), she continues to empower and inspire future generations of women in STEM.

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Her research interest includes:

  • AI-enabled Monitoring Solution for Smart Cyber-Physical Grids 

  • AI-enabled IoT/OT Security

  • Machine Learning/Deep Learning

  • Security of AI

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Honours and Awards

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