I am an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Florida. I earned a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Florida, a M.S. in Computer Science from Clemson University, and a B.S. in Computer Science with a Minor in Mathematics from South Carolina State University. I founded and direct the Cyber Identity and Behavior Research Laboratory (CIBeR), where we focus on problems related to user authentication, authorship attribution, text analytics, and human behavior and gesture recognition. Our research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Microsoft AI for Health, The National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, and the University of South Florida.

I currently serve as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Biometrics Council Newsletter and Guest Editor for the MDPI Electronics Special Issue on Recent Advances in Biometric Security in IoT Based on Machine Learning. I am the co-organizer for the First and Second Workshops on Applied Multimodal Affect Recognition (AMAR 2020/2021). I have served on several conference organizing committees (International Conference on Biometrics: Theory, Applications, and Systems (BTAS), International Conference on Biometrics (ICB), etc.). I was a recipient of the University of Florida Delores Auzenne Dissertation Award, National Science Foundation CyberCorps Scholarship for Service Fellowship, and am a 2021-2022 McKnight Junior Faculty Fellow.

The Cyber Identity and Behavior Research Lab

Our research is supported by the University of South Florida, the National Science Foundation, and Microsoft.

Students

1. Parush Gera (PhD)
2. Sayde King (PhD)
3. Mohamed Ebraheem (PhD)
4. Meghna Chaudhary (PhD)
5. Nicolas Ng Wai (Undergraduate REU)
6. Frances Castro (Undergraduate)
7. Sue Dang (Undergraduate)
8. Dong Jun Kim (Undergraduate)

Interested in Joining the CIBeR Lab?
Students interested in joining CIBeR are encouraged to review the lab's MANUAL to determine if our lab is a good fit for you. The content below provides more information about joining our group. ​

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INTERESTED GRADUATE STUDENTS

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There are currently no openings for graduate students for the Fall 2021 or Spring 2022 semesters. Please check back for updates. Under extraordinary circumstances (e.g., you have significant experience in the lab's research areas), I may consider advising Master theses and/or Ph.D. work. Ph.D. students with experience in one or more of the following research areas are encouraged to send their application materials (listed below) to me via e-mail.

• Machine and deep learning / pattern recognition systems
• Statistical analysis
• Image processing / computer vision
• Qualitative data analysis methods
• Natural language processing
• Experience in Python, TensorFlow, Keras, Sci-kit Learn
• Cloud storage
• Data mining

​ All graduate students must be able and willing to:

• Support undergraduate students / serve as mentors,
• Work toward effective communication of their research (e.g., presentation and writing skills),
• and work peacefully and productively in a team environment.

​ Interested students should submit the following materials to tjneal[at]usf[dot]edu for consideration.

1. A brief summary of two projects (can be coursework or something you have completed on a job or your own) that you are most proud of, and what your contributions were to the project.
2. Your views on the on-going research in the CIBeR lab that appeals to you the most. This requires that you familiarize yourself with our research projects. I'd like your input on our current research strategies, and how you feel you might be able to expand or contribute to these efforts.
3. Brief write-up of how you feel technology and computer science can be used to improve problems facing the world. Please provide specific examples.
4. List of courses taken with final grades.
5. Degree you are currently pursuing and expected start date at USF.
6. Updated CV and publications, presentation slides, etc, if available.
7. Link to personal website.
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INTERESTED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

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We are always looking for enthusiastic undergraduate students interested in gaining hands-on experience in research. Ideal students will have some experience in our research areas and will be able to clearly articulate how they want to contribute to the lab. Ideal students will also be able to dedicate 3-5 hours to working with our research team per week, and will meet regularly during lab meetings. All undergraduate students are brought into the lab as volunteers, and are encouraged to take full advantage of the wide spectrum of learning opportunities! Reach out to me for more information if interested.