Associated Student (2003-2006)
Integrated Research and Education in Advanced Networking
Virginia Tech
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Les Owens
Associated Student (2003-2006)
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Les Owens is a Ph.D. student in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. He expects to complete his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering in December 2004. His research focuses on wireless security with emphasis on cryptographic security for Software Defined Radio (SDR). His advisor is Dr. Scott F. Midkiff.
Les is currently employed as the firm-wide wireless security lead at Booz Allen Hamilton. In this role, he works with a large team of wireless and information assurance experts in the firm to develop solutions and provide wireless security consulting across all wireless personal area network, local area network and wide area network technologies. Prior to BAH, Les was the Technical Director, Wireless Security for the Global Professional Services group of Nortel Networks. In that role, he was responsible leading the development of global wireless security solutions sets and for security support to ensure solution sets offer security capabilities within the Wireless Internet segment. He was also responsible for defining the cross-product security strategy and security implementation in the Nortel enterprise voice and data products. He worked with security architects and product line managers in the various product groups to determine consistent, robust, and interoperable security features to ensure the end-to-end security of Nortel products.
Before Nortel, Les was responsible for the strategic development and implementation of the overall enterprise-wide network security and fraud management program for Iridium LLC, its gateways and service providers worldwide. Before Iridium, Les established and led AT&T Wireless Services’ nationwide, cross-divisional network security efforts. For 5 years, at GTE Laboratories, Les was involved in applied cryptography and security research for GTE’s wireless and wireline business units, directed the cellular industry’s fraud laboratory and chaired the US digital cellular security group. Earlier experience includes quick-reaction digital logic and microprocessor design work at the National Security Agency.
Les has been involved in network security and fraud control for more than 18 years. He has published and spoken both nationally and internationally on network security and fraud control and holds six patents and has 3 patents pending on inventions for fraud control, cryptography and network security. Les is a writer and editor for Wireless Security Perspectives (www.cnp-wireless.com) and has been an Adjunct Professor in Computer Science at Georgetown University.
Les holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, and an MS in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University.