La Sierra University assistant professor of computer science Fuhao Li will help lead a national artificial intelligence research project after his team was selected for Phase I support through the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) new Genesis Mission initiative.
The project focuses on strengthening the security and reliability of electric vehicle battery systems and other critical energy infrastructure, an issue with growing relevance as more drivers switch to electric vehicles and utilities rely more heavily on connected technology.
Li's team was one of 278 projects chosen from more than 5,000 applications submitted nationwide. The selection includes 342 participating institutions, among them 142 colleges and universities. La Sierra is one of only 13 higher education institutions in California taking part in the initiative.
Genesis Mission was announced in July by the Department of Energy. The national initiative brings together government, industry and academic partners, combining artificial intelligence, supercomputing, quantum systems and advanced scientific instruments to support research in energy, scientific discovery and national security.
Li serves as La Sierra's principal investigator on the project, which is led by Dr. Jielun Zhang at the University of North Dakota. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Clean Republic SODO, LLC round out the team, contributing expertise in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and battery and energy systems.
The award covers an initial nine-month phase of a planned three-phase project. During this phase, researchers will develop and test AI-based methods in simulated scenarios designed to mimic cyberattacks on battery management systems, aiming to detect compromised data and make the underlying AI models more resistant to manipulation.
"I am honored to represent La Sierra University in this collaborative research effort," Li said in a statement. "As artificial intelligence becomes more widely used in battery management and critical energy systems, it is increasingly important to ensure that these models remain secure, reliable and resilient. I look forward to working with our collaborators to advance trustworthy AI for energy applications."
One obstacle the team faces is a shortage of data suited to training AI models for this kind of security work.
"We don't have enough data for training our model," Li said in a statement. "In this case, we need to develop methods to generate additional representative data and enlarge the data set. With more high-quality training data, we can improve the accuracy and reliability of AI models used in battery systems."
If the methods hold up under simulated attacks, researchers hope to test them on real battery systems and eventually expand the work to smart grid environments.
"Millions of electric vehicles rely on batteries, and a serious cyberattack on these systems could create significant safety and reliability problems," Li said in a statement. "Our research is focused on developing AI-based methods that can detect and defend against these types of attacks and help make these systems more secure."
La Sierra is the only Adventist institution among the U.S. colleges and universities participating in Genesis Mission and one of two universities selected from the Inland Empire.
"Securing the Department of Energy's Genesis Mission grant is a powerful testament to the fact that faith-based higher education and world-class academic excellence go hand in hand," said Enoch Hwang, chair of La Sierra's computer science department, in a statement. "At La Sierra University, our mission has always been to blend rigorous intellectual discovery with a profound commitment to service. Being chosen for this federal award highlights the computer science department's competitive strength on a national level."
Li joined La Sierra as an assistant professor in July 2025 after completing a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of North Dakota. Since arriving, he has worked with Hwang on research involving humanoid and quadruped robots and has mentored computer science students on work accepted at peer-reviewed conferences and journals, including flagship IEEE conferences.
"I love it here," Li said in a statement. "The students in our department are very energetic, curious and eager to learn. What I enjoy most is the opportunity to work closely with students and involve them in research. It is very rewarding to help them take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to real research projects."
More information: Details on La Sierra University's computer science department are available at lasierra.edu.
