Dennis Agnew Jr., a Ph.D. Student in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Florida, was recently awarded the L3Harris Graduate Fellowship.

The fellowship is funded by L3Harris Corporation’s generous donation to the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering to support research collaborations between the ECE and Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) departments. The fellowship supports domestic PhD students working on topics related to L3Harris Corporation’s research interests.

Agnew’s work will focus on applying artificial intelligence techniques to software defined network security.

“My passion for research began with my summer undergraduate research experiences, like my UF SURF internship,” Agnew said. “Through that opportunity, I was able to work in the Wireless and Mobile (WAM) Systems Lab with my mentors to gain a better insight into the field.”

Agnew is advised by his L3Harris Fellowship advisor, Dr. Janise McNair, and his L3Harris Fellowship Faculty Collaborator, Dr. My Thai.

“I am very grateful for the L3Harris Fellowship. It will support me in graduate school, enable me to gain mentors from L3Harris, and will help me continue my passion and interests in this field to create world-class research,” Agnew said.

“I would like to give special thanks to my current mentor, Dr. Janise McNair, and my lab mates for their help and support. I would like to thank my mentors from my undergraduate institution, Jackson State University, for their guidance that led me to the University of Florida. Lastly, I want to thank my family for their continued support in my post-secondary education,” Agnew said.