BioSketch
Eric Yocam holds a Ph.D. in Cyber Operations from Dakota State University's Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences (degree conferred May 2026), where Eric maintained a 4.0 GPA. Dakota State University is one of only nine universities in the nation to hold all three National Security Agency National Centers of Academic Excellence designations — Cyber Defense (CAE-CD), Cyber Operations (CAE-CO), and Cyber Research (CAE-R). Eric's dissertation investigates hybrid neural network model defenses, supervised by Prof. Varghese Vaidyan, PhD. Eric also holds a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) — a combination that bridges deep technical cyber expertise with business strategy and leadership, equipping Eric to address cybersecurity not only as a technical discipline but as an organizational and strategic imperative. Eric concurrently serves as a Lecturer at California Polytechnic State University teaching undergraduate students cybersecurity, and as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Dominican University of California teaching an online course he developed — Information Security Risk Management — as part of their MS in Cybersecurity program.
His research spans adversarial machine learning, post-quantum cryptography, agricultural IoT security, LLM hallucination mitigation, autonomous vehicle lane detection, and space IoT cybersecurity risk. He is an IEEE Senior Member whose industry innovations span DeepFake Detection, Behavioral Biometrics, and Temporal Identity Vaulting.
Across his portfolio, a unifying question emerges: how do you secure systems that lack strong central authority? His technical work — hardening AI models, securing distributed networks, defending autonomous systems — addresses this from an engineering perspective. A second, less conventional layer of his research examines it through governance: his work on celebrity board directors and decentralized cryptocurrency markets argues that technical security is necessary but not sufficient — who controls a system, and under what incentives, matters just as much as the code. Taken together, his research is interdisciplinary and emerging-topic focused, tracking where risk is growing fastest across AI ecosystems, distributed networks, and markets where institutional oversight is thin.
Universities & National Lab
Dakota State University
University of South Dakota
North Carolina A&T State University
South Carolina State University
University of Idaho
Augusta University
Cal Poly State University
University of Dubai
University of Washington
École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS)
Claremont Graduate University
Savannah River National Laboratory
Research collaboration across 12 institutions and over 30 researchers
Before turning to academia full-time, Eric spent 25 years inside some of the most influential technology companies in the world — Apple, HP, Microsoft, and T-Mobile. He built and led security and technical program teams, shaped enterprise-scale platforms, and turned ideas into inventions. It's a practitioner's foundation that continues to inform everything he researches and teaches.
Beyond academia, Eric is the author of Cyber Inference (Book 1 of The Convergence Chronicles), a hard science fiction series exploring AI consciousness and superintelligence that has been well received by readers. He is actively developing Book 2, Cyber Emergence.
Eric has authored and co-authored 20+ peer-reviewed publications spanning adversarial machine learning, post-quantum cryptography, IoT security, LLM hallucination mitigation, and autonomous vehicle systems — with work appearing in IEEE Access, IEEE Transactions, Springer, and arXiv.
Book Chapter — Published 2026
Yocam, E., Rizi, A., Kamepalli, M., Vaidyan, V., Wang, Y., Comert, G.
Quantum Adversarial Machine Learning and Defense Strategies: Challenges and Opportunities Published — 2026
Quantum Robustness in Artificial Intelligence, Springer Quantum Science and Technology Series
Published — 2026
Prasad, A.R., Ketema, N., Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Comert, G., Werth, D., Buckley, R., Stone, M.R., Kothakonda, B.V.
A Novel Hybrid Quantum-Classical Path Optimization for Methane Detection Using Remote Quantum Intensity Prediction Models Published — 2026
IEEE Access · DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2026.3675450
Kappala, A., Yocam, E., Kayastha, N., Vodnala, S.R., Vaidyan, V., Comert, G., Podhradsky, A., Werth, D., Buckley, R.
A Dynamic Quantum-Resistant Selective Encryption Approach for Agricultural Sensors with Limited Resources Published — 2026
IEEE Access
Published — 2025
Fulkerson, E., Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Kamepalli, M., Wang, Y., Comert, G.
PyRHOH: A Meta-Learning Analysis Framework for Determining the Impact of Compilation on Malicious JavaScript Identification Published — 2025
Machine Learning with Applications, 100724
Kothakonda, B.V., Ketema, N., Vaidyan, V., Podhradsky, A., Yocam, E., Wang, Y., Comert, G.
Multi-level Post Quantum Encryption for Images with Quantum Fourier Transform Published — 2025
2025 IEEE International Conference on Electro Information Technology (eIT)
Jagatha, A., Kappala, A., Kamepalli, M., Vaidyan, V., Yocam, E., Wang, Y., Comert, G.
A Novel Approach to Quantum-Resistant Selective Encryption for Agricultural Sensors with Limited Resources Published — 2025
2025 IEEE 15th Annual Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference (CCWC)
Black, G., Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Comert, G., Wang, Y.
From LLMs to Randomness: Analyzing Program Input Efficacy with Resource and Language Metrics Published — 2025
IEEE Access, 2025
Published — 2024
Rizi, A., Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Wang, Y.
Exploring Machine Learning with FNNs for Identifying Modified DGAs Through Noise and Linear Recursive Sequences (LRS) Published — 2024
2024 Cyber Awareness and Research Symposium (CARS)
Published — 2023 & Earlier
Gawanmeh, A., Abed, S., AlAwadh, S.A.A., Mansoor, W., Atalla, S., Alomari, A., Yocam, E.
Enhanced Not Recently Used Algorithm for Cache Memory Systems in Mobile Computing Published — 2023
ACR 2023, Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems
Yocam, E., Alomar, A., Gawanmeh, A., Mansoor, W.
A Privacy-Preserving System Design for Digital Presence Protection Published — 2023
Computers, Materials & Continua, 75(2), 3091–3110
Yocam, E., Gawanmeh, A., Alomari, A., Mansoor, W.
5G Mobile Networks: Reviewing Security Control Correctness for Mischievous Activity Published — 2022
SN Applied Sciences, 4(11), 304
Yocam, E.
Narrow-band Internet of Things Protocol Standards: Survey of Security and Privacy Control Effectiveness Published — 2020
2020 International Symposium on Networks, Computers and Communications (ISNCC)
Yocam, E.
Evolution on the Edge: Intelligent Devices Published — 2003
IEEE Computer Society IT Professional, 5(2), 32–36
Yocam, E.
Cyber Inference: Unraveling Consciousness — Book 1 of The Convergence Chronicles Published — 2025
Hard Science Fiction · The Convergence Chronicles Series
Yocam, E., Choi, A.
Corporate Governance: A Board Director's Pocket Guide — Leadership, Diligence, and Wisdom (3rd Edition) Published — 2014
iUniverse · Independent Publisher
Featured among the best-reviewed books of the month in the Kirkus Discoveries newsletter. Referenced by the American Institute of Certified Board Advisors as core knowledge.
Preprints & Under Review
Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Comert, G., Kalathas, P., Wang, Y., Mwakalonge, J.L.
Adaptive Activation Cancellation for Hallucination Mitigation in Large Language Models Under Review
SN Computer Science (Springer Nature) · Submission ID: SNCS-D-26-02755
Yocam, E., Pollin, R.
The Celebrity Board Premium Bubble Preprint
Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
Yocam, E., Pollin, R.
Celebrity Governance Without Institutions: Evidence from Cryptocurrency Markets Preprint
Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
Yocam, E., Pollin, R.
Celebrity Board Directors and Shareholder Wealth: A Composite Multi-Theory Assessment Preprint
Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Mwakalonge, J.L., Comert, G., Ngotonie, M.
Cross-Domain Adversarial Robustness of Geometric Prior Neural Networks: Safety-Critical Deployment Guidelines Under Review
IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence · MS ID: TETCI-2026-0503
Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Comert, G., Wang, Y.
Hardening Black-Box Neural Networks Against Adversarial Attacks Through Surrogate-Based Defense Transfer Under Review
IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing
Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Ruganuza, D., Mwakalonge, J.L., Comert, G., Pian, D.
Retroreflectivity-Based Traffic Sign Cybersecurity: Synthetic Data and Defense Models Under Review
Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence (Elsevier) · MS ID: EAAI-S-26-15207
Prasad, A.R., Ketema, N., Kothakonda, B.V., Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Comert, G., Podhradsky, A., Werth, D., Buckley, R.
Hybrid Quantum-Classical Path Optimization for Multi-Drone Gas Leak Detection Under Review
IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence · MS ID: TETCI-2025-2170
Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Mwakalonge, J.L., Comert, G., Wang, Y.
Architectural Robustness in Lane Detection Systems: Geometric Constraints and Adversarial Stability Under Review
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Elsevier) · MS ID: TRIP-D-26-00418
Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Comert, G., Wang, Y., Mwakalonge, J.L.
Protection of UAV-Based Crop Row Detection Against Adversarial Attacks Under Review
IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence · MS ID: TETCI-2025-2766
Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Wang, Y.
H-Node Attack and Defense in Large Language Models Under Review
IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence · MS ID: TETCI-2026-0776
Kamepalli, M., Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V.
Vulnerabilities Paper Under Review
Expert Systems with Applications (Elsevier)
In Development
Prasad, A.R., Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Comert, G., Werth, D., Buckley, R., Gale, A., Danielson, T.
Event-Driven Methane Leak Prediction with Quantum Spiking Neural Networks In Development
Target: IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence or IEEE Access
Yocam, E., Mei, D., Wang, S., Vaidyan, V., Kamepalli, M.
Scaling Predictive Models for Germanium Crystal Growth through MLOps (Ge-STAR) In Development
Target: IEEE Access
Yocam, E., Wang, S., Rizi, A., Vaidyan, V.
Semantic Multi-Tier Quantum-Resistant Encryption for Agricultural IoT with Hardware Validation In Development
Target: Future Generation Computer Systems (Elsevier)
Dawaare, B.A., Vaidyan, V., Yocam, E., Comert, G.
Probabilistic Space IoT Risk Management Methodology (P-SIRM2) Pending Submission
Digital Engineering
Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Basnet, D., Bista, A.
Quantum Control Plane Side Channel Attack In Development
Target: IEEE CARS
Yocam, E., Vaidyan, V., Basnet, D., Bista, A.
Quantum Timing Attacks — Raspberry Pi Hardware Implementation In Development
Target: TBD
Inventions & Patents
Eric holds 23+ issued patents, all assigned to T-Mobile USA, spanning wireless networks, security, AI, privacy, and drone systems.
Issued Patents — Latest First
Identity Management Issued — 2024
Yocam, E. · US Patent 12,067,638
Modified Media Detection (DeepFake) Issued — 2024
Yocam, E., Obaidi, A.A. · US Patent 12,086,727
Mobile Aerial Drone Early Warning Privacy Breach Detect, Intercept, and Defend Issued — 2024
Yocam, E., Laursen, D. · US Patent 12,154,443
Monitoring of Radio Frequency Signal Levels Within a Wireless Communication Network Issued — 2024
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E.W., Farag, P. · US Patent 12,150,086
Privacy Manager Issued — 2024
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E. · US Patent 12,124,609
Privacy Breach Detection Issued — 2023
Yocam, E., White, R., Laursen, D. · US Patent 11,836,270
Persona and Device Based Certificate Management Issued — 2023
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E.W. · US Patent 11,683,181
Privacy Manager Issued — 2023
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E. · US Patent 11,783,082
Mobile Aerial Drone Early Warning Privacy Breach Detect, Intercept, and Defend Issued — 2023
Yocam, E., Laursen, D. · US Patent 11,756,438
Monitoring of Radio Frequency Signal Levels Within a Wireless Communication Network Issued — 2023
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E.W., Farag, P. · US Patent 11,838,888
Behavioral Biometric Protection for Wireless Carrier Subscribers Issued — 2022
Yocam, E., Obaidi, A.A. · US Patent 11,418,949
Modified Media Detection (DeepFake) Issued — 2022
Yocam, E., Obaidi, A.A. · US Patent 11,514,342
Wireless Carrier Network-Enabled Protection of High Value Data Issued — 2022
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E., Farag, P. · US Patent 11,375,378
Mobile Aerial Drone Early Warning Privacy Breach Detect, Intercept, and Defend Issued — 2022
Yocam, E., Laursen, D. · US Patent 11,270,595
Peer-to-Peer Distribution of Radio Protocol Data for SDR Updates Issued — 2022
Yocam, E.W., Kress, D.J., Obaidi, A.A. · US Patent 11,265,214
Dynamic Wireless Communications Network with Aerial Drones Issued — 2021
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E.W. · US Patent 10,988,038
Privacy Breach Detection Issued — 2021
Yocam, E., White, R., Laursen, D. · US Patent 11,023,613
Persona and Device Based Certificate Management Issued — 2021
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E.W. · US Patent 10,972,262
Temporal Identity Vaulting Issued — 2020
Yocam, E.W., Corey, S.D. · US Patent 10,757,097
Telecommunication Device Utilization Based on Heartbeat Communication Issued — 2020
Mosher, M., Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E.W. · US Patent 10,601,978
Persona and Device Based Certificate Management Issued — 2020
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E.W. · US Patent 10,652,023
Trust Policy for Telecommunications Device Issued — 2020
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E.W. · US Patent 10,880,333
Collision Avoidance System for Augmented Reality Environments Issued — 2019
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E.W. · US Patent 10,360,437
Privacy Breach Detection Issued — 2019
Yocam, E., White, R., Laursen, D. · US Patent 10,325,112
Trust Policy for Telecommunications Device Issued — 2019
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E.W. · US Patent 10,298,617
Dynamic Wireless Communications Network with Aerial Drones Issued — 2019
Obaidi, A.A., Yocam, E.W. · US Patent 10,207,590
Peer-to-Peer Distribution of Radio Protocol Data for SDR Updates Issued — 2019
Yocam, E.W., Kress, D.J., Obaidi, A.A. · US Patent 10,432,461
Establishing Geo-Fences and Related Alarms Issued — 2018
Yocam, E., Watts, A. · US Patent 10,091,612
Mobile Device In-Motion Proximity Guidance System Issued — 2018
Laursen, D.G., Yocam, E.W. · US Patent 10,136,257
Establishing Geo-Fences and Related Alarms Issued — 2017
Yocam, E., Watts, A. · US Patent 9,560,481
Mobile Device In-Motion Proximity Guidance System Issued — 2017
Laursen, D.G., Yocam, E.W. · US Patent 9,674,664
Service to Profession
Eric contributes broadly to the academic and professional community through certification authorship, peer review, mentorship, advisory roles, and community leadership.
Certification Exam Question Author
Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE) Cert Author
2020 – 2023
Issuer: ISACA · Schaumburg, IL
Tests knowledge of privacy governance, privacy architecture, and data lifecycle management for engineering privacy into technology solutions.
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Cert Author
2007 – 2023
Issuer: ISC2 · Tampa, FL
Tests knowledge across eight security domains including risk management, asset security, cryptography, network security, identity management, and software development security.
Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) Cert Author
2012 – 2023
Issuer: ISACA · Schaumburg, IL
Tests knowledge of IT risk identification, assessment, response, and monitoring within enterprise risk management frameworks.
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Cert Author
2007 – 2010
Issuer: EC-Council · Albuquerque, NM
Tests knowledge of penetration testing techniques, hacking tools, attack vectors, and countermeasures used to identify and secure vulnerabilities in systems.
Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) Cert Author
2015 – 2023
Issuer: IEEE Computer Society · Washington, DC
Tests knowledge of software engineering processes, design, construction, testing, maintenance, and professional practice standards.
Peer Review
Manuscript Reviewer Advisory
2015 – 2020
ACM · New York, NY · IEEE · Piscataway, NJ · Society of Digital Information and Wireless Communications · Academy of Management · Springer · New York, NY
Reviewed submitted research manuscripts for technical accuracy, methodological rigor, and scholarly contribution across computing, cybersecurity, information systems, and management disciplines.
Advisory & Community Roles
ABET Program Evaluator Advisory
2022 – 2025
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) · Baltimore, MD · Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and Computer Engineering
InfraGard Member Advisory
2014 – Present
InfraGard National Members Alliance · Washington, DC · Science and Technology · Partnership for Protection
InfraGard is an FBI-sponsored partnership between the private sector and the US government for sharing information and intelligence to protect critical national infrastructure.
Cybersecurity Advisory Board Member Advisory
2018 – 2019
Rutgers University · New Brunswick, NJ
Provided strategic guidance to Rutgers University's cybersecurity programs on curriculum development, industry alignment, and emerging threat landscapes.
Mentorship Advisory
2017 – 2021
Cybersecurity Workforce Alliance · Washington, DC
Mentored emerging cybersecurity professionals through workforce development programs, providing career guidance, technical coaching, and industry connections.
Mentorship Advisory
2017 – 2021
EPIC Challenge · IQ4 · Washington, DC
Mentored students and early-career professionals through cybersecurity challenge programs and IQ4's digital talent development platform, bridging academic learning with real-world cybersecurity practice.
Mentorship Advisory
2017 – 2021
Michael G. Foster School of Business · University of Washington · Seattle, WA
Mentored MBA and business students at the Foster School on cybersecurity strategy, entrepreneurship, and technology career pathways.
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Apprenticeship Subgroup Member Advisory
2017 – 2019
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) · Gaithersburg, MD
Contributed to the NICE Apprenticeship Subgroup, a national effort to develop registered apprenticeship pathways that expand the cybersecurity workforce pipeline through work-based learning.
Vice-Chair & Board Member Advisory
2015 – 2018
Northwest Dollars for Scholars · Non-profit · Bellevue, WA · Affiliate of
Scholarship America · Minneapolis, MN
Served on the board of a nonprofit scholarship chapter affiliated with Scholarship America, the nation's largest private-sector scholarship organization. Supported college-bound students in the Pacific Northwest through community fundraising and financial aid programs.
Invited Panels & Workshops
"DoL, T-Mobile and University of Washington Pioneer Virtual-Cyber-Apprenticeships" Panel
2018
2018 National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Conference & Expo · Miami, FL · Concurrent Breakout Session 10:00–10:45am
Panelists: Carolyn Renick (US Department of Labor), Eric Yocam (T-Mobile), Barbara Endicott-Popovsky (University of Washington), Bill Mayville.
CISSP Exam Development Workshop for Distinguished Subject Matter Experts Workshop
Feb 2018
ISC2 · Tampa, FL
"Cooperative Education Model: Accelerating Cybersecurity Professionals" Panel
2017
2017 National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Conference · Dayton, OH
Panelists: Barbara Endicott-Popovsky (Executive Director, UW Center for Information Assurance Cybersecurity), Eric Yocam (Sr. Manager of Cybersecurity Innovation, T-Mobile), Morgan Zantua (Director, Workforce Development, UW CIAC). Moderator: Corrinne Sande, CyberWatch West.
Senior Member
Held by fewer than 10% of IEEE's 400,000+ members