Cyber-physical systems security researcher to serve as electrical engineering professor at Dordt

Dr. Paul Griffioen has accepted a position at Dordt University as assistant professor of engineering.

For the past two years, Griffioen has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. His research interests including “the modeling, analysis, and design of high-performance cyber-physical systems that ensure safety while operating under computational constraints.” He is also interested in active detection techniques and response mechanisms for the purpose of ensuring resilient, secure cyber-physical systems.

Griffioen received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan for his bachelor’s degree.

Dean for Technology and Applied Sciences Dr. Ethan Brue says that Griffioen’s interest in computer engineering and electrical engineering will be a great fit for Dordt’s engineering program.

“He brings expertise in cybersecurity and control systems. He is also knowledgeable about automation as it ties with robotics and other autonomous control,” says Brue. “We have students who are interested in both computer science and engineering, so having Griffioen to bridge between the two departments will be great.”

Griffioen was impressed how Dordt’s engineering department “articulates, both in its teaching and research, that engineering and technology are not actually neutral domains of study but are ultimately under the Lordship of Jesus Christ just as much as any other area of study.”

“I was drawn to this Christian commitment that is carried out across all teaching, including classes such as ‘History of Science and Technology’ and ‘Technology and Society.’ I was also drawn to the Christian scholarship the engineering department has produced in the area of faith and technology, including the department’s involvement in the Christian Engineering Conference and Society as well as the numerous papers and books published by members of the department.”

With his extensive research experience, Griffioen could have gone in many different directions, says Brue. “He chose to work at Dordt University because he resonated with being able to develop what it means to do electrical engineering and computer engineering Christianly.”

Throughout Griffioen’s life, God has blessed him with excellent teaching, a solid foundational understanding of His Word, and a wonderful Christian community that has challenged and helped him grow spiritually.

“I hope to pass on what I have learned by teaching students engineering from an explicitly Reformed Christian worldview, helping them gain a solid Christian education built on Scripture to prepare them for careers as engineers, researchers, teachers, or any other vocation to which God calls them,” he adds.

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.