July 12, 2021
Todd Humphreys has been elected Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) “for improving understanding of GNSS vulnerabilities and pioneering the use of alternate techniques to achieve resilience.” Established in 1947 in London, the institute aims to advance the art, science and practice of navigation while promoting knowledge of the subject and its associated sciences such as positioning, timing and tracking.
Humphreys, an associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, is known for pioneering research to study the security of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems). His paper, “Assessing the spoofing threat” has over 700 Google Scholar citations and spun-off subsequent publications on PNT (Position, Navigation and Timing) security, initiating a wave of thousands of academic publications on GNSS security.
Multiple demonstrations to expose the vulnerability of GNSS have been conducted by Humphreys and his team – they were the first to successfully spoof a civilian drone in 2012 and the following year, they took on an even bigger challenge and spoofed an $80 million superyacht at sea. Humphreys is also credited for bringing precise GPS to the mass market and was the first to demonstrate centimeter-accurate RTK (real-time kinematic) positioning using a smartphone antenna.
A world-renowned expert in the navigation community, Humphreys has testified three times before the U.S. Congress. He is a recipient of numerous awards including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the NSF Career Award, the Institute of Navigation Thurlow Award and the UT Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award.
Humphreys directs the Radionavigation Laboratory at UT Austin and is the incoming director of the Wireless Networking and Communications Group. He holds the William J. Murray, Jr. Fellowship in Engineering No. 1 and on Sept. 1, 2021, he will hold the title of full professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering.
