Invited Speaker

Zero-Trust IoT-Driven Smart Cities: Next-Generation Security through Emerging Technologies

Dr. Sushil Kumar Singh (Postdoc-UK, PhD-SeoulTech)
Associate Professor,
Department of Computer Engineering,
Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom
UCS Lab Leader (Ex.), SeoulTech, South Korea


Abstract:
Smart cities are rapidly evolving into complex, interconnected digital ecosystems driven by the large-scale deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, intelligent services, and data-centric decision-making platforms. These systems enable transformative urban services, including smart transportation, energy management, healthcare, public safety, and governance. However, as cities become more connected and autonomous, they also face unprecedented cybersecurity challenges. The expanding scale, heterogeneity, and decentralization of IoT infrastructures significantly increase attack surfaces, making traditional perimeter-based security models inadequate for protecting critical urban assets. This keynote advocates Zero-Trust Security as a foundational paradigm for securing IoT-driven smart cities. Zero Trust operates on the principle that no device, user, application, or network component should be implicitly trusted—whether inside or outside the system boundary. Instead, continuous verification, strong identity management, least-privilege access, real-time monitoring, and adaptive policy enforcement become essential elements of urban digital security.
The session explores how emerging technologies are reshaping next-generation security architectures for smart cities. These include advanced communication networks such as 5G and beyond, edge and fog computing for localized intelligence, AI- and machine learning–driven threat detection, blockchain-enabled decentralized trust management, and quantum-resilient security mechanisms. Together, these technologies enable scalable, resilient, and autonomous security frameworks capable of protecting massive IoT deployments and critical city infrastructure in real time. Beyond technical solutions, the keynote highlights the importance of security-by-design, integrating cybersecurity considerations into the planning, deployment, and governance of smart city systems. It addresses challenges related to data privacy, interoperability, regulatory compliance, and digital sovereignty, emphasizing the need for coordinated collaboration among policymakers, researchers, technology providers, and urban administrators. By aligning Zero-Trust principles with emerging technologies, this keynote presents a strategic vision for building secure, trustworthy, and resilient smart cities. The talk encourages a paradigm shift—from reactive cybersecurity approaches to proactive, intelligence-driven, and trust-centric urban security models—ensuring that future cities are not only smart and connected, but also safe, reliable, and sustainable for generations to come.

Biography:
Dr. Sushil Kumar Singh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering at Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India. He completed his Postdoctoral research at London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom, under the supervision of Professor Bal Virdee. He earned his Ph.D. from Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech), Seoul, South Korea, under the supervision of ProfessorJong Hyuk Park. He received his M.Tech. degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Uttarakhand Technical University, Dehradun, India, and his M.E. degree in Information Technology from Karnataka State University, Mysore, India. Dr. Singh served as the Lab Leader of the UCS Lab in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at SeoulTech, where he received the Best Lab Leadership Award for the period 2019–2021. He has been recognized among the Top 2% of Scientists worldwide for the years 2022–2023, 2023–2024, and 2024–2025, as per the list compiled by Stanford University and published by Elsevier. With over 15 years of teaching and research experience, Dr. Singh has authored more than ten books, including Computer C Programming, Cyber Security, Big Data Analytics, Mobile Computing, and Secure and Intelligent IoT-Enabled Smart Cities, among others. He has published numerous high-quality research articles in Q1 and top 10% JCR-ranked international journals and conferences. Dr. Singh has actively contributed to international academic collaborations and exchange programs. He participated in the Erasmus+ Program as a Visiting Professor at the University of Pitești, Romania, in 2024, where he delivered two specialized sessions to international students. He also served as a Visiting Professor at Ludovika University of Public Service, Budapest, Hungary, in 2025, delivering four advanced sessions to foreign students. In addition, he has been appointed as a Supervisor and CoSupervisor for Postdoctoral researchers from two foreign universities, namely London Metropolitan University, United Kingdom, and Lincoln University, Malaysia. He has also delivered invited international lectures in several countries. His research interests include Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), Smart City Security, and Cyber-Physical Systems. He serves as an Associate/Guest Editor for reputed journals and publishers, including Human-centric Computation and Information Sciences (HCIS), IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics (IEEE JBHI), IGI Global, and Wiley–Scrivener. He is an active reviewer for several leading journals, including IEEE Wireless Communications Magazine, IEEE Systems Journal, IEEE Internet of Things Journal, Future Generation Computer Systems (FGCS), Computer Networks, Multimedia Tools and Applications, Scientific Reports, and other high-impact international journals. At Marwadi University, Dr. Singh leads the Research Activities Club, an initiative dedicated to fostering a strong research culture and promoting highquality research among young researchers and scholars.