Dr. Alexander Perez-Pons, Associate Professor at Florida International University and EAI Fellow 2025, reflects on his role as General Chair of EAI ICDF2C 2025 and the growing impact of AI in digital forensics and cybersecurity.
What motivated you to take on the role of General Chair for EAI ICDF2C 2025?
It was an opportunity to provide my service as a researcher to lead the EAI ICDF2C 2025 which has such an international appeal in Miami, one of the most international cities.
As this is your first time serving as General Chair of an EAI conference, what aspects of leading the event have been most valuable or challenging for you?
The most valuable aspects are multifold, from the international participation, the quality of the papers submitted, and the networking opportunities. It was invaluable to have a very strong support team working on a multitude of tasks to the tremendous support from the EAI staff. The biggest challenge is logistics associated with managing such a large submission of paper and making sure of quality reviews and assessment of the submitted papers.
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ICDF2C brings together a broad community working in digital forensics and cybersecurity. How do you see 2025’s program contributing to ongoing discussions in the field?
The paper submission focused primarily on the application of AI throughout digital forensics and cybersecurity. The program contributions definitely enhanced the focus of the conference and made for an extremely synergetic experience for all participants expanding the domain knowledge.
How do you see AI transforming the landscape of digital forensics and cybersecurity, both in terms of new defensive capabilities and emerging risks?
The application of AI to digital forensics and cybersecurity is transformative as AI will enhance the ability to mitigate threats and streamline processes, but it also serves to develop new risks and threats in an accelerated manner. As AI is used to develop malicious activities, generating variations and novel attacks, we are going to require AI to detect and prevent their ability to cause harm.
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What opportunities do you believe EAI ICDF2C creates for early-career researchers and practitioners?
The conference is an excellent forum for early-career researchers as it provides high standards for paper submission and presentation expectations leading to great benefits to participants.
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Dr. Alexander Perez-Pons
Associate Professor, Florida International University, USA
EAI Fellow 2025
Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at FIU, with research focused on cybersecurity, machine learning for malware and network analysis, and embedded systems. Dr. Pons has published in international journals and conferences, served as a guest editor for cybersecurity-focused special issues, and is a Senior Member of IEEE.
