TRELA Trusted and RELiable Architectures Lab

News

Awards, new projects, papers, press coverage and moments from lab life.

2026

Welcome, Christos Koutoulis!

Christos Koutoulis is the newest Ph.D. member of the TRELA Lab. Christos, welcome!

2025

TRELA is now at UC San Diego

The Trusted and RELiable Architectures (TRELA) Lab has a new home at UC San Diego. We continue our work on trusted and reliable integrated circuits and systems, from hardware security and machine learning-based test to analog/RF ICs and bio-security primitives.

Prof. Makris elevated to IEEE Fellow

Prof. Yiorgos Makris has been elevated to the rank of IEEE Fellow, Class of 2025. UT Dallas news coverage.

New SRC project on generative AI-based test generation

The Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) is funding our project “Generative AI-based Test Generation for Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuits” (2025 to 2028), which explores how large language models can learn to generate tests for integrated circuits.

2023

NSF grant to secure DNA storage access through CRISPR-PUFs

Profs. Bleris, Jones and Makris received a $300K NSF grant to secure access to DNA storage through CRISPR-based physical unclonable functions.

2022

NSF/ANR grant on errors in analog neural networks

Prof. Makris received a $624K NSF grant (CHAMELEON) to study the impact and mitigation of errors in analog implementations of on-die neural networks.

NSF TTP award to transition TRAP technology to practice

Profs. Makris and Sechen were awarded a $900K NSF grant to transition their transistor-level programmable fabric (TRAP) technology for hardware IP protection to practice.

Press: engineered cell lines that resist illegal cloning

UT Dallas published a news article on the Genetic PUF technology developed by Prof. Bleris and Prof. Makris.

Genetic Physical Unclonable Functions in Science Advances

Our manuscript “Genetic Physical Unclonable Functions in Human Cells” appears in Science Advances. The work brings the idea of hardware PUFs to living cells, enabling provenance attestation of human cell lines.

NSF RINGS project on malicious hardware in NextG wireless networks

A $1M NSF RINGS project on the resilience of NextG communication systems to malicious hardware modification attacks was announced.

2021

TCAD paper on recycled IC detection selected as a Top Pick in Hardware Security

Our TCAD 2015 manuscript on statistical recycled IC detection was selected as a Top Pick in hardware and embedded systems security.

Press: NSF CHEST center for semiconductor security

UT Dallas published a news article on the NSF CHEST Industry-University Cooperative Research Center, which Prof. Makris co-founded.

Dr. Gaurav Rajavendra Reddy receives the David Daniel Thesis Award

Dr. Gaurav Rajavendra Reddy’s Ph.D. thesis on machine learning-based hotspot detection received the David Daniel Thesis Award.

2020

DAC paper on golden-chip-free Trojan detection selected as a Top Pick

Our DAC manuscript on golden-chip-free hardware Trojan detection was selected as a Top Pick in hardware and embedded systems security.

Prof. Makris receives the Jonsson School Faculty Research Award

Prof. Makris was recognized with the Erik Jonsson School Faculty Research Award for outstanding research contributions.