A laboratory of the Center for Smart Cyber-Physical Systems, UMass LowellBack to the center
ACNLAdvanced Communication Networks Laboratory

Advanced Communication Networks Laboratory

Networks that keep working when it matters

We design and defend the communication networks behind critical infrastructure: the fiber backbone that carries AI and cloud traffic, and the control networks that keep the power grid observable and recoverable under attack. Directed by Vinod M. Vokkarane at UMass Lowell since 2013, and before that at UMass Dartmouth.

204publications since 2002
64journal articles
6doctoral students
11Ph.D. graduates advised or co-advised
Members of the Advanced Communication Networks LaboratoryMembers of the Advanced Communication Networks LaboratoryMembers of the Advanced Communication Networks LaboratoryMembers of the Advanced Communication Networks LaboratoryMembers of the Advanced Communication Networks LaboratoryMembers of the Advanced Communication Networks Laboratory

Lab life

Right now

SUMMIT

A $2.0M NSF instrument, starting October 2026, that links UMass Lowell, NYU, and West Virginia University in one testbed where real control, network, and security hardware closes the loop with a real-time grid simulation.

FUSION

The lab's open-source optical networking simulator, a shared benchmark for multi-band and space-division multiplexed networks, used across the lab's recent JOCN papers.

Smart grid cyber resilience

Intrusion detection, federated learning, and restoration planning for the grid's communication layer, with ONR, Army, and industry support.

Student spotlight, September 2026

Building the networks behind AI

Three journal articles in six months on how fiber-optic networks can keep up with AI, and an open-source platform the field can build on.

Latest

Newest papers

A. Rezaee, R. McCann, V. M. Vokkarane. FUSION: A Unified Benchmarking Framework for Reproducible Optical Network ResearchJournal, 2026, Tools and reproducibility
A. Rezaee, F. Arpanaei, R. McCann, H. Rabbani, J. Hernández, M. Brandt-Pearce, V. M. Vokkarane. QoT-Aware Dynamic Resource Allocation and Grooming in Multi-Band Space-Division Multiplexing NetworksJournal, 2026, Elastic and SDM optical networks
A. Rezaee, F. Arpanaei, R. McCann, L. Nadal, J. A. Hernández, V. M. Vokkarane. QoT-Aware Spectral and Spatial Scaling Trade-offs in Multi-Band Space Division Multiplexing over EONs [Invited]Journal, 2026, Elastic and SDM optical networks
H. Rabbani, A. Rezaee, F. Arpanaei, V. M. Vokkarane, M. Brandt-Pearce. On the Impact of Pulse Shaping for Optical Fiber NetworksJournal, 2026, Physical layer modeling

Newest awards

  • SUMMITNational Science Foundation, Major Research Instrumentation Track 2, $2.0M, Oct 2026 to Sep 2029
  • ARPO-Sensor FusionMassachusetts Technology Collaborative, Applied AI Models program, $625K, Oct 2026 to Sep 2027
  • BOND-AINextFlex, $1.0M, Oct 2026, 12 months
  • ARPOU.S. Army, $225K, Mar 2026 to Jul 2027

All projects · Insights across all 204 papers

The people

The director, students, and alumni

Where the work goes

The lab's 42 papers since 2019 are part of the center's record, and its full record back to 2002, 204 publications in 19 research threads, is read and summarized on the research record page. 7 awards are active, headed by SUMMIT.

Join the lab