Welcome Today I am the Director of the Center for Applied Information Technology at Towson University.

I joined the faculty in the Mathematics Department at Towson University in 1998. I earned my Ph.D. in mathematics from Northwestern University in 1995, studying conduction-convection problems with changes of phase under the guidance of Emmanuele DiBenedetto. After graduating, I held a two-year position at the University of Oklahoma, and then a one year position at the University of California, Santa Cruz, before coming to Towson.

When I arrived, I began work on a research project for the Applied Mathematics Laboratory. I was part of an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students that worked on the problem of using epidemiological models to model how a computer virus might spread through a corporate network. From 2000 through 2007, I was the director of the Applied Mathematics Laboratory here at Towson University.

My work in computer security has continued, and in 2005 I received a joint appointment in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences. I was appointed Director of the Center for Applied Information Technology in November 2007.

Research I am currently working on a number of research projects:

  • Since 2005, I have been working with students and the Applied Mathematics Laboratory on the geographic profiling problem. Stated loosely, this is the question of how, given the location of the crimes committed by a single offender, to determine an optimal search area for that offender's home base. This work has been supported by the National Institute of Justice.
  • I have also been working with Judith Miller (Georgetown University) on a meso-scale model of genetic drift. We model the the evolution of a polygenic trait under selection and drift. The equation models the contributions of a large but finite number of loci (genes) to the trait and at the same time allows the population trait mean to vary in a way that affects the strength of selection at individual loci; in this respect it differs from other population-genetic models that have been rigorously analyzed. We have proven existence, uniqueness and stability results for solutions of the system. We have also proven that the genetic variance in the system tends to zero in the long time limit, and related the dynamics of the trait mean to the variance. I am currently
  • I am working with my graduate students on a collection of intrusion detection projects.
  • Andrew Engel and I are leading an effort to create mathematical models that can be applied to the interaction between an attacker and a system administrator.

Recent Publications and Preprints

  • Mike O'Leary, The Mathematics of Geographic Profiling, (preprint). (pdf)
  • Mike O'Leary and Andrew Engel, A Game Theoretic Model for Information Security Incorporating Success and Evasion, (preprint). (pdf)
  • Judith R. Miller and Mike O'Leary, A diffusion model in population genetics with dynamic fitness, Journal of Differential Equations 225(2), June 2006, pp. 465-512. (.pdf) (Journal)
  • Mike O'Leary, A Laboratory Based Capstone Course in Computer Security for Undergraduates, in SIGCSE'06, March 3–5, 2006, Houston, Texas. (.pdf)
  • M. O’Leary, S. Azadegan, and J. Lakhani, Development of a Honeynet Laboratory: a Case Study, Proceedings of the 7th ACIS International Conference on Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Networking, and Parallel/Distributed Computing (Las Vegas NV, June 19-20, 2006), pp. 401-406 (.pdf) (Conference)
  • Shiva Azadegan, Michael O'Leary, Alexander Wijesinha, and Marius Zimand, Undergraduate Computer Security Education: A Report on our Experiences & Learning, Seventh Workshop on Education in Computer Security (WECS7), Monterey CA, January 2006. (.pdf) (Conference page)
  • Jane L. Wolfson and Mike O'Leary, Undergraduate Research and Civic Engagement: Tale of Two Programs, CUR Quarterly, CUR Quarterly, 26(2), December 2005, pp 70-73. (.pdf)
  • M. O'Leary Go With the Flow, in Demos with Positive Impact, D.R. Hill and L.F. Roberts eds., August 2005. Internet. (Home) (Project)

Courses In Spring 2008 I will be teaching:

  • MATH 496: Applied Mathematics Laboratory II
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