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Laura Freeman

Director, Intelligent Systems Division – National Security Institute
  • Research Associate Professor, Statistics Department

Education

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

  • Ph.D. Statistics, 2010
    • Thesis: Statistical Methods for Reliability Data from Designed Experiments
  • M.S. Statistics, 2006
  • B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Minor: Mathematics, 2005

Awards & Honors

  • 2019  International Test and Evaluation Association Cross Award
  • 2019  International Test and Evaluation Association Publication Award
  • 2018  Welch Award Finalist for Best External Publication, IDA
  • 2017  Andrew J. Goodpaster Award for Excellence in Research, IDA
  • 2015  Welch Award Finalist for Best External Publication, IDA
  • 2014  Welch Award Finalist for Best External Publication, IDA
  • 2014  Best Paper Award - International Test and Evaluation Association
  • 2013  Junior Achiever Award - International Test and Evaluation Association
  • 2011  American Society for Quality, 40 New Voices of Quality Award
  • 2011  NASA Engineering and Safety Center Group Achievement Award
  • 2010  Mary G. and Joseph Natrella Scholarship
  • 2009-2010  Virginia Space Grant Consortium, Graduate Research Fellowship Recipient
  • 2008-2010  Amelia Earhart Fellow
  • 2009  Graduate Woman of the Year, Virginia Tech
  • 2005-2008  Department of Homeland Security Fellow

Professional Memberships

  • International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA)
  • National Defense Industrial Association
  • American Statistical Association
  • American Society for Quality

 

  • Experimental Design considerations in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity Analytics
  • Reliability Analysis
  • Statistical Engineering
  • Freeman, L.J., Dickinson, R., and Johnson, T. “Challenges and New Methods for Design Reliability Experiments” Accepted for publication in Quality Engineering.
  • Dickinson, R., Freeman, L.J., Kensler, J., Vining, G. “Analysis of a Split-Plot Reliability Experiment with Subsampling.” Accepted for publication in Quality Reliability Engineering International.
  • Johnson, T., Dickinson, R., Freeman, L.J. “Power Approximations for Failure-Time Regression Models.” Accepted for publication in Quality Reliability Engineering International.
  • Johnson, T.H., Medlin, R.M., Freeman, L.J. “On Scoping a Test that Addresses the Wrong Objective.” Quality Engineering(2018), 1-10.
  • Avery, M., Avery, K., Freeman, L.J. “Statistical Methods for Defense Testing.” Wiley Statistics Reference Online (2018).
  • Freeman, L.J. and Warner C. “Informing the Warfighter – Why Statistical Methods Matter in Defense Testing.” (2018) Chance Magazine 31 (2), 4-11.
  • Freeman L. J., Johnson, T., Avery, M., Lillard, V., Clutter, J. “Testing Defense Systems.” Analytic Methods in Systems and Software Testing. 2018, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Editors: Kenett , R., Ruggeri, F., Faltin, F. 439-487.
  • Johnson, T., Freeman, L.J., Simpson, J. & Anderson, C. “Power Approximations for Generalized Linear Models using the Signal-to-Noise Transformation Method.” Quality Engineering (2017), 1-14.
  • Fronczyk, K. & Freeman, L.J. “Improving Reliability Estimates with Bayesian Statistics.” ITEA Journal of Test & Evaluation(2016) Vol. 37 (4).
  • Avery, M., Orndorff, M., Robinson, T., & Freeman, L.J. “Regularization for Continuously Observed Ordinal Response Variables with Piecewise‐constant Functional Covariates.” Quality and Reliability Engineering International (2016) 32(6), 2033-2042.
  • Vining, G.G., Freeman, L.J., & Kensler, J. “An Overview of Designing Experiments for Reliability Data.” Frontiers in Statistical Quality Control 11.  2015, Springer International Publishing. Editors: Knoth, S., Wolfgang, S. 321-336.
  • Dickinson, R.; Freeman, L.J., Simpson, B., Wilson, A. “Statistical Methods for Combining Information: Stryker Family of Vehicles Reliability Case Study.” Journal of Quality Technology (2015) 47 (4), 400-415.
  • Johnson, T.H.; Freeman, L.J.; Hester, J.; Bell, J.L., “A Comparison of Ballistic ResistanceTesting Techniques in the Department of Defense.” IEEE Access (2014), 1442-1455.
  • Kensler, J., Freeman. L.J., and G.G. Vining, “A Practitioner’s Guide to Analyzing Reliability Experiments with Random Blocks and Subsampling.” Quality Engineering (2014) Vol. 26 (3), 359-369.
  • Freeman, L.J., Ryan, A., Kensler, J., Dickinson, R., Vining, G. “A Tutorial on the Planning of Experiments.” Quality Engineering(2013) Vol. 24 (4), 315-332.
  • Freeman, L.J., Vining, G.G., “Reliability Data Analysis for Life Test Designed Experiments with Sub-Sampling.” Quality Reliability Engineering International (2013) Vol. 29 (4), 509-519.
  • Freeman, L.J., “A Cautionary Tale: Small Sample Size Concerns for Grouped Lifetime Data.” Quality Engineering (2011) Vol. 23, 134-141.
  • Olteanu, D., Freeman, L.J., “The Evaluation of Median Rank Regression and Maximum Likelihood Estimation Techniques for a Two-Parameter Weibull Distribution.” Quality Engineering (2010) Vol. 22 (4), 256-272.
  • Freeman, L.J., Vining, G.G., “Reliability Data Analysis for Life Test Experiments with Sub-Sampling” Journal of Quality Technology (2010) Vol. 42, Number 3.
  • Kemper, A.R.., McNally, Pullins, C.A., Freeman, L.J., and Stefan M. Duma. “The Biomechanics of Human Ribs.” Stapp Car Crash Journal (2007), Vol. 51
  • 2020 – 2023 Senior Military College, Cyber Institute (PI, $4.3M)
  • 2020 – 2023 Acquisition Innovation Research Center (PI, combined $2.75M)
  • 2020 – 2023 Secure Virtual Environment for Cyber Resiliency Validation (PI, $337k)
  • 2021 – 2022 Graduate Student Research Program on Artificial Intelligence Enabled Technologies, Deloitte (PI, $400k)
  • 2021 – 2022 AI Model Certification and Operational Environments, CMU (PI, $631k)
  • 2021 – 2022 Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Microsoft (PI, $100k)
  • 2021 – 2022 Multi-Domain Battlespace Census, Lockheed Martin Corporation (Co-PI, $100k)
  • 2021 – 2022 Defense Acquisition University: Mission Engineering, VT-ARC (PI, $65k)
  • 2021 – 2022 Advanced Multi-Variate Time Series Analytic Techniques, Peraton (PI, $522k)
  • 2021 – 2022 Test Methods for Autonomy and Cybersecurity, Alion Science and Technology (PI, $200k)
  • 2021 – 2022 Defense Acquisition University: Digital Engineering Simulation, SERC (Co-PI, $346k)
  • 2020 – 2022 DoD Cyber Scholarship Program & Capacity Building
    ▪ 2021 Scholarship Program (Co-PI, $845k)
    ▪ 2021 Capacity Building Program (PI, $149k)
    ▪ 2020 Scholarship Program (Co-PI, $472k)
    ▪ 2020 Capacity Building Program (PI, $296k)
  • 2020 – 2021 Raytheon Cyber Fellowship Program (Co-PI, $2.4M, 5% Credit)
  • 2020 – 2020 Millimeter Waveforms for Tactical Networks, STTR (PI, $50k)
  • 2020 – 2020 MITRE University Innovation Exchange, Artificial Intelligence Model Certification in Operating Environments (PI, $200k w/ODU/UVA, VT share $66k)
  • 2020 – 2020 MITRE University Innovation Exchange, Human Agent Teams (PI, $60k w/UVA, VT share $30k)
  • 2019 – 2020 Performance Measures, Environments, Actuators, Sensors for Cognitive Agents, Systems Engineering Research Center, NRO (PI, $300k w/Purdue, VT share $125k)
  • 2019 – 2021 Maven Test and Evaluation (PI, $750k)
  • 2019 – 2020 Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Threat Beacon, Virginia Tech - Applied Research Corporation (PI, $2.5M)
  • 2019 – 2020 Enhancing Cybersecurity Research, NSF, Security and Software Engineering Research Center (PI, $325k)
  • 2019 – 2020 Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Comprehensive National Incident Management System Support (PI, $3.5M)
  • 2019 – 2019 Verification and Validation Test and Evaluation Competencies, System Engineering Research Center (PI, $21k)
  • 2018 - 2019 DoD Chief Management Office, Test and Evaluation Reform (PI, $315k)
  • 2017 – 2018 Statistics and Data Science Cross-Divisional Research and Working Group, IDA Corporate Research Program, $185k (PI)
  • 2015 – 2018 Defense and Aerospace Test and Analysis Techniques Workshop, IDA Corporate Research Program, $200k (PI)
  • 2014 – 2017 Statistics and Data Science Cross-Divisional Research and Working Group, IDA Corporate Research Program, $580k (PI)
  • 2012 – 2017 Director Operational Test and Evaluation, Test Science Applications (PI, $6.3M)
  • 2012 – 2017 Director Operational Test and Evaluation, Test Science Research (PI, $2.5M)
Laura Freeman

Director, Intelligent Systems Division – National Security Institute

  • Research Associate Professor, Statistics Department

6-322
900 N. Glebe Rd. 
Arlington, VA 22203

Laura Freeman's CV