In the age of intelligent machines and automated cities, trust has become the most valuable currency. Not just trust in leaders or policies, but trust in the systems that run our world, from the industrial robots that manufacture goods to the algorithms that manage our transportation, finances, and public services. At the heart of this digital transformation is Sikirat Damilola Mustapha, a U.S.-based cybersecurity and AI researcher whose voice is rising steadily in academic and policy circles. Her work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, critical infrastructure protection, smart city security, and responsible digital governance.
Sikirat is part of a growing cohort of thinkers who are not satisfied with simply making systems faster or smarter. For her, the real test of innovation is whether it serves people and whether it does so securely, ethically, and inclusively. With over 15 high-impact papers and collaborations across multiple continents, she is quietly becoming a critical figure in shaping how tomorrow’s technologies are developed and governed.
In this feature, we sit down with Sikirat for a deep conversation about her journey, her research, and the vision she is bringing to the United States.
“My work tries to integrate systems, physical and digital, in a way that prioritizes security, usability, and public accountability,” she begins, seated in her modest workspace surrounded by system diagrams, research journals, and architecture models. “We can’t just build fast. We have to build responsibly.”
Her research reads like a blueprint for the digital society of the future. One of her most widely discussed contributions is a collaborative framework for AI-driven intrusion detection in smart manufacturing networks. In this project, Sikirat and her colleagues tackled one of the most persistent threats to industrial innovation: cybersecurity breaches in production systems.
“We’re talking about environments where milliseconds matter,” she explains. “A breach in a smart factory could cause delays, damage, or worse, safety hazards. So, we developed a machine learning system that doesn’t just detect intrusions. It learns the patterns of authorized behavior and flags anything outside that scope in real time.”
The implications of this work are substantial. As industries digitize and automate at scale, their vulnerability to cyberattacks grows. Sikirat’s framework equips them with early detection tools that are smart enough to evolve with the systems they protect.
From factories to firmware, her work on automated vulnerability detection in industrial IoT devices has further broadened the scope of cybersecurity discourse. Industrial IoT is widely used in sectors like energy, water, and logistics, but the devices themselves are often produced with minimal onboard protection.
“Imagine a valve controller that’s connected to a network but hasn’t been updated in two years,” she says. “Hackers can get in through that one weak link. So, we designed a system that can scan, detect, and recommend firmware hardening techniques automatically. The goal is to make each device a self-aware component of a larger defense structure.”
That kind of embedded intelligence is a recurring theme in Sikirat’s work. Her research into blockchain-integrated zero trust identity management for smart cities and IoT networks addresses the foundation of how trust is built in digital environments.
“In a smart city, everything is connected, buses, utilities, emergency services, even waste management,” she explains. “If one access point is compromised, it can cascade into larger failures. So we use blockchain to verify identity and authorization without relying on centralized databases. It’s trust built into the system itself.”
Sikirat’s research is not all technical models and algorithms. She has also conducted behavioral studies on driver comprehension of traffic signs in Ilorin, Nigeria, revealing just how wide the gap can be between infrastructure design and public understanding.
“The signs were there, but many drivers couldn’t explain what they meant,” she says. “Some confused yield with stop. Others ignored one-way signs completely. That shows us that infrastructure must be user-centered. Design only works if people understand and trust it.”
Her findings are now being referenced in regional planning strategies and used as a foundation for smarter urban design. The approach combines engineering principles with public psychology, making her work especially relevant in emerging cities experiencing rapid growth.
In the realm of enterprise data systems and cloud computing, Sikirat has co-developed a model for real-time data synchronization across multi-cloud environments. As organizations increasingly rely on hybrid infrastructure, the challenge of maintaining data consistency, security, and compliance becomes more critical.
“Let’s say a healthcare provider stores patient records on one platform and lab imaging data on another. If those systems aren’t synced correctly, it can lead to errors that affect patient outcomes. Our model ensures that data remains accurate, compliant, and protected no matter where it travels.”
She has also co-authored architecture models for cloud-native development in highly regulated sectors. These frameworks help companies balance agility with control and are especially relevant to financial services, telecom, and government systems.
Perhaps the most forward-looking and widely cited area of Sikirat’s work is her contribution to responsible AI integration. In one of her recent collaborations, she developed a governance framework for deploying AI in public-facing services. The model emphasizes algorithmic fairness, transparency, and public oversight.
“AI is being used in high-stakes environments, benefits applications, healthcare diagnostics, even immigration processing. Without guardrails, these systems can deepen inequality,” she warns. “Our model helps ensure that AI is not only functional but fair.”
That research has gained traction among public agencies and NGOs concerned with algorithmic bias. By providing practical tools for ethical AI deployment, Sikirat is helping institutions bridge the gap between innovation and public accountability.
She has also turned her attention to enterprise-level cybersecurity in North America, helping develop a holistic cyber risk assessment model for U.S. and Canadian organizations. This model doesn’t just focus on technical vulnerability. It incorporates human behavior, compliance exposure, reputational risk, and strategic impact.
“Cybersecurity is not just about firewalls,” she says. “It’s about understanding how people interact with systems, how policies are enforced, and how quickly threats can spread. Our model gives decision-makers a full picture of their exposure so they can act before it’s too late.”
What makes Sikirat’s portfolio even more impressive is the breadth of topics she tackles without losing depth. In addition to her work on security and governance, she has contributed to studies on API ecosystems, low-code or no-code platform development, and gender equity in digital product access.
“All of it comes back to inclusion,” she notes. “We can’t build systems for only the top ten percent. We need platforms that scale across gender, class, education, and region. Inclusion is not a feature. It’s a foundation.”
With this extraordinary range of contributions, the natural question becomes what does she hope to bring to the United States?
“I’m bringing applied models that align with national priorities,” she answers. “Cybersecurity resilience, AI governance, cloud infrastructure modernization, and digital public service reform. But I’m also bringing a values-driven mindset, collaboration, transparency, inclusion.”
Sikirat’s work supports federal goals in infrastructure security, ethical technology deployment, and smart city planning. Her expertise is already relevant to U.S. agencies tasked with strengthening critical systems and safeguarding data integrity.
In addition to research, she sees herself contributing to education, workforce development, and public engagement. “Mentorship is important to me. I want to support the next generation of engineers and analysts. Not just by publishing papers, but by helping others build meaningful careers in this space.”
When asked about her vision for long-term impact, Sikirat is direct. “I want to be part of building systems that people can trust, systems that are secure, transparent, and serve a public purpose.”
As the conversation winds down, one question remains. What sustains her in such a fast-moving, high-stakes field?
She pauses before responding. “It’s the belief that we can build better. That our tools don’t have to harm or divide. That with the right intentions and the right designs, we can use technology to protect, uplift, and connect.”
In a world that increasingly depends on the reliability of its digital infrastructure, the work of researchers like Sikirat Damilola Mustapha offers not only technical advancement but a moral compass. She reminds us that systems can be fast and fair, that cities can be smart and secure, and that innovation can be powerful and principled at the same time.
With each framework, each model, and each insight, Sikirat is laying the foundation for a more intelligent future, one in which trust is earned, not assumed, and where technology serves not just the powerful, but everyone.
