Haibo He is wasting no time shaking up the field of computer intelligence. In September 2013, the electrical engineering professor was named the recipient of the 2014 Outstanding Early Career Award from the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society, the field’s premier professional organization.

Judges sought “an outstanding young scientist or engineer,” who not only displayed innovative work in the field, but also proved its application in the real world. For Professor He, 37, that was easy.

Since arriving at the University in 2010, He has developed an expertise in designing algorithms, architectures and software to model brain-like intelligence. The professor then applies the research to real life applications such as modeling and preventing cyber and physical attacks to the nation’s power grid. The innovative “smart grid” research is piquing interest from grid operators and government officials worried that a terrorist attack or natural disaster could leave the country in the dark for days or weeks.

“We are focusing on computational intelligence research, a key field that will not only bring us closer to solving the grand challenge of developing truly brain-like intelligent systems, but will also provide innovative techniques and solutions for far-reaching applications such as smart grid, cyber physical systems, security, communication networks, sensor networks, robots, to name a few, ” He said.

His broader work in the field earned him a prestigious Early CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation, the Providence Business News recognized him as “Rising Star Innovator of the Year” in 2011  and he was recently named the Robert Haas Endowed Professor in Electrical Engineering. The professor has also published two books and has been highlighted by the NSF and delivered talks around the globe.

For He, the question is not what he will do next, but when.