YongJei Lee, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology, and his team have been selected as recipients of the Cyber Florida at USF phaseZERO: Innovation Incubator Seed Fund Program. This initiative supports Florida-based researchers in developing and commercializing innovative cybersecurity solutions.
Lee serves as co-principal investigator on the project Artificial Intelligence Guardian for Education and Cybersecurity, which is led by Tingting Zhang, PhD, associate professor in the Muma College of Business. Their project aims to safeguard teenagers from online human trafficking threats in gaming and social media environments. The AI-powered platform would alert parents to potential human trafficking attempts. In addition, AI-Guardian aims to provide scalable solutions for schools and community programs using real-time behavior analysis and proactive intervention strategies.
The phaseZERO program provides selected startups with seed funding and strategic mentorship to accelerate their business development. Each recipient will receive $60,000 in funding, mentorship, and access to resources to refine their business strategies and accelerate market readiness. The phaseZERO initiative is part of Cyber Florida’s broader mission to strengthen the state’s cybersecurity ecosystem through education, research, and industry collaboration.
Notably, three of the four most recent phaseZero program recipient projects are affiliated with USF.