Seeing the growth of biometrics in the growth of an ID research center

Hard as it might be to imagine today, scientists at Clarkson University’s Center for Identification Technology Research have over the years occasionally wondered if the industry was on the brink of solving ID tech’s puzzles.

That thought comes to mind as CITeR celebrates its 20th year researching identity science and biometrics. If the niche has not always been turbulent with challenges and innovations, it is now.

According to a post on Clarkson’s, the anniversary celebration included a keynote by university Professor Anil K. Jain of Michigan State University and presentations about CITeR’s ongoing biometric projects.

Its researchers have worked on cross-spectral facial recognition, noncontact fingerprint recognition, privacy, bias in face recognition, presentation attack detection and soft and novel biometrics.

Viewing just the last three years, CITeR research has included the development of technology such as single and differential morph detectors used to tackle face morphing, through which cyber fraudsters trick facial recognition systems with fake images.

The center also has been active in resolving fingerprint recognition accuracy for aging adults and iris recognition for children.

Most of CITeRs success has come through collaboration. Its 22 affiliates include government agencies and biometric and digital ID companies, among others.

“At points, we wondered whether this research would become a ‘solved’ problem,” says CITeR director Stephanie Schuckers.

Instead, the area has grown in fractal ways, presenting challenges that erupt and evolve quickly: spoof detection, biometric cryptography, altered finger detection, biometrics at a distance, biometric permanence, children’s biometrics and more.

Some of the industry’s puzzles have only recently become obvious, including, deepfakes and bias.

CITeR also has published educational videos to give the general public a better understanding of biometrics basics.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  biometrics research  |  CITeR  |  Clarkson University  |  digital identity  |  face morphing  |  facial recognition  |  presentation attack detection  |  privacy  |  Stephanie Schuckers