Natural ecosystems made up of plants, animals and microorganisms face constant challenges from natural hazards, like extreme weather or invasive species.

Despite these challenges, ecosystems have thrived for millions of years, showcasing high levels of resilience against hazards and disturbances. What if the mechanisms and patterns responsible for this prosperous resilience could be applied to the power grid?

Texas A&M University researchers have tested bio-inspired cyber-physical systems to strengthen the power grid to mitigate different types of cyber-attacks and understand their impacts.

Possible cyber threats to resource networks like the power grid include presentations of false information to data systems and information theft attempts, which can affect a network’s performance abilities.

“Ecosystems experience many of the same unexpected disturbances as human-made systems, like droughts and floods,” said Dr. Astrid Layton, an associate professor in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering and head of the Bio-inspired SystemS Lab (BiSSL).

“While ecosystems may be damaged by these hazards, they have the unique ability to survive these disturbances without wasteful levels of redundancies, not only at the ecosystem level, but on a species level as well—which is why we’re interested in cyber-physical power systems from this ecological perspective.”

As their name suggests, cyber-physical power systems are made up of both cyber and physical elements, referred to as components. Cyber components—like firewalls and routers—deal with digital information flows, while physical components—like buses and generators—process tangible energy flows. Despite their prevalence, the system’s complexity causes incomplete knowledge of how disturbances move through and impact a cyber-physical power system.

“It’s crucial for a system to not only survive the hard times, but to thrive during good times,” said Layton. “Using ecological models and the insight they give allows us to assess the cyber-physical interface, clarifying how the system can run more efficiently when there are no immediate threats while still understanding and minimizing damages when they do happen.”

The main goal of this project was to better understand the relationship between the cyber components and physical components that make up cyber-physical power systems. A stronger understanding of the system’s interface allows researchers to predict potential impacts of cyber-attacks on the physical components and physical attacks on the cyber components, informing policymakers and grid operators on how best to prepare for and operate during these threats.

Layton, an expert in bio-inspired systems design and analysis techniques, collaborated with Dr. Katherine Davis, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, who brings extensive power system knowledge. Layton and Davis have worked as collaborators since a 2018 Texas A&M Energy Institute seed grant.
Their combined knowledge of mechanical and electrical engineering makes them a great team for understanding and designing cyber-physical power systems for resilience.

Layton and Davis were also joined by their senior Ph.D. students Emily Payne and Shining Sun for the Sandia study. Payne, a mechanical engineering student, started working with Layton in the Bio-inspired SystemS Lab as an undergraduate architectural engineering student in 2022.

Sun, an electrical and computer engineering student, has worked with Davis since 2023. Both Payne and Sun have published several papers relating to this work and have presented their findings at conferences, each winning awards for their research.

“Part of the success of this project has been these engineering graduate students, Emily and Shining, who have excelled at the interdisciplinary aspects of the work in addition to the highly technical focus of the problem,” Layton said.

“My research in particular asks engineering students to read ecology papers, which are essentially a different language from engineering papers, and apply this to their research.”

The approach enables Layton to view engineering problems from an innovative perspective.

The Sandia National Laboratories project ended in September 2025, but the researchers are continuing to collaborate on their bio-inspired power systems.

Layton and Davis are set to participate in a collaborative study focusing on modeling the impacts of weather disturbances on the power grid.

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