Research · Innovation · Security
Securing the Future
of Critical
Infrastructure
STEMR Inc. bridges advanced academic research and mission-critical industry solutions through AI-driven cybersecurity, cognitive computing, and research compliance.
External Funding Secured
Active SBIR/STTR Awards
Published Works
Year Founded
Funded by Leading Federal Agencies
About
STEMR Inc.
STEMR Inc., formerly STEM Resources LLC, is an SBA-certified research and development firm located in a federally designated Opportunity Zone, headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded in 2017 by Jessie Walker, PhD and his former students from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, the company represents the culmination of a career dedicated to bridging the gap between academic research and real-world technological solutions.
Our mission is twofold: to advance STEM education and to develop practical, scalable technology solutions that address critical challenges in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and national infrastructure. We transform the mentor-mentee relationship into a professional powerhouse, where the next generation of innovators lead the charge in turning research ideas into reality.
One-page overview for federal partners — UEI, CAGE, NAICS, past performance
AI-Driven Cybersecurity
Federated learning, intrusion detection, and threat intelligence for aviation, energy, and critical infrastructure.
Cognitive Computing
Augmented intelligence ecosystems that enhance human decision-making through NLP and knowledge mining.
Research Compliance
Frameworks and toolkits helping under-resourced institutions meet NIST, NSPM-33, and federal security mandates.
STEM Workforce Development
Curriculum design, mentoring programs, and K-16 training that have impacted thousands of students nationwide.
Our Journey
Milestones
From a university-born startup to a multi-award federal R&D firm — click any milestone to learn more.
Innovations &
Funded Projects
Our portfolio of competitively awarded SBIR, STTR, and NSF projects represents cutting-edge research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and national security.
MyFIDES
Mycelial Federated Intrusion Detection System
A decentralized, AI-driven cybersecurity framework for networked aircraft environments. MyFIDES leverages federated learning to train machine learning models directly on Electronic Flight Bags and Aircraft Interface Devices without transmitting sensitive operational data to a centralized server, enabling real-time anomaly detection in low-bandwidth aviation environments.
SolarSurveillance
Solar Photovoltaic Intrusion Detection
Addressing security and reliability issues of string inverters in solar photovoltaic systems through transfer learning-based intrusion detection. The system leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of intrusion detection, providing a more reliable solution for security in the solar energy sector.
AICSE
Augmented Intelligence & Cognitive Support Ecosystem
An AI-powered cognitive support ecosystem that enhances the capability of scholars and researchers in examining research topics, data, and scientific publications. The system provides a cross-platform user interface with natural language understanding, capable of ingesting structured and unstructured NASA data to deliver actionable insights.
SPARC
Strategic Planning for Advancing Research Compliance
A 24-month planning initiative developing a Research Security Planning Framework tailored to four-year colleges and community colleges with limited research compliance infrastructure. Integrating the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and organizational change theory, SPARC translates federal mandates into actionable guidance for under-resourced campuses.
Research &
Publications
STEMR Inc. is rooted in rigorous academic research. Our team has contributed to peer-reviewed journals and international conferences spanning cybersecurity, AI, cloud computing, and information science.
View Full Profile on Google ScholarArtificial Intelligence (AI) Powered Chatbots: Factors in Uptake Among Early Adopters
Aslib Journal of Information Management
A Study of COVID-19 Information Behaviors Among Black Americans
Proceedings of the Association for Information Science
Deep Learning Models for Opinion Mining Analysis
3rd International Conference on Electrical, Computer, Communications and Mechatronics Engineering
Solving Task Scheduling Problem in the Cloud Using a Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization Approach
International Journal of Applied Metaheuristic Computing
Data Intensive Scalable Infrastructure for Data-Driven Research: Big Data and Warehouse Architecture
IEEE SoutheastCon 2018
Hybrid Knowledge Mining Ecosystem
9th International Conference on Management of Digital EcoSystems (MEDES)
Our Team
STEMR Inc. is powered by a team of researchers, engineers, and strategists united by a shared commitment to advancing technology for the public good.
For over two decades, Dr. Walker has been guided by a dual mission: to solve the most complex computational challenges of our time and to empower the people who will shape our future. As Principal Investigator, he has secured over $10 million in external funding from agencies including NSF, DoD, DOE, NASA, and DHS. His research spans intrusion detection, AI-driven security analytics, cloud computing, and high-performance computational infrastructure.
External Funding as PI
Graduate Students Mentored
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Dr. Garlington brings deep expertise in cloud computing, data analysis, and information quality to STEMR Inc. With over 15 years of teaching experience in the Computer Science and Mathematics curriculum within the university system, he has been instrumental in developing student education, facility enhancements, and curriculum updates. As Co-Founder and CRO, he leads research strategy and oversees the execution of federally funded projects.
Years in Higher Education
Degrees Earned
NSF SPARC Grant
Extended Team
Marcia Townsend
Director of Cybersecurity Engineering
Leads the technical architecture for STEMR's intrusion detection and federated learning systems. Specializes in network security for critical infrastructure with prior experience at Sandia National Laboratories and Raytheon.
David Okonkwo
Senior AI Research Scientist
Drives machine learning model development across STEMR's portfolio, from transfer learning for solar grid security to NLP pipelines for cognitive support ecosystems. Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech.
Rachel Whitfield
Director of Grants & Compliance
Manages the full lifecycle of federal grant proposals and post-award compliance. Brings 12 years of experience navigating SBIR/STTR, NSF, and DoD funding mechanisms across multiple research institutions.
Andrea Mitchell
Lead Software Engineer
Architects and builds the software platforms that power STEMR's research prototypes, from cloud-native microservices to real-time data processing pipelines. Previously at IBM Research and Lockheed Martin.
Research Partnerships
Get in
Touch
Interested in partnering with STEMR Inc. on federal R&D, cybersecurity consulting, or STEM education initiatives? We welcome inquiries from government agencies, academic institutions, and industry partners.