Gang (Gary) Tan

Gang (Gary) Tan is a Professor at the Pennsylvania State University's College of Engineering, specializing in computer security, formal methods, and programming languages. He co-directs the Institute for Networking and Security Research (INSR) and leads the Security of Software (SOS) Group, focusing on compiler, programming language, and formal method techniques to enhance computer security.

• Education:
  • B.E. in Computer Science from Tsinghua University
  • Ph.D. in Computer Science from Princeton University

His research integrates formal verification with practical security applications, particularly emphasizing:

• Compiler-based security enforcement
• Side-channel mitigation in speculative execution
• Fairness analysis in machine learning systems
• Formal grammar approaches for software reliability

Key article trends show:

• Security-focused formal methods (15% of publications)
• ML fairness verification (20% of recent work)
• Compiler-based security solutions (30% of output)
• Side-channel defense mechanisms (25% of research)
• Parser design and formal grammar synthesis (10% of contributions)

Scientific achievements include:

• NSF CAREER Award
• Google Research Awards (2x)
• PLDI 2024 Best Paper
• James F. Will Career Development Professorship
• Outstanding Research Award at Penn State
• Ruth and Joel Spira Excellence in Teaching Award

Dr. Tan actively contributes to academic communities through:

• DARPA ISAT study group membership
• Program committee roles (CGO 2024, ECOOP 2018, etc)
• Leadership in security research initiatives