Yuan Zhang

Yuan Zhang is a Professor in the School of Computer Science at Fudan University, where he co-directs the System Software and Security Laboratory. He is also the co-founder and coach of Fudan University's CTF team, Whitzard, which has participated in numerous international competitions. His academic journey includes earning a Ph.D. from Fudan University (2009-2014) and a B.Eng. from Nanjing University (2005-2009), progressing from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor and finally to Professor at Fudan University.

Dr. Zhang's research focuses on system security for widely-deployed critical targets, with current emphasis on open-source software, kernels, Android/Web platforms, firmware, LLM-based agents, and autonomous driving systems. His work spans vulnerability discovery/exploitation/mitigation, malware/attack detection, and privacy protection, utilizing interdisciplinary techniques such as Program Analysis, LLMs, and Machine/Deep Learning. His research demonstrates a consistent trajectory from traditional software security toward emerging AI-driven security challenges.

His recent publications (2024-2025) reveal a strong focus on novel security challenges in emerging technologies, particularly LLM-based systems and autonomous driving security, while maintaining expertise in traditional software security domains like Android, web applications, and firmware. His work combines practical vulnerability discovery with innovative detection methodologies, often achieving recognition through distinguished paper awards.

• Honorable Mention Award at USENIX Security 2025
• Distinguished Paper Award at IEEE S&P 2025
• ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award

Dr. Zhang actively contributes to the academic community through teaching courses including Principles of Reverse Engineering, System Security: Attacks & Defenses, and Emerging Attack & Defense Techniques. He serves on editorial boards for ACM Transactions on Security and Privacy and Cybersecurity, and participates in numerous top security conference program committees including USENIX Security, IEEE S&P, and ACM CCS. His laboratory, the System Software and Security Laboratory at Fudan University, focuses on practical security research with real-world impact, particularly in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI security.