Zakir Durumeric is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, leading the Stanford Empirical Security Research Group. His research focuses on Internet security, trust, and safety, emphasizing large-scale network measurement and open-source tool development. He founded Censys, a platform providing global Internet device data, and maintains tools like ZMap, ZGrab, and Retina. Research interests include cybercrime prevention, censorship analysis, disinformation tracking, and platform governance for online harassment. Notable contributions include studies on the Mirai botnet, TLS certificate ecosystems, and vulnerabilities like Heartbleed and Logjam. Awards include the IRTF Applied Networking Research Prize (2015) and a Test of Time Award (2022). Teaches courses: CS155 (Computer & Network Security), CS356 (Systems & Network Security), and CS249i (Modern Internet). Advises over 20 students, including Catherine Han, Kimberly Ruth, and Liz Izhikevich. Develops open-source software such as ZMap Toolkit and ASdb, and maintains datasets like CrUX Top Million Websites. Recent work explores toxic online behavior, misinformation ecosystems, and regional censorship mechanisms in China. His lab’s tools are widely adopted in academia and industry for security research and policy guidance.
Md Sakib Hasan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Mississippi. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (2017). His research focuses on hardware acceleration, neuromorphic computing, and memristor-based systems. Research interests span: AI hardware accelerators and energy-efficient computing Biomimetic systems and bio-inspired electronics Hardware security through chaotic systems and PUFs Recent publications demonstrate strong emphasis on: Neuromorphic architectures for computer vision and temporal processing Biomembrane-based computing systems Chaotic cryptography and secure hardware design
Jeyavijayan 'JV' Rajendran is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, part of the College of Engineering. He is an ASCEND Fellow and leads the Secure and Trustworthy Hardware (SETH) Lab. His research focuses on hardware security, computer security, and novel applications of AI in secure hardware design. Education: PhD in Electrical Engineering (NYU 2015), MS in Computer Engineering (NYU Tandon 2010), BE in Electronics and Communication Engineering (Anna University 2008). Research Interests: Hardware Security, Computer Security, Logic Locking, Hardware IP Protection, and Reinforcement Learning for Security. He explores AI-driven approaches to detect vulnerabilities, protect intellectual property, and enhance secure hardware design through fuzzing, obfuscation, and formal verification. Notable Awards: 2022 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, 2021 IEEE CEDA Ernest Kuh Early Career Award, 2017 NSF CAREER Award. Lab and Teams: The SETH Lab focuses on trustworthy hardware design, developing techniques to secure integrated circuits against reverse engineering and IP theft. Current projects include LLM-based hardware code generation, formal approaches for hardware fuzzing, and AI-driven vulnerability detection.
Maurizio Martina is a Full Professor at the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications (DET) of Politecnico di Torino. He is a member of the Interdepartmental Center PEIC - Power Electronics Innovation Center and serves as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I (2018-2023). His research focuses include: Digital circuits and signal processing Machine learning hardware architectures RISC-V extensions and post-quantum cryptography VLSI design for edge computing and IoT Recent publications emphasize cryptographic hardware implementations (CHIMERA, Keccak co-processors), RISC-V integration methodologies, and privacy-preserving neural network frameworks. His work spans VLSI architectures for video processing, bio-inspired electronics, and error correcting codes, with applications in cybersecurity, robotics, and biomedical systems. Scientific Recognition : Premio Nazionale Innovazione (2013) Premio dei Premi (2014) He supervises 12 PhD students across cycles 35-40 in Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering, including: Valeria Piscopo (2024-in progress) Alessandra Dolmeta (2022-in progress) Luigi Giuffrida (2022-in progress) Walid Walid (2019-2023) As part of the VLSILAB Group , his research explores hardware accelerators for machine learning, post-quantum cryptography on RISC-V, and bio-inspired embedded systems. Teaching activities include courses on Integrated Systems Architecture and Hardware & Wireless Security at Politecnico di Torino and Università di Pavia.
Angshuman Karmakar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India. His research focuses primarily on Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Computation On Encrypted Data (COED), which are critical areas in modern cryptography and computer security. Dr. Karmakar received his Ph.D. from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium, where he worked under Prof. Ingrid Verbauwhede in the COSIC research group. He was awarded the prestigious Erasmus Mundus fellowship for his doctoral studies and the FWO (Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek – Vlaanderen) fellowship for his post-doctoral research at KU Leuven. His research spans theoretical development of cryptographic schemes, implementation algorithms, side-channel and fault attack analysis, and countermeasure development. Dr. Karmakar has established extensive international collaborations with researchers and engineers worldwide to address complex challenges in cryptography and security. Recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on practical post-quantum cryptographic implementations with particular attention to hardware and software efficiency, side-channel resistance, and novel attack methodologies. His work bridges theoretical cryptography with real-world implementation challenges across diverse platforms from IoT devices to high-performance computing systems. Erasmus Mundus fellowship for doctoral studies at KU Leuven FWO fellowship for post-doctoral study at KU Leuven Google India Research Award for work on practical transition to post-quantum cryptography Dr. Karmakar is actively seeking graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to collaborate on cutting-edge research in cryptography and computer security. His work has significant implications for securing future communication systems against quantum computing threats, with applications spanning blockchain technologies, IoT security, and general-purpose computing systems.
Wenfeng Zhao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Binghamton University. He holds a PhD from the National University of Singapore (2014) and BS/MS degrees from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (2007-2009). Prior to this role, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Minnesota's Biomedical Engineering Department. His research focuses on neural engineering, compressed sensing, ultra-low-power VLSI systems, and in-memory computing. Key areas include hardware security, biomedical signal processing, and energy-efficient computing architectures. His work spans applications in neural interfaces, cryptographic hardware, and IoT edge devices. Recent publications highlight advancements in block-cipher-in-memory architectures, emotion recognition via EEG analysis, and energy-efficient FPGA accelerators for neural networks. His research also addresses challenges in cryogenic memory systems and MRI-compatible neural recording devices. Zhao's contributions emphasize interdisciplinary approaches at the intersection of hardware design, signal processing, and cybersecurity. His lab develops novel solutions for low-power embedded systems and trustworthy IoT infrastructure.
Farinaz Koushanfar is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego (UCSD) . She holds the Siavouche Nemat-Nasser Endowed Chair and serves as Founding Co-Director of the Center for Machine-Intelligence, Computing and Security . Her affiliations include NSF Trust-Hub (Co-PI) and NSF TILOS AI Institute . She also serves on the Editorial Board of The Proceedings of the IEEE . Research Focus: Prof. Koushanfar leads research in secure and efficient computing , including robust/safe AI , hardware/system security , AI-based optimization , and cryptographically secure privacy-preserving computing . Her work pioneered logic obfuscation/locking for chip security, automated co-design of AI systems , watermarking/tracing of deep learning models , and physical proofs of provenance . She explores co-design with cryptographic constructs for privacy preservation and manages nonlinearities in ciphertext domains. Article Trends: Recent publications show expertise in neural watermarking (deepfakes, media authentication), zero-knowledge proof frameworks , Trojan attack defenses in ML models, secure federated learning , and hardware acceleration of cryptographic protocols . Her work combines machine learning , cryptography , and physical design security across 2022-2025 publications. Scientific Awards: Fellow of ACM Fellow of IEEE Fellow of National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellow of Kavli Foundation of NAS Inducted to NAI 2024 Fellows Advising & Leadership: She has advised multiple PhD students who became faculty at top universities (e.g., Stanford, Purdue). She chairs conferences like ACM WiSec 2024 and co-led the NSF SaTC decadal review. Her lab ( ACES Lab ) produces award-winning graduates like Bita Rouhani (DAC Under-40 Innovators) and Shehzeen Hussain (UCSD Best Dissertation Award).
Chris Peikert is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan's College of Engineering. He received his Ph.D. from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in 2006 under the supervision of Silvio Micali. Peikert is a leading researcher in cryptography, particularly known for his foundational work in lattice-based cryptography. His research interests span cryptography, lattices, coding theory, algorithms, and computational complexity, with a particular focus on cryptographic schemes whose security can be based on the apparent intractability of lattice problems. Peikert has made significant contributions to the development and analysis of lattice-based cryptographic primitives, including ring-LWE, fully homomorphic encryption, and zero-knowledge proofs. Peikert's recent work demonstrates continued leadership in post-quantum cryptography, with publications in top venues like CRYPTO, EUROCRYPT, and STOC. His research spans theoretical foundations of lattice problems to practical implementations of lattice-based cryptographic systems, including hardware acceleration for fully homomorphic encryption. IACR Fellow (2024) Test-of-Time Award from Crypto 2008 (2023) TCC Test-of-Time Award (2017) Patrick C. Fischer Development Professor of Theoretical Computer Science (2017) Best Paper Award at Eurocrypt 2010 Best Paper Award at STOC 2009 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship Google Research Award Peikert has been actively involved in the cryptographic research community, serving on program committees for major conferences including CRYPTO, EUROCRYPT, FOCS, and TCC (where he was program co-chair in 2021). He has also developed educational resources, including extensive lecture materials on lattice-based cryptography and teaching courses on cryptography and theoretical computer science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Aydin Aysu is an Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, North Carolina State University. His research focuses on hardware-based security , applied cryptography , and computer architecture , with an emphasis on secure systems to counter advanced cyber threats. Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech (2016) M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Sabanci University, Turkey (2010) B.S. in Microelectronics Engineering, Sabanci University, Turkey (2008) Aysu’s work addresses hardware vulnerabilities through secure design automation, side-channel attack mitigation, and next-generation cryptographic systems. His research extends to AI/ML security , FPGA security , and quantum-resistant cryptography . Notable scientific awards include: NSF CAREER Award (2020) University Faculty Scholars (2024) Bennett Faculty Fellow Award (2020) Best Paper Awards at DATE Conference (2020), ACM GLSVLSI (2019), and others Aysu leads the Hardware Cybersecurity Research Lab (HECTOR) , focusing on pre-silicon security analysis, secure accelerator sharing, and societal impacts of cybersecurity. He actively mentors Ph.D. students and collaborates on funded research projects like the SATC: CORE: SMALL grant.
Frank Stajano is a Full Professor of Security and Privacy at the University of Cambridge, leading the Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research. He is a Fellow of Trinity College, where he collaborates with Nobel laureates. His research focuses on security, privacy, and usability in ubiquitous computing, IoT, and digital finance. He holds a PhD from Cambridge and a Laurea in Electronic Engineering from La Sapienza University. Frank's work includes the Pico project (ERC-funded), aiming to replace passwords with secure, usable alternatives. He co-founded Cambridge Cyber, offering cybersecurity consulting. Notable achievements include the Resurrecting Duckling authentication protocol and contributions to location privacy (Mix Zones). He has authored over 50 refereed publications and a research monograph on ubiquitous computing security. His awards include the Toshiba Fellowship (2000) and an ERC Starting Grant (2017). Frank teaches cybersecurity and lectures globally via his YouTube channel. Beyond academia, he is a 5th-dan kendo practitioner and a scholar of Disney comics.
Siddharth Garg is the Institute Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, leading the EnSuRe Research Group. He holds a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University (2009) and a B.Tech. from IIT Madras. His research focuses on secure and energy-efficient computing systems, integrating machine learning, cybersecurity, and hardware design. He previously held roles as Assistant Professor at NYU Tandon (2014-2020) and the University of Waterloo (2010-2014). Key affiliations include NYU Center for Cybersecurity (CCS), NYU Wireless, and the Center for Advanced Technology in Telecommunications. His work has been recognized with prestigious awards like the NSF CAREER Award (2015) and inclusion in Popular Science’s 'Brilliant 10' (2016). Notable research includes private inference optimization, secure hardware IP protection, and adversarial machine learning defenses. Publications highlight advancements in zero-knowledge proofs, AI-driven chip design, and mitigating backdoor attacks in neural networks. His grants include funding from NYU Wireless and NSF initiatives like the Chips4All project. The EnSuRe group emphasizes bridging software and hardware design gaps using AI and fostering cybersecurity education.
Jiafeng (Harvest) Xie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Villanova University, where he directs the Security and Cryptography (SAC) Lab. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and has prior faculty experience at Wright State University. His research focuses on cryptographic engineering, post-quantum cryptography, hardware security, and digital design for telemetry systems. Education includes a Ph.D. from University of Pittsburgh (2013-2014), M.E. from Central South University (2007-2010), and B.E. from Yanshan University (2002-2006). He has received prestigious awards like the 2024 IEEE Philadelphia Engineer of the Year Award and the 2023 Art Ryan Award. His work spans over 66 peer-reviewed publications, with a focus on hardware acceleration for post-quantum cryptographic systems. Research interests include post-quantum cryptographic engineering, fully homomorphic encryption, fault detection methodologies, and digitalization of aeronautical telemetry systems. His grants include NSF SaTC and NIST-funded projects. Teaching includes courses like Embedded Systems and Post-Quantum Computing . Current advisees include Ph.D. students Pengzhou He, Tianyou Bao, and Yazheng Tu, along with several M.S. and undergraduate researchers. The SAC Lab collaborates with AFRL and explores novel cryptographic hardware designs, with recent breakthroughs in compact accelerators for lattice-based cryptography and approximate homomorphic encryption. His work emphasizes algorithm-architecture co-design for security and efficiency in emerging computing systems.
Prof. Tim Güneysu is a full Professor and Head of the Security Engineering department at the Faculty of Computer Science, Ruhr-Universität Bochum. He serves as Vice Dean for Strategy and Finances (since 2023) and previously as Speaker of the Horst-Görtz Institute for IT-Security (2020-2023). His academic journey includes roles as Associate Professor at the University of Bremen (2015-2017) and Assistant Professor at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (2011-2015). He also holds positions at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and has conducted postdoctoral research at UMass Amherst. His research focuses on Security-by-Design principles, CAD for Security, and countermeasures against physical attacks. He emphasizes efficient cryptographic implementations and system-level hardware security. Key areas include post-quantum cryptography, side-channel resistant designs, and secure embedded systems. He has contributed over 200 publications in top venues, with recent work on FPGA-based cryptographic accelerators, secure hardware extensions (e.g., KeyVisor), and post-quantum algorithms for IoT. His research themes include agile signature acceleration, fault attack mitigation, and hardware-software co-design for security. Notable projects include CONVOLVE (edge-AI security) and QuantumRISC (quantum-safe systems). His work bridges theoretical cryptography with practical hardware implementations, emphasizing real-world security applications.
Dr. Ciara Rafferty is a Senior Lecturer at Queen's University Belfast's School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, affiliated with the Centre for Secure Information Technologies. She leads research in advanced cryptography, focusing on post-quantum systems, homomorphic encryption, and hardware acceleration. Her work includes quantum-safe cryptography projects like the UK Quantum Communications Hub and AQuASeC (Innovate UK). She co-teaches CSC2056 - Systems Security and Cryptography and actively supervises PhD students. Dr. Rafferty is a Senior Member of IEEE and an EPSRC SPRITE+ Expert Fellow. Research Interests: Homomorphic Encryption Post-Quantum Cryptography Cryptographic Hardware Architectures Privacy-Preserving Technologies Side-Channel Attack Mitigation Key Projects: UK Quantum Communications Hub (Phase 2) SAFEcrypto (H2020 Project) AQuASeC (Toshiba Europe-funded) SEQURED (Rolls Royce-funded) Awards: Senior Member of IEEE EPSRC SPRITE+ Expert Fellow Advising & Grants: PhD Supervision: Shabnam K (Secure Cloud Computation) Funding: EPSRC, Innovate UK, Industry Partners Lab/Teams: Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), collaborating on hardware-accelerated cryptography and quantum-safe systems.
Baris Kasikci is an Associate Professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington. Previously (2017-2023), he was a Morris Wellman Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on building efficient and trustworthy computer systems through innovative combinations of approaches from systems, computer architecture, and programming languages. Dr. Kasikci received his PhD in Computer Science at EPFL and has held research positions at Microsoft Research Cambridge, Google, Intel, and VMware. His work addresses critical challenges in system reliability, security, and performance in increasingly complex software ecosystems. His research interests center on improving the efficiency of datacenter applications and machine learning systems, analyzing and fixing failures, and enhancing hardware security. His lab develops techniques for automated bug detection, formal verification of distributed systems, and building systems support for heterogeneous hardware architectures. Recent projects include Whisper (profile-guided branch misprediction elimination), Huron (taming false sharing), and Agamotto (automatic detection and repair of bugs in persistent memory applications). Analysis of his recent publications shows a strong trend toward optimizing large language model serving, hardware security, and performance optimization for modern heterogeneous architectures. His work bridges traditional systems research with emerging AI infrastructure needs, particularly in efficient LLM serving, security vulnerabilities in modern hardware, and performance optimization for heterogeneous computing environments. NSF CAREER award Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship Intel Rising Star Award VMware Early Career Faculty Grant Google Faculty Award Roger Needham PhD Award (best PhD thesis in computer systems in Europe) Patrick Denantes Memorial Prize (best PhD thesis at EPFL) Best Paper Award at OSDI'18 Best Paper Award at MICRO'22 Dr. Kasikci has advised numerous PhD students who have gone on to prestigious positions in academia and industry, including Tanvir Ahmed Khan (Assistant Professor at Columbia University), Akshitha Sriraman (Assistant Professor at CMU), and Jiacheng Ma (AMD). His research has been supported by significant grants from NSF, DARPA, Intel, Google, Microsoft, VMware, and Amazon. His lab, the EfesLab, focuses on building tools and techniques that make computer systems more reliable, secure, and efficient. The EfesLab, led by Dr. Kasikci, brings together postdocs, PhD students, and undergraduate researchers to tackle fundamental challenges in systems reliability and performance. The lab has developed numerous influential tools including Whisper, Huron, and Agamotto that address critical performance and reliability issues in modern computing systems. Current research directions include efficient LLM serving, security of emerging hardware technologies, and automated debugging techniques.
