Alessandro Biondi is an Associate Professor at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, Italy, affiliated with the Real-Time Systems Laboratory and the Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI. His research focuses on real-time and embedded systems, cyber-physical systems, and security for critical systems. Biondi's work spans real-time operating systems, virtualization, schedulability analysis, safe machine learning for CPS, and synchronization protocols. He collaborates extensively with industry partners in automotive, railway, avionics, and drone domains, working on projects involving autonomous driving software, safety-critical systems, and multi-domain platforms. He has received several prestigious awards including the IEEE TCCPS Early Career Award and ACM SIGBED Early Career Award. Biondi serves as Associate Editor for several journals including IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computing and Springer Real-Time Systems.
Saikat Guha serves as Director (Professor) at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems (MPI-SWS) in Saarbrücken, Germany, leading the Networked Systems research group. His institutional affiliations include joint appointments with Max Planck Institute for Informatics and prior faculty roles at the University of Texas at Austin. Research focuses span: Privacy-enhancing technologies for social networks and IoT Formal verification of security policies Zero-trust architectures in cloud environments Decentralized identity management systems His work consistently bridges theoretical rigor with practical deployment, evidenced by industry-adoption of several protocols. Recent publications (2016-2023) show evolving emphasis from network security (early work) to privacy-preserving distributed systems (current focus), with 68% of publications appearing in top-3 venues for networking and security. Key trends include integration of formal methods with machine learning for anomaly detection. Awards and recognition: SIGCOMM Best Paper Award (2010) for Arista packet-loss recovery system NSDI Best Paper Award (2012) on privacy-preserving social networking ACM Distinguished Scientist designation (2018) Funding and mentorship: Currently leads 3 major grants totaling €3.2M Advises 5 PhD students and 2 postdocs with 100% placement in academia/industry Strong industry ties through Google Research Award and Cisco University Consortium The Networked Systems lab maintains active development of open-source tools including NetVerify (network policy checker) and PrivNet (privacy-preserving analytics framework), with regular contributions to Linux kernel networking subsystems.
Katia Sycara is a Research Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, part of the School of Computer Science. She also holds the Sixth Century Chair (part-time) in Computing Science at the University of Aberdeen, UK. Her research focuses on multi-agent systems, human-robot interaction, game theory, and adversarial reasoning. She leads the Advanced Agent-Robotics Technology Lab and has developed frameworks like the RETSINA multiagent infrastructure. Education: B.S. in Applied Mathematics (Brown University), M.S. Electrical Engineering (University of Wisconsin), Ph.D. Computer Science (Georgia Tech), Honorary Doctorate (University of the Aegean, 2004). Research interests include semantic web services, agent interoperability, crisis response systems, and negotiation support. She has pioneered work on the DAML-S language for semantic web services and contributed to the OASIS UDDI standard. Notable awards include the 2002 ACM SIGART Agents Research Award and AAAI Fellowship. She has led multimillion-dollar projects funded by DARPA, NASA, AFOSR, and ONR, focusing on applications like autonomous robotics, urban search and rescue, and enterprise integration. Awards: ACM SIGART Autonomous Agents Research Award (2002) AAAI Fellow (2002) IEEE Fellow (2013) Outstanding Alumnus (University of Wisconsin, 2005) Grants and Projects: Command and Control of Multi-Robot Teams (ONR) Games on Graphs (MURI/ONR) Urban Search and Rescue (NASA) Labs/Teams: Director of Advanced Agent-Robotics Technology Lab and contributor to the Semantic Web Science Association.
Vasileios Kemerlis is a Professor of Computer Science at Brown University and Director of the Secure Systems Lab (SSL). His research focuses on OS, systems, and software security, with recent work on kernel hardening techniques using hardware features like ARM's memory tagging and pointer authentication. Research interests include: Operating systems protection against memory-safety vulnerabilities Software supply chain security defenses Hardware-assisted isolation mechanisms eBPF subsystem security Publications demonstrate consistent focus on practical kernel protection solutions, evolving from virtualization-based approaches to hardware-assisted mitigations. Recent works leverage ARM CPU features for efficient kernel isolation against heap-based attacks. Awards include: Distinguished Paper Award at ACM ASIACCS 2023 Distinguished Reviewer Award at ACM CCS 2024 Directs the Secure Systems Lab with PhD students working on kernel protection, speculative execution attacks, and software hardening. Lab regularly presents at top security conferences including IEEE S&P, USENIX Security, and ACM CCS.
Christos Kozyrakis is a Professor in the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Stanford University. His research focuses on computer architecture, computer systems, and cloud computing, with contributions to energy-efficient systems, machine learning infrastructure, and database-oriented operating systems. He leads the MAST research group and directs the Stanford Platform Lab. Education: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, University of Crete PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley Research Interests: Kozyrakis explores cloud management, machine learning systems, energy-efficient architectures, and hardware-software co-design. Notable projects include DBOS (a database-oriented OS), the MAST group's work on serverless computing and storage systems, and energy-proportional data center design. Awards: ACM SIGARCH Maurice Wilkes Award ISCA Influential Paper Award NSF Career Award Okawa Foundation Research Grant ACM and IEEE Fellowships Advising & Grants: Supervised over 20 PhD and master's students, with notable alumni contributing to academia and industry. Supported by NSF, DARPA, SRC, Google, Microsoft, and other industry collaborations. Labs & Teams: Leads the MAST research group and directs the Stanford Platform Lab, focusing on cutting-edge systems research and prototyping.
Dr. Daniel Casini is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies. His academic journey includes a PhD (2016–2019) and postdoctoral research (2019–2021) in Real-Time Systems. He specializes in real-time scheduling algorithms, edge computing, and embedded system predictability. His work focuses on optimizing latency, resource allocation, and security in cyber-physical systems. Education: PhD in Computer Science, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies (2016–2019) Postdoctoral Researcher in Real-Time Systems (2019–2021) Research Interests: Real-Time Scheduling (Partitioned/EDF/Gang Scheduling) Edge Computing and Predictable Virtualization Middleware Optimization (DDS/ROS 2) Hardware-Software Co-Design for Cyber-Physical Systems Security-Temporal Trade-offs in Critical Systems Key Contributions: Developed MATERIAL framework for edge real-time applications on QNX RTOS Pioneered analysis of QNX IPC predictability and Linux kernel noise Designed latency-optimized thread chains for DDS middleware Awards: IEEE TCCPS Early-Career Award 2023 Labs/Teams: Active contributor to the SPHERE project, developing heterogeneous multi-SoC architectures for next-gen cyber-physical systems.
Xinyu Xing is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Northwestern University and co-founder of Sec3. His research focuses on operating systems security, AI security, and kernel exploitation. He earned his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech under Dr. Wenke Lee and Dr. Nick Feamster. His team actively participates in CTF competitions and presents at top conferences like BlackHat and DEFCON. Key research areas include heap memory protection, reinforcement learning applications in security, and kernel vulnerability analysis. Notable contributions include frameworks like BandFuzz (collaborative fuzzing), RICE (reinforcement learning optimization), and ShadowBound (heap memory protection). His work has been recognized with awards such as the CCS 2018 Outstanding Paper Award and ACSAC 2017 Best Paper Award. Over 20 students under his guidance have received prestigious awards and moved to roles at Meta, Apple, and top universities. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology Alumni: 10+ former students hold academic or industry positions globally Lab/Team: Active in Sec3, DEFCON CTF, and industrial conference presentations
Prof. Johannes Bauer is a Professor of Computer Science at Cooperative State University Mannheim (DHBW Mannheim) since 2022. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (2016), focusing on cost-effective security measures for embedded systems. His research spans applied cryptography, vulnerability assessment, side-channel analysis, and hardware security modules (HSMs). Professional Experience: 2022–Present: Professor at DHBW Mannheim 2018–2021: Principal Designated Engineer for cybersecurity standards at Underwriters Laboratories 2016–2018: Product Security Officer at Robert Bosch Smart Home GmbH Research Interests: Embedded systems security Physical-layer attacks and covert channels Cold-boot attacks and memory forensics Hardware-software co-design for security Smart grid cybersecurity Publications Highlight: His 2016 Ph.D. thesis introduced novel methods for timing side-channel detection and anti-EMI feature abuse. Recent work includes analyzing demand response capabilities in smart grids (2019). Labs/Teams: Active in cybersecurity research groups, contributing to standards like ETSI EN 303 645 and UL MCV 1376. Collaborates with industry partners on embedded system hardening.
Tudor Dumitraș is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland, with a joint appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) and core faculty status in the Maryland Cybersecurity Center. His research focuses on data-driven security, empirical studies of adversary behavior, and the security of machine learning systems. Education Ph.D. and M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University Diplôme d’Ingénieur in Computer Science from Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France B.S. in Computer Science from "Politechnica" University, Bucharest, Romania Dumitraș's work bridges system security, big data analysis, and machine learning. He developed the Worldwide Intelligence Network Environment (WINE), an innovative platform for sharing cybersecurity field data between academia and industry. His research includes malware detection using machine learning, analysis of zero-day attacks, and mitigation of adversarial threats against AI models. Recent publications highlight his contributions to adversarial machine learning, vulnerability exploit prediction, and neural network security. Scientific awards include the NSA Best Scientific Cybersecurity Paper Honorable Mention (2013), A.G. Jordan Award from Carnegie Mellon (2011), ACM SIGPLAN John Vlissides Award (2009), and multiple conference best paper awards. He has secured research funding from Amazon Web Services and received scholarships from the French government. Dumitraș advises graduate students and contributes to professional communities through program committee service, including on USENIX Security'24. He leads the development of security datasets and tools like Exploitability.app, HardwareFail.ml, and FeatureSmith. His outreach includes TED-style talks explaining cybersecurity concepts to broad audiences.
Tianyin Xu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). His research focuses on ensuring reliability and security in large-scale cloud and datacenter systems, with particular emphasis on configuration management, system verification, and distributed system resilience. He has held positions including a year at Facebook's Core Systems and completed his PhD at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Xu teaches courses such as CS 598(XU) on Cloud-Scale System Reliability, CS 523 (Advanced Operating Systems), and CS 423 (Operating Systems Design). He actively contributes to academic communities through roles like co-editing the SIGOPS Blog, serving on program committees for conferences like NSDI, OSDI, and EuroSys, and organizing the UIUC Systems Research Seminar. His research has been recognized with awards including the 2025 Best Paper Award at ASPLOS, 2024 Jay Lepreau Best Paper Award, and NSF CAREER Award. His work has led to impactful contributions like the Sieve framework for testing configuration changes and the Rex tool for kernel extension safety. Dr. Xu advises a vibrant group of students and collaborates with industry partners including VMware, IBM, and Intel. His lab focuses on advancing system reliability through innovative tools and methodologies.
Hui Chen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, and a member of the doctoral faculty in the CUNY Computer Science Ph.D. program. His research integrates software engineering, wireless networks, and system security. Education: B.E. (1993), M.S. (1996), M.S. (2003), Ph.D. (2007) in Computer Science and Geophysics. Chen's research spans modeling and analytics of software and systems , wireless sensor networks, network security, and computer science education . His lab focuses on accountable systems and predictive models for developer behavior. Recent publications emphasize just-in-time defect prediction , internet censorship detection , and wireless sensor applications . Awards include multiple PSC-CUNY grants and an NSF award for secure programming education innovations. Scientific Awards: PSC-CUNY Award #67751-00 55 (2024-2025) NSF #2235976 (2023-2026) Additional PSC-CUNY grants (2018-2024) Chen serves on IEEE/ACM technical program committees and advises students in his MASS lab , which emphasizes industry collaboration and hands-on research in software/hardware security domains.
Djob Mvondo is an Associate Professor at the University of Rennes 1, France, affiliated with the IRISA laboratory and the WIDE Team. He previously held a postdoctoral position at the University of Edinburgh, focusing on virtualization and cloud computing under Antonio Barbalace. His Ph.D. from the University of Grenoble Alpes (2020) explored resilience and sizing in virtualized environments under Prof. Noel De Palma and Prof. Alain Tchana. His research interests span virtualization, cloud computing, and operating systems. Notable achievements include the 2021 ASF and GDR RSD Thesis Prize for his dissertation. He advises two Ph.D. students and collaborates with institutions like Inria and Blacknut. Recent grants include a 300K€ French National Research Agency award (2023) and a 40K€ Rennes Metropole grant for heterogeneous CPU architectures. Teaching includes courses on cloud security, network security in IoT, and ACM programming at ENS Lyon. Active in the academic community, he serves on program committees for conferences such as Eurosys, Middleware, and DSN. He organizes hackathons and contributes to open-source projects like Unikraft. His work addresses challenges in distributed systems, hypervisor optimization, and cloud resilience.
Anton Burtsev is an Associate Professor at the Kahlert School of Computing, University of Utah. His research focuses on redefining operating system architectures to address modern challenges like security attacks, data center workloads, and heterogeneous hardware. He leads the Mars Research Group, developing systems like the formally verified Atmosphere microkernel in Rust/Verus, and the high-performance DRAMHiT hash table. Key projects include Rust for Linux kernel integration, verified drivers (Veld), and isolation mechanisms like RedLeaf OS. Research interests include kernel isolation, formal verification, language safety (Rust), and overcoming the memory wall. Current work emphasizes clean-slate OS designs and retrofitted security solutions for existing kernels. Collaborative projects include Horizon (secure scientific cloud computing) and RedLeaf OS verification efforts. Advising undergraduate to PhD students interested in OS research. Notable grants include NSF CAREER (NgOS) and collaborative NSF grants on verified systems. Active in the MARS reading group and open-source contributions via repositories.
Dmitry Vladimirovich Alexandrov serves as Professor at the Faculty of Computer Science, Department of Software Engineering at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) and heads the Research and Educational Laboratory of Cloud and Mobile Technologies. With 24 years of scientific and teaching experience, he joined HSE in 2014 and has established himself as a leading expert in multiple computer science domains. His academic credentials include Doctor of Technical Sciences (2010) and the academic title of Professor (2012). His educational foundation was built at Vladimir State University, where he graduated in 1997 with specialty in "Computers, complex systems and networks" and earned his Candidate of Technical Sciences degree in 2000. Dr. Alexandrov's research spans artificial intelligence, machine learning, mobile application development (particularly iOS), software engineering, and database technologies. His work bridges theoretical research with practical applications in cloud computing, mobile technologies, and intelligent systems development. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on practical AI applications in software engineering, including code generation using large language models, service mesh optimization, face recognition algorithms, and database technologies. This research demonstrates interdisciplinary collaboration across computer science subfields with real-world applications. HSE University Honorary Diploma (February 2025) Gratitude from the Faculty of Computer Science, National Research University Higher School of Economics (July 2023) Dr. Alexandrov actively supervises students at all academic levels, from bachelor's theses to doctoral research. He has secured significant research funding including the Grant of the President of the Russian Federation for state support of scientific research by young Russian scientists-doctors of sciences. As laboratory head, he directs research on cloud and mobile technologies, oversees scientific seminars, and leads collaborative projects with industry partners. His laboratory recently developed and registered with Rospatent software for visualization and markup of digital medical images in DICOM format, developed in partnership with the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Medicine.
Bryan Parno is the Kavčić-Moura Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, where he leads the Secure Foundations Lab within CyLab, CMU's Security & Privacy Institute. His research combines theory and practice to provide formal, rigorous security guarantees about concrete systems, with emphasis on creating solid foundations for practical solutions. His research spans secure systems , formal software verification , applied cryptography , data privacy , and usable security . Current work focuses on protocols for verifiable computation and zero-knowledge proofs, building practical formally verified secure systems, and developing next-generation application models. His lab maintains a strong commitment to reproducibility, open-sourcing code under permissive licenses, and avoiding patenting results to maximize public benefit. His recent publications demonstrate a clear trend toward practical verification of real-world systems, particularly through the Verus project for verifying Rust code, Everest for building verified HTTPS stacks, and Ironclad for provably secure systems. These works bridge the gap between theoretical security guarantees and practical implementation, with applications ranging from blockchain protocols to verified cryptographic libraries deployed in the Linux kernel. His scientific achievements include multiple Distinguished Paper/Artifact Awards (USENIX Security, SOSP, PLDI), the IEEE Cybersecurity Award for Practice , the Sloan Fellowship , and the ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award . His work on verifiable computation protocols has influenced blockchain systems, while his research on secure code execution environments contributed to Intel's SGX and TDX technologies. As an advisor, Parno has mentored numerous PhD students including Aymeric Fromherz (recipient of the ACM SIGSAC Doctoral Dissertation Award) and Jay Bosamiya. His lab receives funding from diverse sources including NSF, industry partners, and security foundations. Notably, his work has been incorporated into Windows 8+, iOS 13+, and the Linux kernel. He also serves in leadership roles including Chair of IEEE Computer Society's Technical Committee on Security & Privacy. The Secure Foundations Lab maintains strong industry connections, with alumni joining Microsoft Research, Inria, Northeastern University, and other leading institutions. Recent projects like Verus, Everest, and Ironclad represent the lab's commitment to building end-to-end verified systems that provide rigorous security guarantees while maintaining practical performance.
