PhD Opening in Systems Security and Privacy at San Diego State University
Yifan Zhang, Assistant Professor at San Diego State University, is recruiting motivated PhD students in
systems security and privacy
.
The research agenda focuses on identifying new attack vectors, building automated binary-analysis tools, and conducting large-scale real-world measurement. Current topics include
software supply chain security and privacy
,
mobile and IoT systems security
, and
cybercrime
. The lab emphasizes analysis methods for systems security, with application scenarios not restricted.
Students will work on finding new types of attacks and exploitation in current systems, then combining reverse engineering with static and dynamic program analysis, and using formal verification and AI where needed to detect, measure, and mitigate vulnerabilities.
Ideal applicants should have deep curiosity about real systems, strong systems skills (Linux, scripting, debugging, reading specs and source), interest or experience in reverse engineering and program analysis (such as program slicing, taint flow analysis, fuzzing), solid coding ability, and a collaborative, proactive mindset.
Admission is through the
SDSU–UCI Joint PhD Program in Computational Science
. Applicants should have a bachelor's degree in a STEM field, a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA, and 3.5 GPA in any prior graduate coursework.
To express interest, prepare a brief research statement, a CV or résumé with links to code or artifacts, and a link to open-source contributions or technical write-ups. Use the email subject format:
[SDSU Security PhD] Your Name --- [Brief Research Interest]
.
Institution: San Diego State University (R1 university), Cybersecurity Center @ SDSU. Location mentioned: San Diego, CA, United States.
