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Current PhD Students

Arash Vafaei (2019)

M.Sc. in Computer Engineering, University of Tehran, Iran, 2018

B.S. in Computer Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Iran, 2016

Research Interests: Computer architecture, Low-power hardware design, Hardware security, Hardware verification, Machine learning.

Publications: DATE 2024(projected), DATE 2023, ASP-DAC 2023, IEEE ITC 2023, IEEE ITC 2021

Internships: Nvidia DFX Team 2022

Arash Vafaei is currently pursuing his Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Farahmandi. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Computer engineering from Sharif University of technology and his Master’s degree from Tehran University. His current research interests include Hardware design with respect to power, performance and security. Some of his assorted hobbies include Embedded system design, Volleyball and playing piano.

Avinash Ayalasomayajula (2020)

B.Tech, Electronics and Communication Engineering , National Institute of Technology Goa , 2018

Research Interests: Security Validation, Obfuscation

Publications: VTS 2021

Internships: IP Design Engineering Intern, Summer 2022

Avinash Ayalasomayajula is currently pursuing their Master of Science from Electrical and Computer Engineering department specializing in Computer Engineering. They received their B.Tech degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from National Institute of Technology Goa(NITG). Their hobbies include reading fictional novels, cooking, swimming and football.

Nashmin Alam (2020)

BSc from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), October 2018

Research Interests: Hardware Security, Device Architecture, Pre-Silicon Verification, Post Silicon Validation

Publications: DATE 2023, IEEE HOST – IEEE 2023, Aus. J. Eng. Innov. Technol. – 2020, Int. J. of Scientific Eng. 2020

I am currently pursuing my PhD at University of Florida under the supervision of Dr. Farimah Farahmandi and Dr. Mark Tehranipoor. I completed my BSc from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in October 2018. After my graduation, I worked as a lecturer in University of Information Technology & Sciences (UITS) and Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT). In my free time, I love traveling, painting and watching movies.

Sajeed Mohammad (2020)

B.S. VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, India in 2018

Research Interests: Secure SoC development and life cycle management, CAD tools, Formal Verification, Hardware Security, Secure Firmware

Publications: ISVLSI 2021, iSES 2021, SRC TECHON 2022

Internships: CPU Design Intern, Intel, Summer 2022 (May to August

Sajeed Mohammad is currently pursuing his Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Dr. Farahmandi in the ECE department at the University of Florida. He received his bachelor’s degree from VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, India in 2018. His research interests include but are not limited to Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), Secure SoC development and life cycle management, Formal Verification, firmware security, CAD tools, and secure firmware booting. He is a Kabaddi player and loves cooking, traveling, and watching movies in his spare time.

Upoma Das (2021)

BS degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2018

Research Interests: Hardware Security & Trust, VLSI Design of Analog & Digital circuits, and Formal Verification

Publications: ISTFA 2023, ETS 2023, IEEE ITC 2022

Upoma joined the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity (FICS) Research at University of Florida in spring 2021 as a Graduate Research Assistant. She is pursuing her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Farimah Farahmandi. Her primary focus is to protect Integrated Circuits (IC)  from different semiconductor supply chain vulnerabilities. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, watching movies, and playing badminton. 

Shams Tarek (2021)

B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), 2019

Research Interests: Hardware Security & Trust, Computer Architecture, and VLSI Design & Testing

Publications: ISVLSI 2023, DATE 2023, IEEE Design & Test 2023, DFTS 2023, “An ISA-based Software Snippet Generation for Exploiting Hardware Vulnerabilities” GOMACTech, 2023

Shams is currently pursuing his PhD under Dr. Farimah Farahmandi at the University of Florida. He received his B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2019. His research interest includes Hardware Security & Trust, Computer Architecture, and VLSI Design & Testing. His hobbies include watching sports, playing soccer, video games, and watching movies.

Mridha Md Mashahedur Rahman (2021)

B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), 2017

Research Interests: Hardware security and trust, secure VLSI design and finding vulnerabilities in ASIC design

Publications: DFTS 2023, IEEE Design & Test 2023, IEEE DAC 2023, IEEE VTS 2023, ASPDAC 2023, Cryptology ePrint Archive 2022, IEEE iSES 2021

Internships: Technical Intern, Security IP Team, Synopsys Inc., Summer 2022

Mashahedur obtained his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2017. Currently he is a PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at University of Florida, Gainesville, USA. His research interest includes hardware security and trust, secure VLSI design and finding vulnerabilities in ASIC design. He likes video games, movies and travelling.

Zahin Ibnat (2021)

B.Sc. in Computer Engineering at UF, 2020

Research Interests: AI Security and Digital Watermarking

Publications: IEEE DAC 2023, DFTS 2023, IEEE MSWCAS 2023, DAC 2022, The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2020, University of Florida Library 2020

Internships: Citigroup 2020, Caspia Technologies 2023

Zahin is currently pursuing her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering under Dr. Farahmandi at the University of Florida. She received her B.Sc. in Computer Engineering at UF in 2020. Her current research focus is in AI Security and Digital Watermarking. Outside of academics, Zahin participates actively in her Bangladeshi community with traditional dance and doing volunteer work. For leisure, Zahin likes making digital art, playing videogames, and watching most media on Netflix.

Dipayan Saha (2021)

B.Sc. degree from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET)

Research Interests: Security Verification, Side-Channel Leakage Analysis, Deep Learning, Large Language Model

Publications: GOMACTech 2024, Cryptology ePrint Archive, 2023, IET CCS 2021, IEEE Access 2020

Dipayan Saha is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Florida. He received his B.Sc. degree from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2018. The prime focus of his current research is to apply AI-based solutions in the field of hardware security and trust. To specify, he is working on developing Large Language Model (LLM)-assisted solutions for hardware security verification and establishing deep learning-based methodologies for side-channel leakage assessment at the physical design/layout level. In his spare time, Dipayan likes listening to music and playing chess.

Rui Guo (2021)

M.S. Electrical & Computer Engineering from University of Florida

Research Interests: Hardware security and trust

Publications: DATE 2023, IEEE ACCESS 2023, DAC 2022, IEEE ITC 2021

I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. under Dr. Faramandi at the ECE department of the University of Florida. I received my Master’s degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering from University of Florida. My interests include hardware security and trust. In my spare time, I like painting and playing table tennis.

Galib Ibne Haidar (2023)

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), 2021

Research Interests: Hardware Security, Design for Sustainability, Pre-Silicon Verification, Post Silicon Validation

I am currently pursuing my PhD under Dr. Farimah Farahmandi at the University of Florida. I received my B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2021. After completing my graduation,  I worked as a DFT engineer in Neural Semiconductor Limited for about one and a half years. During my free time,  I love playing soccer, video games and watching movies. 

Post-Doctoral Fellows/Research Professors

Dr. Rakibul Hassan (2023)

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Research Interests: VLSI Testing; Hardware Verification; Hardware Security and Trust, with emphasis on: anti-counterfeiting, anti-Trojan, authentication, & anti-piracy solutions.

Publications: IEEE TCAD 2023, CODES+ISSS 2023, ISQED 2023

Internship: Visiting Research Assistant Intern, University of Southern California, May 2021 – August 2021 

Rakibul Hassan currently serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Florida, working under the guidance of Dr. Mark M. Tehranipoor and Dr. Farimah Farahmandi. He attained his Ph.D. from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, USA, conducting his doctoral research under the supervision of Dr. Sai Manoj P D, an Assistant Professor at GMU. Rakibul’s primary research focuses on implementing ML Algorithms for Hardware Security and Trust and IoT network security. His research findings have been presented at prestigious conferences such as DATE, CASES, and ISQED. Rakibul earned his B.Sc. degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2016. Following his undergraduate studies, he spent two years as a lecturer at Bangladesh University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. During this period, he authored multiple peer-reviewed conferences and journal papers.

Dr. Sujan Saha (2023)

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Research Interests: Multi-processor System-on-Chip (MPSoC) Design, SoC Security, Cloud FPGA Security, and Real-time System Design

Dr. Sujan Saha is a Post-Doctoral Associate at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. He received his PhD in Computer Engineering from the same department in Summer 2023. He obtained his M.Sc. in Computer Engineering from University of California, Riverside in Spring 2018. He completed his B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 2011. His research interests include Multi-processor System-on-Chip (MPSoC) Design, SoC Security, Cloud FPGA Security, and Real-time System Design. In his spare time, he likes to watch movies, swim and travel.

Dr. Kimia Azar Zamiri

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Research Interests
VLSI Testability; Hardware Design and Verification; Hardware Security and Trust

Dr. Kimia Zamiri Azar is a Post-Doctoral associate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida. She received her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) from George Mason University, Fairfax, USA in 2021. She received her M.Sc. degree in computer engineering from Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran in 2015. She also received her B.Sc. from Khajeh Nasir University in Tehran, Iran in 2013. Her research interests focus on areas of hardware security and trust, security for supply chain, and VLSI design and test.

Dr. Jingbo Zhou (2023)

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Research Interests: Hardware security, logic locking, side-channel attack, watermarking and heterogeneous integration.

Publications: arXiv preprint 2023 “LLM for SoC Security: A Paradigm Shift”

Jingbo Zhou is a postdoctoral research associate in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Florida. He received his Ph.D. degree from the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, in 2023. Prior to that, he received the B.Eng. degree in telecommunication engineering from Beijing University of Post and Telecommunication, Beijing, China in 2018.

Current Master Students

Konark Sikkah (2023)

B. Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India

Research Interests: IoT, Hardware Security, Embedded Systems, and AI

Internships: Product Engineering Intern- North American Labs Tecumseh Products Company LLC- Summer 2023

I’m currently pursuing my Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida. I earned my B. Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India. During my B.Tech, I specialized in ARM/FPGA-based embedded systems and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning with Neural Networks. In my master’s, I’ve centered my studies on Hardware Security and IoT, building on my previous IoT research.

Former PhD

Dr. Sree Ranjani Rajendran

Current Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Florida Atlantic University

PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, 2019-2023

Dr. Md Rafid Muttaki

Current Affiliation: Caspia Technologies

PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, 2019-2023

B.S., Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), 2017

Publications: DATE 2023, MWSCAS 2023, PAINE 2023, ISFTA 2022, DAC 2022, TCAD 2022, IEEE HOST 2022, DAC 2021, Springer 2021

Internships: Mixed Signal Research Intern, Intel Labs, Intel, Fall 2022

Dr. Tao Zhang

Current Affiliation: Nvidia

PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, 2019-2023

M.S. in Communication and Information System, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, 2019

B.E., Communication Engineering, Northwest University, 2016

Publications: IEEE TVLSI 2023, IEEE HOST 2023, IEEE ETS 2023, GOMACTech 2023, ECTC 2023, IEEE Design & Test 2022, IEEE HOST 2022, IEEE SLMW 2021, DAC 2021

Internships: Nvidia, Analog Devices Inc., University of Electronic Science and Technology

Dr. Sukanta Dey

Post-doctoral fellow

Research Interests: Electronic Design Automation, VLSI CAD, VLSI Physical Design, Hardware Security, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Dr. Dey is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, US. He received his Master’s and Ph.D. from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Guwahati in March 2021, specializing in Machine Learning techniques for Electronic Design Automation (EDA). Prior to joining IIT Guwahati, he received his Bachelor’s in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Assam Engineering College in July 2014. His domain of expertise is EDA, VLSI CAD, VLSI Physical Design, and Hardware Security, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. His research works have been published in reputed EDA journals/conferences, e.g., ACM TODAES journal, IEEE/ACM DATE, IEEE ISVLSI, VLSID conferences. He has served as a technical program committee member, expert reviewer, and organizing committees of premier ACM and IEEE conferences, including Design Automation Conference (DAC). He is also serving as research paper reviewer of reputed IEEE, ACM, IET, Springer journals.

Dr. Nalla Anandakumar

Post-doctoral fellow (Jointly with Dr. Tehranipoor)

Research Interests: Physically Unclonable Functions, True Random Number Generator, Efficient and Secure Implementations of Cryptographic Primitives, Side-Channel Attacks and Hardware Trojan Detection and Prevention.

Dr. Nalla Anandakumar is a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida. Dr. Nalla received his PhD from IIIT-Delhi, his ME from Anna University, Chennai, and his BE from the Government Engineering College, Salem, India. Before coming to the University of Florida, Dr. Nalla worked as a Scientist at the Society for Electronics Transactions and Security (SETS), India and he was also a visiting researcher at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. In his 13 years research experience, he has led several scientific and development projects sponsored by government and public sectors in the field of hardware security. His research has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

Dr. Shahed Quadir

Post-doctoral fellow (Jointly with Dr. Tehranipoor)

Research Interests: Hardware Trojan, Hardware Security, Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs), Analog Obfuscation, Reverse Engineering and Countermeasures

Md Shahed Enamul Quadir is a post-doctoral associate at the University of Florida. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, respectively. He received his B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Md Shahed Enamul Quadir’s work focuses on the development of secure analog and mixed-signal circuits, investigation of hardware trojans in analog circuits, as well as leveraging side-channel analysis for establishing security and trust. He is a member of IEEE and ASEE.

Former Master Students

Layiwola L. Ibukun

Nathaniel Rizza

Former Undergraduate Students

Gabriel A. Hernandez

Dieter Steinhauser

Thomas Le

Geoffrey Simon

Brian Barker

Carlos de Guzman

Daniel Weller

Jamison Stevens

Nicholas Samlal

Undergraduate Student, Computer Engineering, University of Florida