About

About Me

Bio

I am currently working towards a Ph.D. in the security group of the Department of Computer Science and Technology at the University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Prof. Robert N. M. Watson. I hold a Bachelor of Advanced Computing from the ANU, specialising in Computer Systems and Architecture, and a M.Phil. in ACS from Cambridge, taking courses with the same focus on Systems, Architecture, and Security. Since the M.Phil., I have been researching hardware-assisted memory safety for language runtimes as a member of the CTSRD-CHERI group. I gratefully acknowledge the generous support from the CASCADE Research Centre in funding my Ph.D. studies.

Research Interests

  • Operating systems and language runtimes security, through the methodology of hardware-software codesign. This research area requires extensive knowledge about the hardware emulators, instruction set architectures(ISAs), OS kernels and userland tools, C/C++ runtime libraries and compiler toolchains, and higher-level language runtimes, to build a functional hardened prototype software system. It also requires a deep understanding of reverse engineering and debugging techniques to analyse the security implications of the design and implementation of the system, and to identify potential vulnerabilities and attack vectors.
  • Cryptographic protocols and their applications to blockchains. This is a side interest of mine, started from my undergraduate thesis project on the design and implementation of a secure cross-chain confidential transaction(CT) protocol that bridges the gap in interoperability between different blockchain systems. In general, this research area requires deep knowledge about mathematical foundations of cryptography (e.g., number theory and complexity theory), the design and analysis of cryptographic protocols (e.g., zero-knowledge proof system), and the architecture and security of blockchain systems (e.g., Web3 and consensus mechanisms).

Fun facts

A fun fact about me is that I’ve had a strong interest in human languages since a young age and once aimed to obtain a second degree in Languages and Linguistics – I have devoted two years to systematically studying Japanese and Korean as my third and fourth languages. However, during undergraduate studies, I soon learnt about the complexity and depth of open research problems in the field of computer science, and since then decided to devote more time into it and soon graduated with a single degree in CS. Nevertheless, in my free time, I still enjoy exploring human languages and literature, and my experience with syntax and semantics has helped me quickly pick up new programming languages when needs arise.

Besides, I am also interested in human history and social studies. You may find me inside museums, musical and opera houses, dance theatres, or art galleries off work.