Summary
A Computer Science PhD student at Arizona State University studying cybersecurity with a passion for programming, education, and mentorship. I'm currently also researching for SEFCOM, a leading research lab focused on reverse engineering! I enjoy fun and excitable work environments and teams that still get things done at the end of the day. Mildly talented in many random fields such as making coffee, yoyoing, and complaining about the heat. Outside of a professional environment I enjoy spending time playing board and card games, listening to music, and taking care of my cat. I've been described by people as versatile, quirky, and a good team member. Also I'm not scared by math, which I'd view as a plus.
Skills
- Strong knowledge of object-oriented programming: Multiple years of experience with OOP languages including C, C++, Java, and Python.
- Experienced with many other programming languages: Comfortable using languages such as Wolfram Mathematica, MATLAB, R, and willing to learn more.
- Strong teaching and mentoring skills: Comfortable and experienced teaching programming and other technology-oriented concepts to a wide range of audiences.
- Practiced and patient customer service skills: Able to work with and satisfy customers on logistical and technological issues.
- Strong knowledge of general computing: Proficient or able to be proficient in any computing related field.
- Experienced CTF player and four time DEFCON CTF finalist: Competed with Shellphish at DEFCON CTF 4 times, specializing in x86-64 reverse engineering and pwning challenges. Placed 1st at CSAW'23 and '24 CTF, won qualifiers for CSAW'25 but couldn't play finals due to scheduling.
- pwn.college Instructor: One of the instructors working on educational content at pwn.college.
- Confident interpersonal communication skills: Competent and confident communication skills in many settings such as performance reviews, management meetings, and general workplace communication.
- Strong willingness to learn new skills: Learning is my passion, I'm willing to put in the effort to quickly learn any requisite knowledge, and I enjoy the challenge.
- Other skills include: Excel, Linux, Computer Hardware, and a bunch of other random things.
Education
Arizona State University - Tempe, AZ
PhD of Computer Science (Cybersecurity), In Progress, GPA: 4.0
Arizona State University - Tempe, AZ
Bachelor of Computer Science, Completed, GPA: 3.34/4.0
It's my goal to continue on and earn a PhD in Computer Science because I would like to teach programming at a university level.
Work History
iD Tech Camps - 4 years (2017-2020) [Seasonal: Summer]
Lead Instructor
Responsible for up to 10 kids aged 7 to 17 a week and teaching them various technology-oriented courses in a camp environment. Courses taught were either programming oriented (Java, C++, Python, etc.) or game engine oriented (Unity, Unreal Engine). Was also responsible for administering medication and first aid when necessary, and supervising other staff members and providing performance reports. This job requires high amounts of versatility, communication skills, and demands long hours, but the experience is unforgettable. Currently this job has allowed me to work at Arizona State University, Emory University, and Nokia Bell Labs. I ended up leaving this job due not having enough time during the summer, but I remember it fondly.
Phone Help Desk @ Maricopa County Library District - 2 years (2018-2020)
Helper
Responsible for helping elderly people learn to use their phones. Requires a lot of patience, rapid problem solving skills, and good customer service abilities.
Arizona State University - 8 years (2018-)
Grader/TA
Grader: Responsible for grading programming assignments for various classes, usually with homespun tooling. Also held office hours and responded to emails concerning the class. TA: Responsible for answering questions, aiding in instruction, and helping students during in person recitation sessions.
Arizona State University - 1 year (2025-)
Instructor
Taught CSE466 on the pwn.college platform (see my lectures live on youtube!) during the Fall 2025 Semester with along with another PhD Candidate. Responsible for designing and giving lectures, assignments, and exams for content widely considered to be some of the hardest undergraduate students face in the CS curriculum at Arizona State University.
(current) Arizona State University - 5 years (2021-)
PhD Researcher
Responsible for researching cutting edge solutions to problems that haven't been solved before. I do my research in binary analysis with a personal focus on the automation of vulnerability discovery, specifically dealing with binaries that are traditionally hard to automatically find vulnerabilities in. I also contribute to a number of open-source projects developed to aid in reverse engineering and binary analysis, such as BinSync!
Contact
Email: $ python3 -c "print(\"ved.domqrf@em\"[::-1])"
Email is the best way to contact me.