I am a privacy-oriented software engineer with a strong foundation in applied cryptography, reliable data systems, and secure system design. I spent three years as a PhD researcher, exploring privacy-preserving computation, zero-knowledge proof systems, and consensus protocols, before transitioning full-time into engineering roles focused on cryptographic infrastructure.
At Unisys, I worked on OS-level TLS 1.3 implementation, internal certificate authority infrastructure, and CI/CD pipeline hardening. I’m fluent in Rust, C/C++, and Go, and passionate about building secure-by-design systems—especially in domains like encrypted search, vector databases, and secure ML pipelines.
I’m now focused on applying my cryptography and systems skills to problems in modern data infrastructure: secure query engines, privacy-preserving analytics, and next-gen databases for AI workloads.
💡 Always happy to connect with other engineers, researchers, or founders working at the intersection of privacy, performance, and systems innovation.
Technical Skills#
Programming Languages#
Systems
Programming
Networking &
Scripting
Web
Development
Experience Level
Privacy & Cryptography#
Zero-knowledge proofs, homomorphic encryption, secure MPC, encrypted search, PIR, ORAM.
Data Systems#
,
,
,
encrypted databases.Infrastructure#
OS internals, networking, PKI, certificate authorities, performance profiling, Docker, CI/CD, system design & analysis.
Professional Experience#
System Software Engineer, Cryptography#
October 2021 - Present
- Engineered enhancements to OS cryptographic libraries to support post-quantum cryptography and secure transport (TLS 1.3), optimizing performance and reliability.
- Maintained internal PKI infrastructure, including a network of Certificate Authorities for cross-team integration testing.
- Led CI/CD modernization, partnered with infrastructure teams to introduce software validation to developer workflows.
- Mentored 3 junior engineers on library architecture and best practices while pair-programming.
Graduate Research Assistant#
May 2019 - May 2021
- Conducted applied cryptography research at the Maryland Cybersecurity Center, translating cryptographic research into practical implementations.
- Developed applied cryptography tools and frameworks, with emphasis on security under adversarial and network-constrained conditions.
- Developed experimental cryptographic tooling for use in academic and applied security research.
Graduate Research Intern#
June 2020 - August 2020
- Prototyped modular integration layer for abstracting ZKP libraries in Rust.
- Improved ZK system extensibility through low-level cryptographic optimization and benchmarking.
Visiting PhD Student#
September 2019 - December 2019
- Achieved 4x performance improvement in zero-knowledge proof computation through cryptographic prover optimization.
Undergraduate Research Assistant#
September 2017 - August 2018
- Brought Docker support to the Emulab network testbed system housed at the University of Utah as a member of the Flux Research Group. Publication at CSET @ USENIX Security Symposium 2018.
Software Engineer Intern#
May 2017 - August 2017
- Built a full stack application to store custom settings for active client projects.
- Designed backend and relational database architecture.
Technology Summer Analyst#
June 2016 - August 2016
Software Engineer Intern#
March 2015 - May 2016
Research & Projects (Selected)#
Education#
University of Maryland, College Park, MD#
2018–2021 (incomplete)
Course Highlights: Computer and Network Security, Applied Crypto, Computer Networks, Secure Distributed Computation, Cryptography Research Seminar.
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT#
2014–2018
Teaching Experience#
| Course | Title | Dates | Headcount | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMSC 456 | Cryptography | Spring 2021 | 72 Students | Teaching Assistant | University of Maryland |
| CMSC 412 | Operating Systems | Fall 2020 | 76 Students | Teaching Assistant | University of Maryland |
| CMSC 456 | Cryptography | Spring 2020 | 60 Students | Teaching Assistant | University of Maryland |
| CMSC 456 | Cryptography | Spring 2019 | 85 Students | Teaching Assistant | University of Maryland |
| CMSC 330 | Organization of Programming Languages | Fall 2018 | 500+ Students | Teaching Assistant | University of Maryland |
| CS 5530 | Database Systems | Spring 2017 | 134 Students | Teaching Assistant | University of Utah |
Other Experience & Awards#
Publications#
Supporting Docker in Emulab-Based Network Testbeds.
D. Johnson, E. Grubb, E. Eide
In CSET ‘18.
External Reviewer#
- CCS 2021
- EUROCRYPT 2021
Awards#
- PLDI 2018 Student Travel Grant
- 6x Dean’s List, University of Utah
- Top 4 Finish, Internal Goldman Sachs Hackathon, Summer 2016
- 3rd Place, University of Utah Hackathon co-hosted by U of U ACM, Fall 2015
- Honors at Entrance Academic Scholarship, University of Utah, Fall 2014
- AP Scholar with Distinction, The College Board, Summer 2014
- Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America, Spring 2014
Personal#
Outside of arguing with computers, I like to spend time visiting national parks. I love watching basketball and soccer, and playing pickleball and tennis. I enjoy reading sci-fi, fantasy, biographies, Mormon and CHamoru history, as well as the latest cryptography research papers.
I’m easily nerd-sniped and have an unhealthy addiction to finding answers to unimportant questions.