I am a cybersecurity professional with over six years of progressive experience in offensive and defensive security across federal agencies and private sector organizations. Currently serving as an Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist (GS-07) at the Department of Justice with an active U.S. Secret clearance.
My career has encompassed diverse security challenges – from implementing cryptographic protocols for NASA spacecraft to conducting penetration testing at Nasdaq, and from researching advanced persistent threats with the NSA to developing AI-driven threat detection systems. I hold a Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland (4.0 GPA) and maintain an active Secret clearance.
Education#
Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity#
University of Maryland, College Park (August 2024 - May 2025)
- GPA: 4.00
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science#
University of Maryland, College Park (August 2020 - May 2024)
- GPA: 3.3
- Minors:
- Global Fellows Program: International Security and Intelligence concentration
Work Experience#
Current Position#
Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist (GS-07)
Department of Justice - U.S. Trustee Program | Washington, D.C. (November 2024 - Present)
Responsible for enterprise cybersecurity oversight across DOJ’s mission-critical systems. Key responsibilities include implementing security protocols aligned with NIST frameworks, conducting vulnerability assessments, and leading integration efforts for new system deployments.
Previous Experience#
Summer Research Program Intern
MIT Lincoln Laboratory | Lexington, MA (June - August 2024)
Designed and implemented tools to evaluate cybersecurity resiliency of control systems. Developed protocol parsers for Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and created a comprehensive platform to centralize program operations.
Cybersecurity Research Intern
Kurtek | College Park, MD (September - December 2023)
Analyzed cybersecurity risks for NASA’s Next Generation Network, focusing on cloud platform integration and compliance with NIST 800-53 and 800-171 frameworks.
Cybersecurity Intern
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) | Arlington, VA (May - August 2023)
Collaborated with the Infrastructure team to modernize federal systems using technologies including Teleport, ThreatConnect, and Red Hat OpenShift.
Senior Cyber Security Intern
Kurtek (contracted to NASA) | Greenbelt, MD (February - May 2023)
Led security protocol development and documentation for NASA’s SCaN Cloud infrastructure in preparation for independent security assessments.
Information Security Intern
Nasdaq | Rockville, MD (February - May 2023)
Conducted comprehensive security assessments using DAST/SAST tools and performed penetration testing on critical financial systems. Utilized MITRE ATT&CK framework for vulnerability classification.
Cryptography Intern
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | Greenbelt, MD (June - August 2021)
Implemented CCSDS Space Data Link Security Protocol for spacecraft communications. Analyzed cryptographic mechanisms and facilitated incorporation of proprietary protocols.
Security Intern
NASA Center for Climate Simulation
| Greenbelt, MD (June - August 2020)
Enhanced security compliance tool capabilities and conducted vulnerability assessments for NCCS infrastructure.
Networking/System Administration Intern
Embedded Flight Systems Inc. (Contracted to NASA) | Greenbelt, MD (June - August 2019)
Established and deployed secure network infrastructure while gaining experience with advanced network devices and operating systems.
Honors & Awards#
- Secret Clearance (June 2024)
- Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society (January 2025) - Top 10% of graduate students
- Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society (November 2021)
- Dean’s List - University of Maryland (2021, 2022)
- CyberCorps Scholarship for Service
(Fall 2022)
- Three-year graduate track covering final two undergraduate years and Master’s degree
- Commitment to federal service in cybersecurity
Leadership & Membership#
- Cybersecurity Club - University of Maryland, College Park
- Secretary (Jun. 2023 - May 2025)
- Member (Sep. 2020 - Jun. 2023)
- Hindu Student Council - University of Maryland, College Park
- Events Co-Chair (Jan. 2023 - Aug. 2023)
- Tech Fellow - CodePath (Jun. 2021 - Dec. 2021)
- Facilitated hands-on learning experiences of cybersecurity concepts for the Fall 2021 semester at the University of Maryland, College Park
- Organized and presented learning materials effectively while maintaining regular communication with admins and supervisors regarding class progress, challenges, and student achievements
- University Senate - University of Maryland, College Park
- Undergraduate Senator, College of Letters & Science (LTSC) (Mar. 2021 - Jan. 2022)
Certifications#
- CompTIA A+ (December 2018)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (July 2022)
- Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals (July 2022)
Publications & Research#
SocialCipher: A Multimodal Framework for Proactive Threat Detection with SentIntel#
MIT Lincoln Laboratory & IEEE CAI 2025 | Lexington, MA & Santa Clara, CA (Jun. 2024 - May 2025)
- Co-authored and presented a paper on proactive cyber threat detection using sentiment analysis and LLMs
Geneva - Protocol Obfuscation#
Breakerspace at the University of Maryland | College Park, MD (Aug. 2023 - Present)
- Researching utilizing Text-to-Speech (TTS) quirks for practical applications in circumventing censorship detection mechanisms
- Establishing a reliable baseline for detectability, focusing on optimizing the balance between detectability and data throughput
Cyber Threat Intelligence Research#
NSA in collaboration with the University of Maryland | College Park, MD (Aug. 2023 - Dec. 2023)
- Spearheaded in-depth threat intelligence project on Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) 40 and 41
- Developed comprehensive threat profiles employing advanced analytical techniques
- Delivered high-impact briefing and threat profile report to NSA leadership
Malware Detection & Classification#
FIRE Program - AI & Deep Learning: Capital One ML stream | College Park, MD (Aug. 2023 - Dec. 2023)
Skills#
Technical Skills#
- Cybersecurity: Red & Blue Team, Vulnerability Assessment, Penetration Testing, Threat Intelligence, Network Security, MITRE ATT&CK, DFIR, SDLC Security, Cryptography, Reverse Engineering, Binary Analysis
- Cloud & DevOps: AWS, Azure, GCP, Docker, GitHub Actions, ZScaler, Teleport, Terraform, Agile, CI/CD, BitBucket, Bamboo, Jira, Confluence
- Networking & Systems: TCP/IP, Firewalls, Linux, Unix, pfSense, Shell Scripting, SIEM (Splunk), OSINT
- Application Security: SAST, DAST, Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, Checkmarx, Acunetix, Secure Code Review, Static Analysis, Input Sanitization, SSRF/XSS/CSRF/SQLi, Snyk, Sonatype IQ, Sonarqube
- Programming & Tools: Python, C/C++, Bash, Java, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Rust, Go, Git, VS Code, Wireshark, Ghidra, Binary Ninja, GDB, pwndbg
- Data & AI/ML: TensorFlow, XML/JSON, YAML, Elasticsearch, MongoDB, Pandas, scikit-learn, TTS/ML evasion research (Geneva)
Soft Skills#
- Public Speaking, Technical Writing, Documentation, Cross-Team Collaboration, Training & Mentorship, Project Leadership
Languages#
- English (native), Spanish (fluent), Hindi (beginner)