Talha Ongun

PhD Student

Talha Ongun
  • BS, Sabanci University - Turkey

Talha Ongun is a PhD student in the Computer Science program at Northeastern University’s Khoury College of Computer Sciences, advised by Professors Alina Oprea and Cristina Nita-Rotaru. Talha’s research interests include Internet of Things security and developing solutions to the various practical challenges that come with designing secure systems. Prior to joining the PhD program at Northeastern, Talha worked for two years at SAP Development Center Turkey as a software developer working on distributed database systems and earned his Bachelor of Science degree  from Sabanci University.

About Me

What are the specifics of your graduate education (thus far)?

I am a PhD student at Northeastern. I am currently taking courses and contributing to the research projects in our lab in order to enrich my knowledge and explore possible research directions.

What are your research interests?

These days, I am interested in IoT systems and device authentication methods these systems use. There are many challenges in designing secure IoT systems and I would like to get involved in trying to overcome them.

What’s one problem you’d like to solve with your research/work?

Home IoT systems gained widespread usage these days and it is shocking to see how vulnerable they are on the consumer market today. I would like to analyze the risks and propose mitigations against some of attacks that could hurt many households.

What aspect of what you do is most interesting?

It is fascinating that I will be conducting research that could possibly change the way the systems are built. It would eventually have an impact on everyone who has access to technology.

What are your research or career goals, going forward?

I believe pursuing a PhD degree at Northeastern University is an excellent step for me to ultimately reach my goal of becoming a top-tier researcher on secure systems and data analytics.

Where did you grow up or spend your most defining years?

I grew up in Mersin, Southern Turkey, where the climate is warm throughout the year. It will be a challenge to get used to Boston.