Ziming Zhao

(he/him)

Associate Professor

Ziming Zhao
  • Security and privacy
  • Systems and networking
  • PhD in Computer Science, Arizona State University
  • MS in Cryptography, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications — China
  • BE in Automation, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications — China

Ziming Zhao is an associate professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern University, based in Boston.

Zhao’s passion for systems and software security, network and web security, and human-centric security is motivated by one simple truism: hacking is fun. From that fact has grown a career that has included more than 70 publications, six co-chair assignments, four editorships, three patents, a book on peer-to-peer technology principles, and an NSF CAREER Award. His research focuses on securing systems in practical ways.

That research has earned Zhao a Test-of-Time award at ACM SACMAT 2024, as well as best and distinguished paper awards from several prestigious conferences, including USENIX Security 2019, ACM AsiaCCS 2022, ACM CODASPY 2014, and ITU Kaleidoscope 2016.

Zhao also explores his love for security and hacking through capture the flag (CTF) cybersecurity competitions in which competitors race to secure or exploit system vulnerabilities. He founded and advised two such CTF teams at the University at Buffalo. Upon joining Khoury College in 2024, he began teaching a software security course designed around hands-on CTF competitions.

Zhao enjoys playing Madden with his children in his spare time.

Current PhD Students