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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
<title>Muhammad Ahsan — Cyber-Physical Systems Security</title>
<meta name="description" content="Muhammad Ahsan, PhD in Computer Science. Research on cyber-physical systems security, power side-channel analysis, and machine learning for detecting attacks on manufacturing and bioprinting systems." />
<link rel="canonical" href="https://mahsan321.github.io/Portfolio/" />
<meta property="og:type" content="website" />
<meta property="og:title" content="Muhammad Ahsan — Cyber-Physical Systems Security" />
<meta property="og:description" content="I read the signals machines leak to find out when they have been attacked." />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://mahsan321.github.io/Portfolio/" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://mahsan321.github.io/Portfolio/pic.jpg" />
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="theme-color" content="#f1f3f4" media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" />
<meta name="theme-color" content="#12161a" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" />
<link rel="icon" href="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 32 32'%3E%3Crect width='32' height='32' fill='%2314181c'/%3E%3Cpath d='M3 22h5l3-13 3 13h4l3-9 3 9h5' fill='none' stroke='%23cf5c08' stroke-width='2.5' stroke-linejoin='round' stroke-linecap='round'/%3E%3C/svg%3E" />
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com" />
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin />
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=IBM+Plex+Sans:wght@400;500;600;700&family=IBM+Plex+Mono:wght@400;500&display=swap" rel="stylesheet" />
<style>
:root {
--bg: #f1f3f4;
--panel: #fbfcfc;
--ink: #14181c;
--ink-soft: #4a5159;
--ink-faint: #6c747c;
--line: #d6dbde;
--line-soft: #e6eaec;
--signal: #cf5c08;
--signal-deep: #a8470a;
--signal-wash: rgba(207, 92, 8, 0.08);
--maxw: 1000px;
--gap: clamp(60px, 8vw, 108px);
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--bg: #12161a;
--panel: #191e23;
--ink: #e8ecef;
--ink-soft: #a4adb5;
--ink-faint: #7b858d;
--line: #2a3138;
--line-soft: #22282e;
--signal: #f07a1f;
--signal-deep: #f5934a;
--signal-wash: rgba(240, 122, 31, 0.12);
}
}
* { box-sizing: border-box; }
html { scroll-behavior: smooth; }
body {
margin: 0;
background: var(--bg);
color: var(--ink);
font-family: "IBM Plex Sans", system-ui, sans-serif;
font-size: 17px;
line-height: 1.6;
-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
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a { color: inherit; }
.skip {
position: absolute; left: -9999px; top: 0;
background: var(--ink); color: var(--bg);
padding: 10px 16px; z-index: 100;
}
.skip:focus { left: 8px; top: 8px; }
.wrap { max-width: var(--maxw); margin: 0 auto; padding: 0 24px; }
/* ---------- nav ---------- */
.nav {
position: sticky; top: 0; z-index: 40;
background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--bg) 88%, transparent);
backdrop-filter: blur(8px);
border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line);
}
.nav-inner {
max-width: var(--maxw); margin: 0 auto; padding: 14px 24px;
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font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: 0.02em;
text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;
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.nav-links { display: flex; gap: 20px; font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px; }
.nav-links a {
text-decoration: none; color: var(--ink-soft);
padding: 4px 0; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;
transition: color .15s, border-color .15s;
}
.nav-links a:hover, .nav-links a:focus-visible { color: var(--ink); border-color: var(--signal); }
@media (max-width: 760px) { .nav-links { display: none; } }
/* ---------- hero ---------- */
.hero {
position: relative; overflow: hidden;
border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line);
background:
repeating-linear-gradient(0deg, transparent 0 39px, var(--line-soft) 39px 40px),
repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0 39px, var(--line-soft) 39px 40px);
}
.trace {
position: absolute; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0;
width: 100%; height: 240px; pointer-events: none; z-index: 1;
}
.trace path {
fill: none; stroke: var(--signal); stroke-width: 2;
stroke-linejoin: round; stroke-linecap: round;
filter: drop-shadow(0 0 6px var(--signal-wash));
}
.trace .draw {
stroke-dasharray: 4200; stroke-dashoffset: 4200;
animation: draw 2.4s ease-out .2s forwards;
}
@keyframes draw { to { stroke-dashoffset: 0; } }
.hero-inner {
position: relative; z-index: 2;
max-width: var(--maxw); margin: 0 auto;
padding: clamp(64px, 11vw, 118px) 24px clamp(88px, 13vw, 140px);
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}
.hero-text { min-width: 0; }
.portrait {
position: relative; isolation: isolate;
width: clamp(190px, 22vw, 250px); aspect-ratio: 4 / 5; flex-shrink: 0;
}
.portrait img {
position: relative; z-index: 1;
width: 100%; height: 100%; object-fit: cover;
border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid var(--line);
background: var(--panel); display: block;
}
.portrait::before {
content: ""; position: absolute;
inset: 12px -12px -12px 12px;
border: 1px solid var(--signal); border-radius: 3px; z-index: 0;
}
@media (max-width: 760px) {
.hero-inner { grid-template-columns: 1fr; }
.portrait { order: -1; width: 150px; }
}
.eyebrow {
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px;
letter-spacing: .08em; text-transform: uppercase;
color: var(--signal-deep); margin: 0 0 18px;
}
h1 {
font-size: clamp(40px, 7.5vw, 76px); line-height: 1.02;
letter-spacing: -.02em; font-weight: 700; margin: 0 0 18px;
}
.lede {
font-size: clamp(18px, 2.4vw, 22px); color: var(--ink-soft);
max-width: 32ch; margin: 0 0 26px;
}
.lede b { color: var(--ink); font-weight: 600; }
.status {
display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 9px;
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px;
color: var(--ink-soft); background: var(--panel);
border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 2px;
padding: 7px 12px; margin-bottom: 26px;
}
.status .led {
width: 8px; height: 8px; border-radius: 50%;
background: var(--signal); box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px var(--signal-wash);
}
.cta-row { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 10px; }
.btn {
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px;
text-decoration: none; padding: 10px 16px;
border: 1px solid var(--ink); border-radius: 2px;
transition: background .15s, color .15s, border-color .15s;
}
.btn:hover, .btn:focus-visible { background: var(--ink); color: var(--bg); }
.btn.primary { background: var(--ink); color: var(--bg); border-color: var(--ink); }
.btn.primary:hover, .btn.primary:focus-visible { background: var(--signal); border-color: var(--signal); color: #fff; }
/* ---------- sections ---------- */
section { padding: var(--gap) 0; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line); }
.sec-label {
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px;
letter-spacing: .06em; text-transform: uppercase;
color: var(--signal-deep); margin: 0 0 8px;
}
h2 {
font-size: clamp(26px, 4vw, 36px); line-height: 1.12;
letter-spacing: -.015em; margin: 0 0 26px; font-weight: 700;
}
h3 { font-size: 19px; margin: 0 0 6px; font-weight: 600; }
p { margin: 0 0 16px; }
.prose { max-width: 66ch; color: var(--ink-soft); }
.prose b { color: var(--ink); }
.prose a { color: var(--signal-deep); text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-underline-offset: 3px; }
/* ---------- news ---------- */
.news { list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; max-width: 78ch; }
.news li {
display: grid; grid-template-columns: 108px 1fr; gap: 18px;
padding: 12px 0; border-top: 1px solid var(--line-soft);
color: var(--ink-soft);
}
.news li:first-child { border-top: none; }
.news .date {
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px;
color: var(--ink-faint); padding-top: 2px;
}
.news b { color: var(--ink); font-weight: 600; }
@media (max-width: 620px) { .news li { grid-template-columns: 1fr; gap: 2px; } }
/* ---------- projects ---------- */
.projects {
display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(280px, 1fr));
gap: 18px; margin-top: 4px;
}
.project {
background: var(--panel); border: 1px solid var(--line);
border-top: 3px solid var(--signal); border-radius: 2px;
padding: 22px 22px 20px;
}
.project .kicker {
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 12px;
letter-spacing: .04em; text-transform: uppercase;
color: var(--ink-faint); margin: 0 0 10px;
}
.project h3 { font-size: 18px; margin: 0 0 8px; }
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.project .where {
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 12.5px;
color: var(--ink-faint); margin: 0;
}
/* ---------- tags ---------- */
.tags { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 10px; margin-top: 8px; }
.tag {
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px;
color: var(--ink-soft); background: var(--panel);
border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 2px; padding: 7px 12px;
}
/* ---------- publications ---------- */
.pub-group-label {
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px;
letter-spacing: .04em; color: var(--ink-faint);
border-top: 1px solid var(--line); padding-top: 14px;
margin: 40px 0 4px; font-weight: 500;
}
ol.pubs { list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; counter-reset: none; }
ol.pubs li {
display: grid; grid-template-columns: 36px 1fr; gap: 14px;
padding: 18px 0; border-top: 1px solid var(--line-soft);
counter-increment: pub;
}
ol.pubs li::before {
content: counter(pub, decimal-leading-zero);
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px;
color: var(--ink-faint); padding-top: 3px;
}
ol.pubs li:first-child { border-top: none; }
.pubs-body { min-width: 0; }
.pub-title { font-weight: 600; display: inline-block; }
a.pub-title {
text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line);
transition: border-color .15s, color .15s;
}
a.pub-title:hover, a.pub-title:focus-visible { border-color: var(--signal); color: var(--signal-deep); }
.pub-authors { color: var(--ink-soft); font-size: 15px; margin-top: 5px; }
.pub-authors .me { color: var(--ink); font-weight: 600; }
.pub-venue {
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px;
color: var(--ink-faint); margin-top: 5px;
}
.badges { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 6px; margin-top: 10px; }
.badge {
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 11px;
letter-spacing: .02em; padding: 3px 8px; border-radius: 2px;
border: 1px solid var(--line); color: var(--ink-soft); background: var(--panel);
}
.badge.hot { color: var(--signal-deep); border-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--signal) 40%, transparent); background: var(--signal-wash); }
.badge.live { color: var(--ink); border-style: dashed; }
/* ---------- rows ---------- */
.row {
display: grid; grid-template-columns: 210px 1fr; gap: 28px;
padding: 26px 0; border-top: 1px solid var(--line-soft);
}
.row:first-of-type { border-top: none; }
.row .when { font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px; color: var(--ink-faint); }
.row .where { color: var(--ink-soft); font-size: 15px; margin-top: 2px; }
.row ul { margin: 12px 0 0; padding-left: 18px; color: var(--ink-soft); }
.row ul li { margin-bottom: 6px; }
@media (max-width: 700px) { .row { grid-template-columns: 1fr; gap: 8px; } }
/* ---------- awards ---------- */
.award-list { list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; }
.award-list li { padding: 14px 0; border-top: 1px solid var(--line-soft); color: var(--ink-soft); }
.award-list li:first-child { border-top: none; }
.award-list li b { color: var(--ink); font-weight: 600; }
.award-list a { color: var(--signal-deep); text-underline-offset: 3px; }
.feature {
background: var(--panel); border: 1px solid var(--line);
border-left: 3px solid var(--signal); border-radius: 2px;
padding: 22px 24px; margin-bottom: 26px;
}
.feature p { margin: 0; color: var(--ink-soft); }
.feature b { color: var(--ink); }
/* ---------- contact ---------- */
.contact-grid {
display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(210px, 1fr));
gap: 1px; background: var(--line);
border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 2px; overflow: hidden;
}
.contact-grid a, .contact-grid div.cell { background: var(--panel); padding: 20px 22px; text-decoration: none; }
.contact-grid .k {
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 12px;
letter-spacing: .04em; text-transform: uppercase;
color: var(--ink-faint); margin-bottom: 6px;
}
.contact-grid .v { font-weight: 600; word-break: break-word; }
.contact-grid a:hover .v, .contact-grid a:focus-visible .v { color: var(--signal-deep); }
footer {
padding: 36px 0 60px;
font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", monospace; font-size: 13px; color: var(--ink-faint);
}
footer .wrap { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: space-between; gap: 12px; }
:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid var(--signal); outline-offset: 3px; }
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
html { scroll-behavior: auto; }
.trace .draw { animation: none; stroke-dashoffset: 0; }
}
@media print {
.nav, .trace, .cta-row, .status { display: none; }
body { background: #fff; color: #000; font-size: 11pt; }
section { padding: 18px 0; break-inside: avoid; }
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<a class="skip" href="#main">Skip to content</a>
<nav class="nav">
<div class="nav-inner">
<a class="mark" href="#top">Muhammad Ahsan</a>
<div class="nav-links">
<a href="#news">Recent News</a>
<a href="#research">Research</a>
<a href="#publications">Publications</a>
<a href="#experience">Experience</a>
<a href="#awards">Awards</a>
<a href="#teaching">Teaching</a>
<a href="#contact">Contact</a>
</div>
</div>
</nav>
<header class="hero" id="top">
<svg class="trace" viewBox="0 0 1200 240" preserveAspectRatio="none" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false">
<path class="draw" d="M 0 170 L 60 170 L 80 90 L 100 165 L 140 165 L 160 60 L 180 150 L 210 150 L 230 110 L 250 168 L 320 168 L 340 75 L 360 160 L 400 160 L 420 120 L 445 120 L 465 70 L 490 165 L 560 165 L 585 100 L 610 165 L 660 165 L 685 55 L 710 150 L 760 150 L 785 130 L 810 130 L 835 80 L 860 168 L 930 168 L 955 95 L 980 160 L 1030 160 L 1055 65 L 1080 155 L 1130 155 L 1155 115 L 1200 115" />
</svg>
<div class="hero-inner">
<div class="hero-text">
<p class="eyebrow">CPS Security · Side-Channel Analysis · ML for Security</p>
<h1>Muhammad Ahsan</h1>
<p class="lede">I read the <b>signals machines leak</b> to find out when they have been attacked.</p>
<p class="status">
<span class="led" aria-hidden="true"></span>
PhD, Computer Science · on the academic job market
</p>
<div class="cta-row">
<a class="btn primary" href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mahsan321/Portfolio/master/pdf/CV-Muhammad_Ahsan.pdf">Curriculum Vitae</a>
<a class="btn" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammad-ahsan-807a3969/">LinkedIn</a>
<a class="btn" href="mailto:ahsanm5@vcu.edu">Email</a>
<a class="btn" href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=blP2CFQAAAAJ&hl=en">Google Scholar</a>
</div>
</div>
<figure class="portrait">
<img src="pic.jpg" alt="Muhammad Ahsan" width="500" height="625" loading="eager" />
</figure>
</div>
</header>
<main id="main">
<!-- ABOUT -->
<section id="about">
<div class="wrap">
<p class="sec-label">About</p>
<h2>An attack on a physical process has to show up in the physics.</h2>
<div class="prose">
<p>That is the idea my research is built on. A compromised controller can forge every log it produces, but it cannot forge the current a motor draws or the heat a nozzle puts out. So I put the sensor outside the machine and read the process directly.</p>
<p>I hold a PhD in Computer Science from Virginia Commonwealth University, where I worked in the <b>SAFE Lab</b> with Prof. Irfan Ahmed. Before that I spent seven years as a Senior Research Officer at KICS, UET Lahore, on embedded systems, industrial automation, and analog instrumentation. That background is why my work sits at the <b>hardware and software boundary</b> rather than on either side of it.</p>
<p>My main domains are <b>polymer 3D printing and 3D bioprinting</b>, where I study both how these systems are attacked and how those attacks can be caught while the part is still being built. I have also carried the approach into <b>SCADA and industrial control systems</b>, work recognised by U.S. Cyber Command.</p>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- NEWS -->
<section id="news">
<div class="wrap">
<p class="sec-label">News</p>
<h2>Recent.</h2>
<ul class="news" role="list">
<li><span class="date">Jul 2026</span><span>Defended and completed my <b>PhD in Computer Science</b> at Virginia Commonwealth University.</span></li>
<li><span class="date">May 2026</span><span>Delivered workshop at <b>IEEE HOST 2026</b>.</span></li>
<li><span class="date">April 2026</span><span>Presented at <b>U.S. Cyber Command CyberRecon</b>.</span></li>
<li><span class="date">May 2025</span><span>Two papers at <b>IEEE HOST 2025</b>. <em>3D Bioprinter Firmware Attacks</em> was a Best Paper semi-finalist.</span></li>
<li><span class="date">Dec 2024</span><span><b>BioSaFe</b> presented at <b>ACSAC 2024</b>, the first bioprinting security framework covering both printability and cell viability.</span></li>
<li><span class="date">April 2024</span><span>Received the <b>Defender Award</b> at U.S. Cyber Command.</span></li>
<li><span class="date">April 2024</span><span>Received the <b>Comander Cup and Four-Star Challenge Coin</b> from General Timothy D. Haugh, Commander, U.S. Cyber Command.</span></li>
<li><span class="date">Dec 2023</span><span>Received Conferenceship to attend <b>ACSAC 2023</b> at Austin, Texas.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</section>
<!-- RESEARCH -->
<section id="research">
<div class="wrap">
<p class="sec-label">Research</p>
<h2>Selected work.</h2>
<p class="prose">Four projects that together cover the arc I care about: find the attack, detect it in real time, and be able to reconstruct it afterwards.</p>
<div class="projects">
<div class="project">
<p class="kicker">Detection · Polymer 3D printing</p>
<h3>WattShield</h3>
<p>Catches malicious firmware from the wall plug. A non-invasive current sensor reconstructs what the printer actually did, then compares it against the job the operator submitted. Nothing on the printer has to be trusted.</p>
<p class="where">IEEE HOST 2025</p>
</div>
<div class="project">
<p class="kicker">Detection · Bioprinting</p>
<h3>BioSaFe</h3>
<p>The first bioprinting security framework to monitor printability and cell viability together, so sabotage that leaves the geometry intact but kills the cells does not pass unnoticed.</p>
<p class="where">ACSAC 2024</p>
</div>
<div class="project">
<p class="kicker">Attack · Bioprinting</p>
<h3>BioLeak3d</h3>
<p>Intellectual property theft through the power line. Passive current measurements plus a two-stage recovery pipeline reconstruct a proprietary bioprinted geometry, which means encrypting the design file is not enough to protect it.</p>
<p class="where">Under submission</p>
</div>
<div class="project">
<p class="kicker">Forensics · Additive manufacturing</p>
<h3>FRoMEPP</h3>
<p>Prevention is never perfect. A forensic readiness framework for material-extrusion 3D printing: what to capture, how to keep chain of custody, and how to reconstruct an attack across CAD, G-code, and firmware.</p>
<p class="where">DFRWS EU 2023</p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="sec-label" style="margin-top:52px;">Research interests</p>
<div class="tags">
<span class="tag">Cyber-Physical Systems Security</span>
<span class="tag">Side-Channel Analysis</span>
<span class="tag">Secure Additive Manufacturing</span>
<span class="tag">3D Bioprinting Security</span>
<span class="tag">ICS & SCADA Security</span>
<span class="tag">AI / ML for Security</span>
<span class="tag">IoT & Embedded Systems</span>
<span class="tag">Digital Forensics</span>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- PUBLICATIONS -->
<section id="publications">
<div class="wrap">
<p class="sec-label">Publications</p>
<h2>Peer-reviewed work.</h2>
<p class="prose">Titles link to the paper where one is available. The full list, including posters and demos, is in my <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mahsan321/Portfolio/master/pdf/CV-Muhammad_Ahsan.pdf">CV</a>.</p>
<p class="pub-group-label">// Additive manufacturing & bioprinting security</p>
<ol class="pubs" role="list" style="counter-reset: pub 0;">
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<span class="pub-title">BioLeak3d: LLM-Guided Side-Channel Reconstruction of Proprietary Bioprinted Constructs</span>
<div class="pub-authors"><span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, I. Ahmed</div>
<div class="pub-venue">IEEE HOST</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge live">Under submission</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<span class="pub-title">BioShield: A Power Side-Channel-Based Monitoring Framework for Ensuring 3D Bioprinting Process Integrity</span>
<div class="pub-authors"><span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, J. Tsala Ebode, N. Lewinski, I. Ahmed</div>
<div class="pub-venue">Under review</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge live">Under submission</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<span class="pub-title">PrintSafe: A Near Real-Time Anomaly Detection Framework for Fused Filament Fabrication Using Printing Environment Estimation</span>
<div class="pub-authors">M. H. Rais, <span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, I. Ahmed</div>
<div class="pub-venue">Journal of Manufacturing Processes</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge live">Under review</span><span class="badge hot">Q1 · IF 6.0</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10917538/">BioSaFe: Bioprinting Security Framework for Detecting Sabotage Attacks on Printability and Cell Viability</a>
<div class="pub-authors"><span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, E. Pak, K. Jackson, M. H. Rais, B. Najarro-Blancas, N. Lewinski, I. Ahmed</div>
<div class="pub-venue">ACSAC 2024 · Honolulu, HI</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge hot">CORE A</span><span class="badge">21.5% accept</span><span class="badge">CCI 2025 Showcase</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/11050063">WattShield: A Power Side-Channel Framework for Detecting Malicious Firmware in Fused Filament Fabrication</a>
<div class="pub-authors"><span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, I. Ahmed</div>
<div class="pub-venue">IEEE HOST 2025 · San Jose, CA</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge">31.6% accept</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/11050047">3D Bioprinter Firmware Attacks: Categorization, Implementation, and Impacts</a>
<div class="pub-authors"><span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, B. Najarro-Blancas, J. Tsala Ebode, N. Lewinski, I. Ahmed</div>
<div class="pub-venue">IEEE HOST 2025 · San Jose, CA</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge hot">Best Paper Semi-Finalist</span><span class="badge">31.6% accept</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10190501">SoK: Side Channel Monitoring for Additive Manufacturing, Bridging Cybersecurity and Quality Assurance Communities</a>
<div class="pub-authors"><span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, M. H. Rais, I. Ahmed</div>
<div class="pub-venue">IEEE EuroS&P 2023 · Delft, Netherlands</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge hot">CORE A</span><span class="badge">35% accept</span><span class="badge">CCI 2024 Showcase</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://www.usenix.org/conference/woot24/presentation/rais">SoK: 3D Printer Firmware Attacks on Fused Filament Fabrication</a>
<div class="pub-authors">M. H. Rais, <span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, I. Ahmed</div>
<div class="pub-venue">USENIX WOOT 2024 · Philadelphia, PA</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge">35% accept</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/full/10.1145/3704735">Sabotaging Material Extrusion-Based 3D Printed Parts through Low-Magnitude Kinetic Manipulation Attacks</a>
<div class="pub-authors">M. H. Rais, <span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, I. Ahmed</div>
<div class="pub-venue">ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems · 9(1), 2025</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge hot">Q1</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666281723000112">FRoMEPP: Digital Forensic Readiness Framework for Material Extrusion-Based 3D Printing Process</a>
<div class="pub-authors">M. H. Rais, <span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, I. Ahmed</div>
<div class="pub-venue">DFRWS EU 2023 · FSI: Digital Investigation, Elsevier</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge">23% accept</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-20137-0_8">Low-Magnitude Infill Structure Manipulation Attacks on Fused Filament Fabrication Printers</a>
<div class="pub-authors">M. H. Rais, <span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, V. Sharma, R. Barua, R. Prins, I. Ahmed</div>
<div class="pub-venue">IFIP ICCIP 2022 · Arlington, VA</div>
</div></li>
</ol>
<p class="pub-group-label">// IoT, embedded & systems security</p>
<ol class="pubs" role="list">
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542660524001136">D4GW: DTLS for Gateway Multiplexed Application to Secure MQTT(SN)-Based Pub/Sub Architecture</a>
<div class="pub-authors">B. Imran, <span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, A. H. Akbar, G. A. Shah</div>
<div class="pub-venue">Elsevier Internet of Things, 2024</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge hot">Q1 · IF 7.6</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10414205">LsStk: Lightweight Solution to Preventing Stack from Buffer Overflow Vulnerability</a>
<div class="pub-authors"><span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, M. Ali</div>
<div class="pub-venue">IEEE ICOSST 2023</div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8802473">oneM2M Architecture-Based Secure MQTT Binding in Mbed OS</a>
<div class="pub-authors"><span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, B. Afzal, B. Imran, A. Tanwir, A. H. Akbar, G. A. Shah</div>
<div class="pub-venue">IEEE EuroS&P Workshop on Software Security for IoT, 2019</div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9013863">MISA: Minimalist Implementation of oneM2M Security Architecture for Constrained IoT Devices</a>
<div class="pub-authors">B. Imran, B. Afzal, A. H. Akbar, <span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, G. A. Shah</div>
<div class="pub-venue">IEEE GLOBECOM 2019</div>
<div class="badges"><span class="badge">CORE B</span><span class="badge">40% accept</span></div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<a class="pub-title" href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8921376">Simulation of Solar Angles for Maximizing Efficiency of Solar Thermal Collectors</a>
<div class="pub-authors"><span class="me">M. Ahsan</span>, N. Ahmad, W. Badar</div>
<div class="pub-venue">IEEE ICECE 2019</div>
</div></li>
</ol>
<p class="pub-group-label">// Posters, hardware demos & tutorials</p>
<ol class="pubs" role="list">
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<span class="pub-title">When Code Meets Cells: Securing 3D Bioprinting Systems Against Adversarial Manipulation</span>
<div class="pub-venue">Poster, CCI Symposium 2026 · Hardware Demo, IEEE HOST 2026</div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<span class="pub-title">Supply Chain Resilience in Industrial Control Systems</span>
<div class="pub-venue">Hardware Tutorial, IEEE HOST 2026</div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<span class="pub-title">Firmware Attacks on the INKREDIBLE+ 3D Bioprinter</span>
<div class="pub-venue">Hardware Demo, IEEE HOST 2025 · Poster, CCI Symposium 2025</div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<span class="pub-title">BioSaFe: Bioprinting Security Framework for In-Situ Process Monitoring</span>
<div class="pub-venue">Hardware Demo, IEEE HOST 2024 · Poster, ACSAC 2023 and CCI 2024</div>
</div></li>
<li><div class="pubs-body">
<span class="pub-title">The Troubled Elevator: Forensic Investigation of a Bank's Elevator Malfunction</span>
<div class="pub-venue">DFRWS 2023 Challenge on Industrial Control System Forensics</div>
</div></li>
</ol>
</div>
</section>
<!-- EXPERIENCE -->
<section id="experience">
<div class="wrap">
<p class="sec-label">Experience</p>
<h2>Research roles.</h2>
<div class="row">
<div>
<div class="when">Aug 2021 — Jul 2026</div>
<div class="where">SAFE Lab, Virginia Commonwealth University</div>
</div>
<div>
<h3>Graduate Research Assistant</h3>
<p style="color:var(--ink-soft);margin:0;">Side channels for securing cyber-physical systems. Built the attack and detection pipelines for polymer 3D printing and bioprinting end to end, from instrumenting the hardware through to the machine learning that reads the signal. Led an interdisciplinary project spanning computer science and bioengineering.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div>
<div class="when">Oct 2014 — Jul 2021</div>
<div class="where">KICS, UET Lahore</div>
</div>
<div>
<h3>Senior Research Officer</h3>
<ul>
<li>Lightweight, oneM2M-aligned security framework for IoT device communication and scalable deployment.</li>
<li>Smart home cyber-physical testbed with a custom embedded gateway for secure control of smart plugs and switchboards.</li>
<li>LoRaWAN-based smart irrigation system for real-time soil moisture sensing and precision agriculture.</li>
<li>Security analysis of IoT and SCADA firewalls through vulnerability-driven testing and adversarial traffic.</li>
<li>Industrial automation and solar thermal tracking systems, plus an IEC 60034-2-1 compliant motor test bench.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- AWARDS -->
<section id="awards">
<div class="wrap">
<p class="sec-label">Awards & recognition</p>
<h2>Selected honors.</h2>
<div class="feature">
<p><b>Four-Star Challenge Coin</b> presented by General Timothy D. Haugh, Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Director of the NSA, for research contributions to industrial control system security.</p>
</div>
<ul class="award-list" role="list">
<li><b>Defender Award</b> — U.S. Cyber Command CyberRecon 2025</li>
<li><b>Commander's Award for Outstanding Research</b> — U.S. Cyber Command CyberRecon 2024</li>
<li><b>Guardian Award</b> — U.S. Cyber Command CyberRecon 2024</li>
<li><b>Best Paper Semi-Finalist</b> — IEEE HOST 2025</li>
<li><b>People's Choice Award</b> — <a href="https://megahack-vcu.devpost.com/project-gallery">MegaHack@VCU 2024, Pixel Pioneers: Crafting the Malware Gallery</a></li>
<li><b>Student Travel Awards</b> — ACSAC 2023; NSF travel funding for IEEE HOST 2024, 2025, 2026</li>
<li><b>Dean's Honor Certificate</b> (five semesters) and <b>B.Sc. with Honors</b> — UET Lahore</li>
</ul>
</div>
</section>
<!-- FUNDING + EDUCATION -->
<section id="more">
<div class="wrap">
<p class="sec-label">Funding</p>
<h2 style="margin-bottom:18px;">Proposals & grants.</h2>
<ul class="award-list" role="list" style="margin-bottom:52px;">
<li><b>Securing the Layered Build: Cyber-Physical Defense in Metal Fused Filament Fabrication</b> — Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, $100,000, 2025–2026. Co-wrote the technical portion.</li>
<li><b>Cybersecurity Initiative in Bioprinting</b> — Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, $100,000, 2022–2023. Co-wrote the technical portion.</li>
</ul>
<p class="sec-label">Education</p>
<h2 style="margin-bottom:18px;">Training.</h2>
<div class="row">
<div><div class="when">2021 — 2026</div></div>
<div>
<h3>PhD, Computer Science — Virginia Commonwealth University</h3>
<p style="color:var(--ink-soft);margin:0;">Dissertation: <em>Cybersecurity of Additive Manufacturing using Power Side-Channel Analysis</em>. Advisor: Prof. Irfan Ahmed. GPA 4.00.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div><div class="when">2015 — 2018</div></div>
<div><h3>M.S., Electrical Engineering — UET Lahore</h3><p style="color:var(--ink-soft);margin:0;">GPA 3.75</p></div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div><div class="when">2010 — 2014</div></div>
<div><h3>B.Sc., Electrical Engineering — UET Lahore</h3><p style="color:var(--ink-soft);margin:0;">GPA 3.70, with Honors</p></div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- TEACHING AND SERVICE -->
<section id="teaching">
<div class="wrap">
<p class="sec-label">Teaching & service</p>
<h2>Beyond the papers.</h2>
<div class="prose">
<p><b>Teaching.</b> Graduate Teaching Assistant for CMSC 355, Software Engineering, at VCU. Instructor for PLC short courses at UET Lahore. Undergraduate and graduate research mentor, and invited seminar speaker. I am equally happy teaching the core sequence or building courses out of my research, in critical infrastructure security and hardware security for embedded and industrial systems.</p>
<p><b>Journal reviewing.</b> IEEE Internet of Things Journal, ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems, FSI: Digital Investigation, Computers & Security.</p>
<p><b>Conference organization.</b> IEEE ICOSST, 2016 to 2019. IEEE ICECE, 2017 to 2018.</p>
<p><b>Outreach.</b> Organised a regional high school programming contest.</p>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- CONTACT -->
<section id="contact" style="border-bottom:none;">
<div class="wrap">
<p class="sec-label">Contact</p>
<h2>Get in touch.</h2>
<div class="contact-grid">
<a href="mailto:ahsanm5@vcu.edu">
<div class="k">Email</div>
<div class="v">ahsanm5@vcu.edu</div>
</a>
<a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=blP2CFQAAAAJ&hl=en">
<div class="k">Google Scholar</div>
<div class="v">Muhammad Ahsan</div>
</a>
<a href="https://github.com/mahsan321">
<div class="k">GitHub</div>
<div class="v">mahsan321</div>
</a>
<div class="cell">
<div class="k">Location</div>
<div class="v">Richmond, Virginia</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
</main>
<footer>
<div class="wrap">
<span>© 2026 Muhammad Ahsan</span>
<span>Last updated August 2026</span>
</div>
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