My Journey
From a small city in Egypt that once declared independence, to pursuing research that fights for people's freedom and dignity in the digital age.
Born in Zefta, Egypt
A city that once declared itself the Zefta Republic during the 1919 revolution — a bold act of defiance that continues to inspire me with its legacy of resilience and independence.
18th in Egypt's National Math Exam
Ranked 18th out of more than 600,000 students nationwide in Egypt's Thanawya Amma mathematics exam. This achievement earned me a full merit scholarship.
Started at The German University in Cairo
Began studying Computer Science and Engineering at GUC, one of Egypt's top private universities.
Transferred to German International University
Transferred to GIU on a full merit scholarship to specialize in Information Security.
Remote Research with USF
While still in Egypt, started working remotely with Prof. C. Jordan Howell on cybercrime and underground economies research.
Research Intern at Georgia Tech
Moved to the United States as a research intern, working under Prof. Brendan D. Saltaformaggio on systems security. Contributed to research published at USENIX Security.
Graduated from GIU
Graduated with Excellent with High Honors in Informatics and Computer Science, with a major in Information Security.
Research Associate at MBZUAI
Joined Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi as a Research Associate, working on combating deepfakes and responsible AI through a human-centered lens.
Teaching at Dartmouth College
Served as Lead Graduate Teaching Assistant for COSC 55: Security & Privacy under Prof. Sami Saydjari. Redesigned the course to embrace AI tools while encouraging deeper reflection.
NDSS 2025 in San Diego
Attended the Network and Distributed System Security Symposium (NDSS) and the USEC workshop on human factors of security, connecting with researchers passionate about bridging people and technology.
AAAS CASE 2025 & Guarini Student Spotlight
One of four graduate students selected to represent Dartmouth College at the AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering Workshop in Washington, D.C. Featured by Dartmouth's Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, discussing research in human-centered security and privacy, the journey from Zefta, Egypt to Dartmouth, and advocacy for international students in STEM policy.
PhD at UC Santa Cruz
Joined UC Santa Cruz as a PhD student in Computer Science & Engineering, advised by Prof. Ram Sundara Raman, focusing on human-centered security and privacy.
Completed M.S. in Computer Science & Engineering
Earned a Master of Science in Computer Science & Engineering from UC Santa Cruz, en route to the PhD. Thesis reading committee: Prof. Ram Sundara Raman (Chair), Prof. Alvaro A. Cardenas, Prof. David T. Lee, and Dr. Alejandro Cuevas.
Leading AI Privacy Study with Stanford
Leading the AI Privacy & Regulation Study in collaboration with Stanford University, examining how practitioners navigate privacy challenges and emerging regulations like the EU AI Act, CCPA, and GDPR when building AI products.
Co-founded Egyptians in CS Research
Co-founded and lead a community directory of 262 Egyptian computer science researchers across 16 research tracks worldwide, expanding scope from AI to all of CS in collaboration with Badr AlKhamissi.
First Talk at NDSS — USEC 2026
Presented research on AI-enabled NSFW deepfakes on Fiverr at the USEC workshop, co-located with NDSS 2026 in San Diego.
Beyond Research
When I'm not buried in research, you'll probably catch me at the gym, walking along the California coast, wandering through redwood forests, or chasing down the next great coffee shop.
I tell myself these moments are breaks from research — but truthfully, even while sipping coffee or hiking a trail, my mind drifts back to the same question: how can I leave the world better than I found it?
Sometimes that means pushing my research forward, sometimes it means dreaming about building impactful startups, and sometimes it simply means working hard to be kind and present with the people around me.