Hi! I’m a 4th-year software engineering Ph.D. student at University of California, Irvine (UCI)’s Informatics Department. I am advised by Dr. Joshua Garcia.
Research Interests
CS Education
Student-run cybersecurity clubs, upcycled cyber ranges
Software Security
Bug bounties, CVEs, and open-source maintainers
AI & Security
AI red teaming, AI security education
Recent Highlights
- Aug. 7, 2026
Student-Run Cyber Clubs - Why They Matter & Digital Playgrounds
Gave a presentation on cyber clubs at DEFCON 34 to the .EDU Community.
- May 19, 2025
UC Irvine team wins National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition
Competed on the UCI CCDC team as the corporate lead.
- Mar. 19, 2025
Securing the Future: ZotGPT and Cyber@UCI Unite to Fortify Generative AI Defenses
Set up and facilitated this collaboration, managing the student team and keeping UCI OIT updated throughout.
- Jan. 28, 2025
UC Irvine's Codesafe Platform Wins $50,000 in Global EdTech Competition
Led development of Codesafe as first author, winning the DARPA + Tools Catalyst Award.
- Jul. 1, 2024
Cyber@UCI team places fourth in national cybersecurity competition
Competed as a member of Cyber@UCI's CCDC team at National CCDC Nationals.
Selected Publications
See all publications.
I may not always be available for collaboration, but please don’t hesitate to reach out if any of my work is of interest or if you would just like to work together. Please also feel free to reach out if you have any questions or just want to chat!
If you’d like more up-to-date information on my profile, please contact skngo1@uci.edu.