About Me

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science at Virginia Tech, working under the supervision of Dr. Chris Brown. My research lies at the intersection of blockchain security, artificial intelligence, and software engineering, with an emphasis on developing secure, explainable, and scalable AI-driven systems for decentralized applications.

I am currently leading research on the ChainSentinel Project — an AI-powered multi-agent framework designed to enhance smart contract auditing and vulnerability detection using large language models (LLMs). My work integrates empirical software engineering methods with LLM-based program analysis and explainability to improve developer trust and reduce false positives in blockchain auditing tools.

My broader research interests span:

  • AI for Code and Security: Leveraging LLMs to detect and explain smart contract vulnerabilities.
  • Empirical Software Engineering: Studying developer behavior, adoption challenges, and perceptions of AI tools in secure development.
  • Blockchain Software Engineering: Designing systems that improve the reliability and usability of decentralized applications.
  • Explainable AI (XAI): Building interpretable models that bridge human understanding and automated security analysis.

🎓 News & Milestones

  • Spring 2026 Serving as Instructor of Record for CS 4264: Principles of Computer Security at Virginia Tech.
  • Jan 2026 Paper accepted: Finding RSEs: Challenges in Recruiting Research Software Engineers for Research — ICSE SERS ’26.
  • Dec 2025 Paper accepted: ParticipantGuide: Promoting Transparency in Human-Centric User Studies — IEEE VL/HCC ’25.
  • Spring 2025 Passed Ph.D. Preliminary Exam — officially a Doctoral Candidate in Computer Science at Virginia Tech.
  • Apr 2025 Paper accepted: Addressing the Agony of Recruitment for Human-Centric Computing Studies — ACM SIGSOFT ’25.
  • Mar 2025 Paper accepted: Evaluating Capabilities and Perspectives of Generative AI Tools in Smart Contract Development — ACM BSCI ’25.
  • Feb 2025 Paper accepted: Decoding the Influence: Analyzing the Impact of Crypto Signals on Software Repositories — IEEE SANER ’25.
  • Sep 2024 Two papers accepted: Exploring Stakeholder Challenges in Recruitment for Human-Centric Computing and A Comprehensive Approach to Supporting Blockchain Developers — IEEE VL/HCC ’24.
  • Aug 2024 Paper accepted: Exploring User Perceptions of Crypto Signals: An Empirical Study from Social Media — IEEE Cybermatics ’24.
  • Spring 2024 Received Instructor of Record Award for CS 3704 Software Engineering at Virginia Tech.
  • Spring 2024 Completed MS in Computer Science at Virginia Tech.
  • Sep 2023 Paper accepted: Software Engineering Approaches Adopted by Blockchain Developers — IEEE SDS ’23.
  • Fall 2023 Attended Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC ’23) — the world’s largest women-in-tech event.
  • Spring 2022 Joined Virginia Tech as a Ph.D. student under Dr. Chris Brown.

Selected Publications

  • Evaluating Capabilities and Perspectives of Generative AI Tools in Smart Contract Development
    BSCI 2025
  • Software Engineering Approaches Adopted by Blockchain Developers
    SDS 2023
  • Exploring User Perceptions of Crypto Signals: An Empirical Study from Social Media
    IEEE Blockchain 2024

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