Hammond Pearce

Dr. Hammond Pearce (he/him) is a Senior Lecturer (a.k.a. Assistant Professor) at UNSW Sydney's School of Computer Science and Engineering. His main research focus is in hardware and software cybersecurity, including embedded systems, cyber-physical systems, and additive manufacturing. He also examines the implications of machine learning (ML) on design and applications in this space. He is particularly interested in how AI might be leveraged for new design strategies, including automated code writing and bug repair. As part of this work he won the inaugural Efabless AI-Generated Open-Source Silicon Design Challenge, the IEEE S&P Distinguished Paper award, and the ACM TODAES Best Paper Award. He received the B.E. (Hons) degree in Computer Systems Engineering in 2014 and the Ph.D. in Computer Systems Engineering in 2020 both from the University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. In 2019 he took part in the NASA International Internship Programme and worked at NASA Ames in California, and he has also worked in several industry positions, including as a full-stack web developer and as an electronics contractor working on Li-ion battery management systems. He teaches COMP3601 Design Project A, where students are introduced to complex FPGA development via the development of a large group project. Cybersecurity risks by AI technologies including Large Language Models (ChatGPT); Cybersecurity applications of new AI technologies (autonomous coding and security tests); Embedded systems and hardware cybersecurity; Hardware and Firmware Trojan Design and Detection (red-team / blue-team); Cybersecurity of manufacturing systems with a focus on guaranteeing safe operations using hardware enforcement techniques; Cybersecurity risks and mitigation strategies for infrastructure and cyber-physical systems including smart power grids; Automatic bug fixing for/in hardware