Work Experience
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
June 2017 - Present- Serve as Principal Investigator and Technical Lead for research and development portfolio spanning malware analysis, network intrusion detection systems, and cloud security.
- Successfully align technical milestones with Department of Defense strategic modernization goals.
- Secure and manage a ~$1M/year research budget, authoring technical proposals and delivering executive briefings to high-level stakeholders to justify funding for critical cybersecurity research.
- Deliver milestone and technical reviews to demonstrate capabilities.
- Architected, deployed, and administered an enterprise automated malware analysis platform using a collection of commercial, government, and open-source tooling in support of Navy network operations.
- Engineered a containerized suite of microservices to coordinate data processing and enable simplified integration of new capabilities.
- Administered Linux systems, maintained DevSecOps pipelines to accelerate feature deployment.
- Spearheaded a critical migration to Kubernetes that improved system scalability, reduced infrastructure overhead, and minimized analysis turnaround times.
- Designed, built, and optimized network security monitoring platforms using Zeek and Suricata, ensuring robust telemetry collection and threat visibility across both on-premise and cloud deployments.
- Developed Ansible roles and playbooks to support the rapid deployment and configuration of network sensors and their remote management systems.
- Unified system architectures into an infrastructure-agnostic design that streamlined patch management and reduced system complexity for administrators.
- Performed continuous integration and quality assurance testing using Ansible to verify the correctness of these complex, mission-critical systems in support of Navy sponsors.
- Researched the use of neural networks and unsupervised clustering in the detection of novel malware samples, including Advanced Persistent Threats (APT).
- Developed pipelines for automated malware unpacking and clustering to detect functional relationships between known and unknown APTs.
- Actively lead cross-functional Agile teams of 3 to 5 civilians and contractors, serving as Project Lead and Scrum Master to consistently deliver research milestones.
- Foster a collaborative, high-performing research environment by mentoring junior developers, managing sprint lifecycles, and bridging the communication gap between technical teams and senior leadership.
- Engage and onboard summer interns, providing academic and professional mentorship through mission-essential projects.
Education
Virginia Tech
August 2016 - December 2018
M.S., Computer Engineering, 2018
Overall GPA: 3.61/4.0
Thesis: Embedding Network Information for Machine Learning-based Intrusion Detection
Virginia Tech
August 2013 - May 2017
B.S., Computer Engineering, 2017 - Magna Cum Laude
Overall GPA: 3.60/4.0
Minors in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, and Mathematics
Skills & Proficiencies
- Python - Django, Flask, Celery, PyTorch
- Linux - RHEL, Debian, Talos, CoreOS
- Docker, Podman, Kubernetes, Rancher
- Proxmox VE, VMware vSphere, AWS
- GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, Ansible, Terraform
- Cassandra, PostgreSQL, Redis, MinIO, Elasticsearch
- Cuckoo Sandbox, CAPEv2, Suricata, Zeek
- Juniper Junos, Cisco IOS, OpenFlow, OpenVSwitch
Projects
Bare Metal Kubernetes With Fedora CoreOS
- Configure network boot environments using Fedora CoreOS as baseline image
- Use Ignition and poseidon/matchbox to create a pipeline for updating a cluster of bare metal hosts
- Automate bare-metal Kubernetes cluster deployment with minimal user interaction
Cloud Resume Challenge
- Working to complete the Cloud Resume Challenge to develop practical skills in AWS
- Develop a static website using Hugo to deploy in AWS using S3, CloudFront, and Route53, with a visitor counter using DynamoDB and Lambda
- Automate updates to the website using Terraform and GitHub Actions to push new files, create new AWS resources, and invalidate caching
- See my blog posts about my journey!
Deploying Talos Linux Using Ansible
- Automate the deployment and bootstrapping of a Talos Linux cluster using Ansible
- Enables configurable-sized clusters on Proxmox VE, including updates to Talos Linux images
- Code can be found on GitHub
Home Raspberry Pi Cluster
- Operated a 6-node Raspberry Pi cluster as a testbed for practicing container technologies at home
- Deployed 3-master, 3-worker Kubernetes cluster using K3s with distributed GlusterFS storage
- Enabled PXE Boot on Raspberry Pis using pfSense and TrueNAS SCALE for reliable storage and backups
- Run containers for at-home services like Pi-hole, Omada Controller, and BookStack
Brute Force Defense Using OpenFlow on Raspberry Pi
- Prototyped a software-defined network on a cluster of Raspberry Pi’s and designed a threshold-based IPS
- Used a POX controller and OpenVSwitch to detect and reroute brute force login attempt on IP camera
- Report detailing the project can be found here
Additional Experience
Haven Church
September 2020 - Present- Lead and train a team of volunteers in audio mixing and video presentation for weekly services using Behringer mixers and RenewedVision ProPresenter software
- Operate church website for church resources and information, performing weekly editing on sermon recordings for listening on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts
- Spearheaded the design and procurement of a mobile AV system, including training for volunteers on setup and teardown procedures