National Young Researcher Award in Computer Science 2024 – BBVA Foundation and SCIE
Published:
I am honored to have received one of the National Young Researcher Awards in Computer Science 2024, granted by the BBVA Foundation and the Spanish Scientific Society of Computer Science (SCIE). This recognition encourages me to continue exploring the frontiers of cybersecurity and trustworthy artificial intelligence.
My PhD work focused on using machine learning, including deep learning techniques, to identify subtle variations in behavior that can uniquely fingerprint devices. These behavioral patterns may stem from microarchitectural performance differences, timing deviations, or low-level signal anomalies — all of which can be exploited to create a reliable identity profile for each device. This enables the detection of scenarios where a device has been maliciously replaced or tampered with, a growing concern in supply chain attacks, side-channel exploits, or hardware cloning operations.
In parallel, I applied behavioral fingerprinting techniques to detect malware and cyberattacks by analyzing how software interacts with system resources such as network traffic patterns, system call traces, or memory access behaviors. These dynamic traits form the basis of robust, context-aware threat detection models that go beyond static signatures. To preserve privacy and scalability, I integrated federated learning into this process, allowing decentralized systems, such as edge devices or IoT nodes, to collaboratively train detection models without exposing sensitive data. This approach not only enhances threat detection accuracy in real-world, distributed environments, but also aligns with growing regulatory demands for privacy-preserving AI. Combining behavior-centric modeling with federated learning paves the way for resilient, adaptive, and ethically sound cybersecurity solutions.
Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated, and keeping up requires a mix of technical innovation, constant curiosity, and perseverance when things do not work on the first try. What drives my work is a concern for how technology is deployed in society — and a commitment to ensuring that digital transformation does not come at the cost of security or trust.