Assistant Professor, Computer Science
Ni is an assistant professor of Computer Science in the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division at KAUST. His research spans computer systems security, machine learning systems security, embodied AI security, and low-power mobile computing.
Before joining KAUST, Tao Ni was a postdoctoral researcher at the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), working under the supervision of Professor Cong Wang. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from CityUHK in 2024, a Master of Computing from the Australian National University in 2020, and a Bachelor of Engineering in electrical engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2018.
Tao Ni's dissertation research received the CityUHK's Outstanding Research Thesis Award. His work won the Springer Cybersecurity Best Practical Paper Award in 2024, and he was also recognized as a rising star at the 22nd ACM International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications and Services.
Tao Ni's research lies at the intersection of cybersecurity, the Internet of Things and AI, with an emphasis on designing secure, reliable and efficient cyber-physical systems. His goal is to ensure trustworthy computing and confidential sensing in mobile devices and critical infrastructures through innovative hardware-software co-design and AI-driven techniques.
Key research areas include:
Cyber-physical systems security
Machine learning systems security
Embodied AI security
Low-power and battery-free mobile computing
Next-generation energy-harvesting technology
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) - Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2024
Laurea (BSc and MSc) - Computer Science, Australian National University, Australia, 2020
Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) - Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, 2018