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Tao Ni

Assistant Professor, Computer Science

Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering Division
Email icon tao.ni@kaust.edu.sa

Program Affiliations

Biography

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.

Research Interests

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
Keyword tag icon
cybersecurity cyber-physical systems IoT security mobile computing

Education Profile

  • 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

Awards and Recognitions

Awards and Distinctions

  • Outstanding Research Thesis Award, City University of Hong Kong, 2025

  • ACM MobiSys Rising Star, 22nd ACM International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications and Services, 2024

  • Best Poster Award, Asian Student Symposium on Emerging Technologies, 2024

Publications

  • Tao Ni, Yuefeng Du, Qingchuan Zhao, Cong Wang. Non-intrusive and Unconstrained Keystroke Inference in VR Platforms via Infrared Side Channel. In Proceedings of the 32nd Network and Distributed System Security Symposium (NDSS), 2025.

  • Tao Ni, Xiaokuan Zhang, Qingchuan Zhao. Recovering Fingerprints from In-Display Fingerprint Sensors via Electromagnetic Side Channel. In Proceedings of the 30th ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS), 2023.

  • Tao Ni, Xiaokuan Zhang, Chaoshun Zuo, Jianfeng Li, Zhenyu Yan, Wubing Wang, Weitao Xu, Xiapu Luo, Qingchuan Zhao. Uncovering User Interactions on Smartphones via Contactless Wireless Charging Side Channels. In Proceedings of the 44th IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (S&P), 2023.

  • Tao Ni, Guohao Lan, Jia Wang, Qingchuan Zhao, Weitao Xu. Eavesdropping Mobile App Activity via Radio-Frequency Energy Harvesting. In Proceedings of the 32nd USENIX Security Symposium (USENIX Security), 2023.

  • Tao Ni, Jianfeng Li, Xiaokuan Zhang, Chaoshun Zuo, Wubing Wang, Weitao Xu, Xiapu Luo, Qingchuan Zhao. Exploiting Contactless Side Channels in Wireless Charging Power Banks for User Privacy Inference via Few-Shot Learning. In Proceedings of the 29th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking (MobiCom), 2023.

  • Tao Ni, Yongliang Chen, Weitao Xu, Lei Xue, Qingchuan Zhao. XPorter: A Study of the Multi-Port Charger Security on Privacy Leakage and Voice Injection. In Proceedings of the 29th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking (MobiCom), 2023.