Why George Mason University?

Ranking: CS ranked 35th in the U.S., Security ranked 18th.
Funding: PhD stipend ≥ $3,300/month. Tuition and health insurance covered.
Safety: GMU is among the safest universities in the U.S.
Living Cost: Private bedroom rent ~$1,000/month.
Diversity: Fairfax, VA is a highly diverse and inclusive community.
Location: Close to Washington, D.C., airports, and national parks. Home to 11 Fortune 500 HQs. Amazon and Google are expanding nearby.
Climate: Four mild and distinct seasons.

Why My Lab?

Frontier Security Research: Research areas cover systems, software, and AI security. Our papers have been published in top-tier venues such as Oakland, CCS, USENIX Security, and NDSS. The research has been featured by dozens of media outlets, including Forbes, Yahoo, DailyMail, and ACM TechNews. Our work has been acknowledged by industry leaders such as Apple and has benefited hundreds of millions of users. Homepage: https://cs.gmu.edu/~zeng/
Strong Mentorship: My PhD graduates and postdoc have ALL obtained tenure-track faculty positions, including at R1 universities in the US. I meet with each student weekly and encourage critical thinking.
Ample Resources: Over $3M in NSF grants (including CAREER Award). Each student has a GPU desktop. The lab has servers with multiple GPUs (H100s) and numerous IoT and drone devices.

Degree: CS/EE/Math; top-500 university (e.g., 985 or top 211 in China).
Or Research Experience: Publications in reputable venues (such as AsiaCCS, RAID, WiSec, DIMVA).
English: GRE not required. TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo/PTE accepted. See requirements. Exceptional candidates may discuss flexibility.
Research Passion: Must be self-motivated and genuinely passionate about impactful research.

Online Application: GMU Application Portal (Computer Science – PhD)
Fall Admission: Apply by Dec 1 for full funding consideration; Mar 15 for limited consideration.
Spring Admission: Apply by Aug 15 for full consideration; Oct 15 for limited consideration.
Goals Statement: Mention your interest in working with me on Security research.
Contact: Email zeng@gmu.edu with your CV, transcripts, GPA, ranking, and English scores.

排名： CS 全美第35名，安全方向第18。
待遇： RA/TA ≥ $3,300/月，免学费并提供医疗保险。
安全： GMU 位列全美最安全大学之一。
生活成本： 独立卧室租金约约$1,000/月。
多样性： Fairfax 是文化最丰富地区之一。
地理位置： 靠近华盛顿DC和两大机场(可直飞中国)。亚马逊第二总部与谷歌均在附近, 11家财富500强企业总部设立于此, 工作实习机会丰富。周边有NSF、DARPA、五角大楼等机构。周末坐半个小时地铁, 去DC喝喝早茶, 逛逛博物馆, 吃吃米其林, 相当惬意. DC的博物馆多如繁星, 在国家自然与历史博物馆可以身临其境地体会《博物馆奇妙夜》中的奇幻，在国家美术馆可以一睹梵高、达·芬奇、莫奈等大师的真迹风采; 划重点: 免门票.
气候： 四季分明，气候温和。

顶尖安全研究： 研究方向涵盖系统安全、软件安全和人工智能安全。论文发表在顶级会议（Oakland、CCS、USENIX Security、NDSS）。研究成果被 Forbes、Yahoo、DailyMail、ACM TechNews 等数十家媒体报道，并获 Apple 等业界致谢，成果惠及全球数亿用户。导师主页: https://cs.gmu.edu/~zeng/
指导经验丰富： 我指导的PhD毕业生和博后都拿到教职, 包括美国R1高校. 不搞微管理, 每周跟学生单独开会一次. 学生的邮件, 我基本都是秒回. 学生的文章, 我一个字一个字改. 鼓励批判性思维.
经费充足： 获NSF超300万美元资助（含CAREER Award）。配备多GPU服务器(H100)与无人机、IoT设备。