Applications for PhD positions

I am seeking highly motivated and hard-working Ph.D. students to join my team. The students will work in the broad areas of cybersecurity, AI-enabled autonomy, and blockchain security. Sometimes, we may not have funding available for additional PhD positions. During such periods, we can only accommodate applicants who have their own sponsorship, fellowship, or assistantship. We will be glad to support your application process once you apply to our group.

 ​Basic Eligibility

• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or a closely related field
• Solid foundation in programming, algorithms, and logic
• Demonstrated problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
• Meets SIUC graduate‐admission standards

 ​Preferred Qualifications

• Prior research or industry experience in cybersecurity, CPS/IoT, AI/ML, or blockchain
• Scholarly publications (conference or journal)
• Strong software engineering practices (version control, testing, reproducible workflows)
• GRE scores: Quant ≥ 160

 ​How to Apply

Email Me at a.khalil@siu.edu with all of the following (subject line: “Prospective PhD Student [Semester Year]”):

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Unofficial transcripts (undergraduate & graduate, if applicable)
3. Brief statement of research interest (≤ 1 page)
4. GRE scores
5. English proficiency scores (IELTS/TOEFL)