Degree Obtained: Master of Science in Computer Science

University:  Arizona State University

Date Degree Obtained:   December 2024

Faculty advisor:   Michel Kinsy

Email Address: hello@peter-moore.net

Research Statement: I built a custom operating system named ZenOS that utilizes capabilities to harden and optimize its various systems. I trained and led a team of other researchers to expand ZenOS’s abilities and test its performance and security. My Master of Science in Computer Science dissertation discussed capabilities and how they can improve performance and security, operating system principles, and the design of ZenOS. Here is a link to my thesis: https://keep.lib.asu.edu/items/198277

Motivation statement: Memory corruption is one of the most dangerous and frequently exploited weaknesses that exists in computing systems today. Capabilities have the potential to obviate this entire class of vulnerability, making computer systems much more secure. I chose to focus on building a capability-aware operating system because I wanted to work on a layer of the system that would help me understand both the hardware and the software. Every decision I made in ZenOS had to take into account the limitations and strengths of the hardware it was running on as well as the expectations of the software running on it, which helped me gain an understanding of the ‘big picture’ of computer science.

Tell us more about you: I received my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Arizona State University, and made the Schools of Engineering Dean’s List for five consecutive semesters. After graduating, I joined ASU’s Secure, Trusted, and Assured Microelectronics (STAM) Center. I began my graduate research on low-level software security, and joined the Center for Secure Microelectronics Ecosystem (CSME). I published my first paper on hardware root-of-trust systems for critical infrastructures in the 2023 IEEE High Performance Extreme Computing Conference (available here: https://doi.org/10.1109/HPEC58863.2023.10363457), and presented my work at CSME’s 2nd Annual Meeting at Purdue in 2023.

Tell us your plans after graduation:  I’m currently looking for a full-time position. If you are looking to hire a driven and enthusiastic recent computer science graduate, please connect with me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-moore-pi314159/) or email me directly at hello@peter-moore.net.

Tell us a fun fact about you:  I organize a group of volunteers to work at Feed My Starving Children every week.