Assistant Professor Zhihao "Zephyr" Yao of the Department of Computer Science at NJIT's Ying Wu College of Computing has been named among IEEE Computing’s Top Early Career Professionals. This prestigious recognition is awarded to individuals worldwide who have demonstrated exceptional early-career achievements and are actively shaping the future of technology in the fields of artificial intelligence, software engineering and hardware.

Professor Yao's research on enhancing trust and security within mobile systems has been recognized as a significant contribution to the development of innovative solutions that safeguard against privacy breaches, unauthorized access and service disruptions, while maintaining optimal performance and usability.

His research papers, "Minimizing a Smartphone’s TCB for Security-Critical Programs with Exclusively-Used, Physically-Isolated, Statically-Partitioned Hardware" and "GleeFuzz: Fuzzing WebGL Through Error Message Guided Mutation," the latter of which was presented at the 32nd USENIX Security Symposium, were instrumental in securing this award. The recognition includes a cash prize, a one-year membership to the IEEE Computer Society, a certificate of recognition and a featured article detailing his work and career.

"The Computer Society Top 30 Early Career Professionals represent the vanguard of computing professions and the future of the Computer Society. We commend each recipient for their past accomplishments and anticipate their continued contributions," said Andy Seely, vice president, member and geographic activities, IEEE Computer Society.

Professor Yao joined NJIT in September 2023, following the completion of his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine.