ALEJANDRO ALMEIDA
Building Resilient Systems for Defense & High-Stakes Environments
Ph.D. candidate developing secure, high-performance applications across embedded, cloud, and AI environments. Specializing in UAV cybersecurity, side-channel analysis, machine learning-based threat detection, and resilient systems for defense and mission-critical operations.
OPERATIONS
Mission-critical projects and deployments
UAV INTRUSION DETECTION SYSTEM
NSA-funded research developing side-channel-driven intrusion detection for mission-critical unmanned aerial vehicles. Published in IEEE ISQED. Achieved effective cyber threat detection using machine learning and ethical hacking techniques.
SABRE: MODELING-RESISTANT ARBITER PUF
Co-designed challenge-space transformation and fuzzy extraction for Arbiter Physical Unclonable Functions. FPGA implementation with XOR chaining and error-correcting codes to resist machine-learning attacks. Submitted to COMPSAC 2026.
AI DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY FORECASTING
Built AI prototype at U.S. Army DEVCOM Research Laboratory using GPT-4 and LangChain to forecast emerging defense technologies. Integrated Firecrawl API for secure data collection and analysis supporting strategic planning.
RL-ADAPTIVE SCHEDULING FOR REAL-TIME CPS
Reinforcement learning scheduler that mitigates timing side-channel attacks in real-time cyber-physical systems. Uses PPO to dynamically calibrate jitter, reducing attack success from 99.3% to 22.2% while improving deadline compliance. Validated on FPGA with Gymnasium environment for DO-178C/ISO 26262 certification.
LIDAR ATTACKS & DEFENSES
Research on adversarial attacks and defensive countermeasures for LiDAR-based robotic path planning systems. Analyzing vulnerabilities in autonomous vehicle perception and developing mitigation strategies.
AUTOMATED TRADING SYSTEM
Designed and deployed MQL5-based algorithmic trading system powered by LSTM neural networks for market pattern forecasting. Improved execution accuracy and reduced manual intervention through deep-learning prediction models.
CLOUD LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION
Implemented computer vision system on Google Cloud Platform using RESTful APIs for real-time vehicle identification. Deployed deep-learning models with MongoDB for fast and accurate recognition.
CAPABILITIES
Technical expertise and competencies
FRONTEND
BACKEND
AI & MACHINE LEARNING
CLOUD & DEVOPS
CYBERSECURITY
HARDWARE & EMBEDDED
INTEL
Mission history and deployments
Graduate Research Assistant
Florida International University
NOV 2022 - Present
- >Led NSA-funded cybersecurity research at Analytics for Cyber Defense Laboratory on UAV security
- >Developed machine learning algorithms to detect and mitigate side-channel attacks on mission-critical systems
- >Published first-author IEEE paper on intrusion detection for unmanned aerial vehicles (ISQED)
- >Contributed to defensive techniques enhancing UAV resilience against cyber threats in adversarial environments
UAV Programming Course Instructor
nanoHUB (Florida International University)
2023 - Present
- >Co-instructor for "MEST Micro-Certificate: UAV Programming - A Hands-on Experience" serving global student community
- >Delivered practical training in UAV setup, programming, and cybersecurity assessment using real unmanned aerial vehicles
- >Taught Unit 2: UAV Security Assessment covering wireless communication security, vulnerability identification, and penetration testing
- >Utilized Damn Vulnerable Drone Simulator (DVDS) for hands-on security analysis and ethical hacking training
Software Engineer
MiTek / AtlasIED
APR 2024 - SEP 2025
- >Developed secure, high-performance commercial software in C, C++, and Python for embedded and connected systems
- >Applied secure coding practices, conducted code reviews, and performed vulnerability analysis to strengthen software assurance
- >Implemented CI/CD pipelines and automated deployments improving delivery consistency and system reliability
- >Enhanced system performance through code optimization and refactoring in embedded and networked environments
Research Intern
U.S. Army DEVCOM Research Laboratory
JUN 2024 - AUG 2024
- >Developed AI-based prototype using GPT-4 and LangChain to analyze emerging defense technologies and identify research trends
- >Integrated large language models with automated data-processing frameworks for secure information handling
- >Trained and evaluated machine learning models to identify patterns relevant to future defense planning
- >Prepared technical summaries and presented findings to research staff supporting AI development initiatives
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
Neox LLC
APR 2017 - MAY 2023
- >Designed and implemented automated trading system using algorithmic trading and MQL5 programming
- >Applied LSTM neural networks to forecast market patterns improving execution accuracy and system performance
- >Collaborated with leadership to align technical development with operational requirements and standards
- >Maintained production system ensuring reliability and consistent performance in live trading environment
EDUCATION
Academic credentials and research training
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Florida International University, Miami, FL
JAN 2024 - PRESENT
Master of Science (M.S.)
Computer Engineering
Florida International University, Miami, FL
MAY 2021 - DEC 2023
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Computer Engineering
Florida International University, Miami, FL
APR 2015 - APR 2021
Associate of Arts (A.A.)
General Studies & Pathway to Computer Engineering
Miami Dade College, Miami, FL
2012 - 2015
CERTIFICATIONS & LICENSES
Professional credentials and security clearances
SECURE TRANSMISSION
Initiate encrypted communication channel
ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FORM
PGP PUBLIC KEY
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