My Story
Foundation
Kashmir: Systems Curiosity and Technical Foundations
I grew up in Kashmir and trained in the science stream with strong emphasis on mathematics. Outside class, I spent time assembling PCs and understanding system behavior through trial and failure.
Early exposure to C and C# established the systems-first mindset that later shaped my security architecture work.
Bachelors
Information Technology and Telecommunication Engineering
During my bachelor's, mentorship and research-oriented coursework strengthened analytical rigor. I published my first research paper in this period, building early publication discipline and technical writing habits.
Masters
Computer Science and Engineering | MBA
After a short web-development role, I completed a master's focused on research depth and systems reasoning. I published two papers, presented work publicly, and defended my thesis in October 2020.
In parallel, I started an MBA (IGNOU, distance learning) to strengthen project-management and leadership perspectives.
Industry
Data Engineering at BBI Insights
I worked as a Data Engineer contributing to production data pipelines supporting TransUnion (USA). The role involved AWS and Databricks-based workflows across distributed teams.
This phase strengthened execution under operational constraints, an important bridge into practical cybersecurity work.
PhD
Cybersecurity Research Fellow at UiT, Norway
At UiT, I focused on distributed trust, blockchain-backed authorization, and lightweight cryptographic evaluation for constrained and heterogeneous systems.
The work involved publications, supervision, and institutional collaboration while translating research outcomes into deployable security decisions.
Beyond Work
Travel and Cultural Exploration
I like to travel across Europe to understand local cultures and communication styles. This improves how I collaborate in international environments.
