PDL PEOPLE

Research Interests

I do research in computer security—I'm particularly interested in building usable access-control systems with sound theoretical underpinnings, and generally in narrowing the gap between a formal model and a usable system. Key terms: proof-carrying authorization, distributed access control, program monitors, security automata, languages for specifying security policies. The projects I'm currently involved in include the following.

• Grey — an experiment to create a universal and highly secure access-control device via software extensions to off-the-shelf "smart phones". Grey builds from formal techniques for proving authorization that assure sound access decisions and that permit virtually unlimited flexibility in the policies that can be implemented.
• Secure Digital Home — a project that explores an architecture, mechanisms, and interfaces for helping users manage access control in the digital home of the future.
• Polymer — a language and system for specifying and enforcing composable run-time security policies on Java programs. This project studies various facets of the theory, design, and implementation of software program monitors and monitor-specification languages.