Samira Mirbagher Ajorpaz

Email: smirbag AT ncsu DOT edu

I am Samira, an Assistant Professor leading the BRAIN SPEC research lab within the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at NC State University. Beyond my role in the ECE department, I serve as a Computer Science faculty member and a core faculty at the Secure Computing Institute (SCI) at NC State. My academic journey included a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California San Diego’s Computer Science and Engineering Department, following a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Texas A&M University (2019) and a Bachelors of Computer and Electrical Engineering from the University of Isfahan, Iran.

My research melds computer architecture, systems security, and machine learning, emphasizing efficient and secure microarchitectural designs and refining machine learning models for hardware. Notably, my work has influenced the newer CPU designs. I also often serve on organizing and program committees in industry track and academic conferences such as HPCA, ASPLOS, MICRO, ISCA and recently I’ve been on MICRO Top Picks and ACM CCS PCs.

Outside of academia, I am an avid chess player and coach, with a history as youth Chess champion for several years as a kid. Additionally, I have achieved the ranking #1 on chess.com on multiple occasions which is not very hard to achieve but is a testament to my joy in this fascinating game.

Joshua Kalyanapu – Ph.D. Student

Email: jkalyan AT ncsu DOT edu

Joshua Kalyanapu is a Ph.D student in Computer Engineering. Joining NC State in Fall 2021, he received his bachelor’s degree in Spring 2021 from Iowa State University double majoring in Computer Engineering and Mathematics. His research interests include formal methods, side-channel attack and defense, and ML accelerators.

Azam Ghanbari – Ph.D. Student

Email: aghanba2 AT ncsu DOT edu

Azam, currently a Ph.D. student in Computer Engineering, joined North Carolina State University in Fall 2023. Prior to this, she earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from University of Tehran, Iran, majoring in Computer Engineering – Computer Architecture.

Farshad Dizani – Ph.D. Student

Email: fdizani AT ncsu DOT edu

Farshad is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering. He holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Tehran. His research focuses on microarchitectural vulnerabilities and performance optimization.

Darsh Asher – Ph.D. Student

Email: dkasher AT ncsu DOT edu

Darsh is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering. He holds a bachelor’s from University of Mumbai and a master’s degree from NC State University. His research interests include secure microarchitectural design, cryptography, and machine learning.

Kaushal Mhapsekar – Ph.D. Student

Email: kmhapse AT ncsu DOT edu

Kaushal is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Computer Engineering. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani – Goa Campus, and a master’s degree in Computer Engineering from NC State University. His research focuses on generative AI-driven cache replacement policy design & analysis, hardware fuzzing, and CPU performance optimization.

Bita Aslrousta – Ph.D. Student

Email: baslrou AT ncsu DOT edu

Bita started pursuing her Ph.D. in Fall 2025. Her research interests include brain-inspired microarchitectural optimization and CPU cache replacement policies.