Shiwei (David) Sun

About

I'm a graduate student in Computer Science at the University of Calgary, advised by Dr. Rei Safavi-Naini at the ESPRI Lab. My research focuses on information security and privacy, particularly secure communication and privacy-preserving authentication. I combine theoretical analysis with software implementation and experimental evaluation. I enjoy investigating technical problems in depth, comparing approaches, and applying what I learn to practical systems.

Expected graduation: Fall 2026. Available for full-time opportunities in security, engineering, and applied research from January 2027.

Experience

• Research Assistant, ESPRI Lab, University of Calgary · Sept 2021 – Present

  Research information-theoretic security, secure communication, and privacy-preserving authentication under Dr. Rei Safavi-Naini. Develop Python implementations and experiments to evaluate analytical results and protocol performance. Contributed the cryptographic implementation and performance experiments to a co-authored study of privacy-preserving guest access.

• Research Engineer, Aspire Technology Inc. · Jan 2024 – Mar 2025

  Worked with an energy customer and R&D, Sales, and Engineering to define requirements and communicate findings through technical specifications, Excel models, and presentations. Prototyped a Python/Gurobi battery-dispatch optimization engine for a 2 MW / 3.8 MWh site, identifying 18–25% projected cost-saving potential and a modeled payback reduction from nine years to five. Engineering adopted the design and supporting API/data-pipeline prototypes for production energy-management-system integration.

• Teaching Assistant, University of Calgary · Sept 2021 – Present

  Information Theory, Data Structures & Algorithms, Security & Privacy. Supported 150+ students through office hours, debugging help, and explanations adapted to their backgrounds. Named an instructor-nominated Computer Science Teaching Assistant Excellence Laureate.

Selected Projects

• Harness Security Gateway · 2026 – Present

  Personal security-engineering prototype for requesting coding-agent work through private messages. Led the design and AI-assisted development in Go and SQLite, binding each authorized connector/user/conversation combination to a fixed, operator-approved execution target in rootless Docker. Used fault injection to test replay and recovery, fixed a pre-dispatch recovery defect, and evaluated a scoped Z3 recovery model. Documented test assumptions and remaining risks.

• Secure Multipath Transmission · 2023 – Present

  M.Sc. thesis research on secure communication over untrusted networks, where relays may eavesdrop, drop, or alter messages. Built a Python optimization pipeline using dynamic programming and integer optimization to evaluate confidentiality, recovery, and link-capacity constraints. Cross-checked analytical predictions against brute-force cases and 100,000-trial Monte Carlo experiments using a binomial three-standard-error criterion. Maintained GitHub Actions CI/CD across Python 3.10–3.12 with 90+ tests.

• Privacy-Preserving IoT Onboarding · 2025

  Implemented and integrated five cryptographic components for a smart-building guest-access prototype that protects host identity: BBS group signatures, EC-ElGamal, EC-VRF, Schnorr proofs, and ECDSA. Tested tampering, wrong keys, and invalid proofs. Benchmarks over 1,000 iterations measured 0.7–17.4 ms of cryptographic computation per role (guest, host, infrastructure manager), excluding network and device-access latency.

Publications & Manuscripts

• Co-author, “Sponsored Group Signature and its Application to Privacy-preserving Guest Access in Smart Environments,” arXiv:2606.25248, 2026 (preprint). Contributed cryptographic implementation and performance experiments.
• First-authored manuscript on secure multipath transmission, based on my M.Sc. thesis research (in preparation).

Education

• MSc Computer Science (Thesis-based, Fully Funded), University of Calgary · Expected Fall 2026

  GPA 3.9 / 4.0. Advisor: Dr. Rei Safavi-Naini.

• BSc Computer Science (First-Class Honours), University of Calgary · 2021

  GPA 3.9 / 4.0. Dean's List.

Honours & Awards

• Golden Ticket Winner, QAI Ventures Global Hackathon — optimization prototype for grid-connected battery dispatch, 2025.
• Departmental Research Award ($11K), International Student Tuition Award ($12K), Continuing Undergraduate Award ($5K), Dean's List.