UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1279
Submission information
Submission Number: 1279
Submission ID: 20991
Submission UUID: 607e9efb-8a41-48f3-a843-3976ca1c114a
Submission URI: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal
Submission Update: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=L1aYYC0bx-RYoiggucRbWFDAuud4AtpIeJUZjMDsg4s
Created: Mon, 08/18/2025 - 07:47 PM
Completed: Mon, 08/18/2025 - 08:46 PM
Changed: Fri, 09/05/2025 - 01:31 PM
Remote IP address: 68.59.51.243
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Webform: UROP Project Proposal Portal
Submitted to: UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal
| Primary Research Mentor Name | Sharanya Jayaraman |
|---|---|
| Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns | She/her |
| When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? | Dr. |
| Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) | sjayaraman@fsu.edu |
| Position Title | Faculty |
| FSU College (if applicable) | Arts and Sciences |
| FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation | Computer Science |
| Headshot (optional) |
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| Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above) | |
| Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns | |
| Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific? | |
| Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) | |
| Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable) | |
| Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns | |
| Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific? | |
| Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) | |
| Title of the Project | AI/ML Based Vulnerability Detection in Windows Binaries |
| Project Keywords | Cybersecurity, AI, Computing |
| Are you currently looking for research assistants? | Yes |
| Number of Research Assistants Needed | 2 |
| Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) | Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or IT preferred, but anyone interested in Cybersecurity is welcome |
| Project Location: | On FSU Main Campus |
| If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation? | |
| Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): | Partially Remote |
| Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? | 6-8 |
| Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? | Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.) |
| Overall Research Project Description | In this project, we explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help us find security problems in Windows programs—without needing to take them apart. We use tools like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), which are good at recognizing patterns, and Markov Chains, which help us understand how things change over time. Instead of disassembling the program (which can be complicated and risky), we treat the program like a "black box" and analyze its behavior and structure from the outside. This makes the process faster and safer, and it opens up new ways to detect malware or bugs that could be exploited. For students, this project offers a hands-on introduction to AI, cybersecurity, and software analysis. You’ll learn how to work with real-world data, train models, and think critically about how computers can learn to spot problems. The techniques we develop could help improve antivirus software, make systems more secure, and even influence how future software is built and tested. |
| Research Tasks | Students may be expected to perform one or more of these tasks based on experience and interest: 1. Literature Review & Background Research - Explore fundamental concepts in AI, CNNs, Markov Chains, and binary analysis. - Summarize existing approaches to malware detection and static analysis. 2. Data Collection & Preprocessing - Gather sample Windows binaries (safe and legal ones). - Learn how to extract features from binaries without disassembly (e.g., byte-level patterns, entropy measures). 3. Evaluate model performance using metrics like accuracy, precision, and recall. 4. Tool Development - Build scripts to automate analysis tasks (e.g., scanning binaries, logging results). - Create simple user interfaces or dashboards to visualize findings. 5. Security Implications & Ethical Considerations - Discuss how this approach could improve malware detection. - Reflect on ethical concerns in AI and cybersecurity (e.g., false positives, privacy). 6. Documentation & Presentation - Maintain clear documentation of methods and results. - Prepare posters or presentations for research showcases or conferences. |
| Skills that research assistant(s) may need: | Required: - Critical Thinking: Interpreting results, debugging models, and ethical reasoning - Communication: Writing reports, presenting findings, collaborating in teams Recommended: - Math Foundations: Basic probability, linear algebra, and statistics - Python |
| Mentoring Philosophy | As a mentor, I view undergraduate research as a transformative experience—one that introduces students not only to the rigor of academic inquiry but also to the joy and complexity of discovery. My mentoring philosophy centers on fostering independence while providing a reliable scaffold of support. I encourage students to explore the research process with curiosity and initiative, knowing that I am there to guide them through moments of uncertainty, frustration, and breakthrough. Recognizing that many undergraduate students enter research with limited experience, I strive to create an environment that balances the thrill of working at the frontier of knowledge with the discipline of evidence-based reasoning and empirical analysis. I believe that early exposure to the iterative nature of research—its trials, errors, and unexpected turns—helps students build resilience and develop a deeper appreciation for the scientific method. Above all, I aim to instill in my students the understanding that research is not merely a means to an end, but a journey to be savored. In a world increasingly driven by instant results, I emphasize the value of patience, perseverance, and reflection. Successful researchers are not defined solely by their findings, but by their commitment to the process of inquiry and their ability to learn from each step along the way. Through this philosophy, I hope to cultivate not just capable researchers but thoughtful, self-aware individuals who carry the spirit of inquiry into their future academic and professional pursuits. |
| Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): | |
| Please add any additional information here (if applicable): | UROP students in their project will work with a Computer Science Senior student on a DIS course who will be handling most of the technical programming aspects. |
| Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? | Yes |
| Roundtable times and Zoom links | Tuesday, Sept 2 from 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/5283055514) Thursday, Sept 4 from 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/5283055514) Friday, Sept 5 from 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/5283055514) |
| Roundtable Info |
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| Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication | Yes |
| UROP Performance Evaluation | Yes |
| Materials Grant | Yes |
| UROP Poster Presentation | Yes |
| Year | 2025 |
| update url | https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?element_parents=elements/research_mentor_information/headshot_optional_&ajax_form=1&_wrapper_format=drupal_ajax&token=L1aYYC0bx-RYoiggucRbWFDAuud4AtpIeJUZjMDsg4s |