Resume for David Flynn, Principal Investigator and Corresponding Author

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David C. Flynn
AI Security Architect · Agentic AI · Zero Trust · LLM / MCP Security
Laurel, MD 20708 · Local to Washington, DC and Baltimore · Remote / Hybrid / On-Site
301-367-5201 · davidflynn@eps-research.com
eps-research.com · GitHub: eps-research · ORCID: 0000-0002-2768-6650
CISSP (Active) · Able to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
Professional Summary

Cybersecurity and AI systems architect with 20+ years of experience across federal, financial, healthcare, cloud, and research environments. Currently Principal Investigator at EPS Research, an independent laboratory conducting applied research in AI systems, cybersecurity, and computational science. Proven record in NIST-aligned security architecture, Zero Trust, application security, cloud security, secure SDLC, vulnerability remediation, and enterprise risk. Hands-on AI specialization includes sovereign LLM infrastructure, RAG/CAG pipelines, agentic-AI evaluation, Model Context Protocol (MCP) security, semantic Zero Trust, persistent-agent risk, and multi-model validation. Published AI-security researcher and builder able to connect frontier AI capabilities with enforceable enterprise controls, auditability, and regulated-system requirements.

Target Roles

Principal / Senior AI Security Architect · Cybersecurity AI Architect · LLM Security Architect · Agentic AI Security Lead · AI Red Team / Evaluation Lead · Zero Trust Architect · GenAI Risk and Governance Architect

Core AI + Cybersecurity Skills
AI / LLM SecurityAgentic AI, MCP hardening, prompt / tool-use risk, semantic policy enforcement, ontology and intent drift, model evaluation
AI EngineeringPython, PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, local LLM inference, quantization, RAG, CAG, embeddings, vector search, structured ingestion
AI InfrastructureSovereign AI, multi-node GPU/HPC systems, Blackwell and Ada GPUs, secure inference pipelines, Docker, Kubernetes, Ansible
Cybersecurity ArchitectureNIST CSF, SP 800-53, 800-171, 800-207, Zero Trust, microsegmentation, IAM, network and cloud security
Application SecurityFortify, AppScan, Nessus, Qualys, secure coding, SAST/DAST, vulnerability triage, secure SDLC, DevSecOps
Cloud / PlatformAWS, Azure, IBM Cloud Managed Services, SoftLayer, identity federation, encryption, logging, SIEM, infrastructure security
Governance / ComplianceFISMA, CMMC, PCI, HIPAA, PII, security architecture review, risk assessment, ATO support, executive communication
Selected AI Security & Research Experience
Principal Investigator / AI Systems & Cybersecurity Architect
2023–Present
EPS Research · Laurel, MD
  • Designed and built a sovereign AI research environment using multi-node GPU systems for local inference, evaluation, scientific workloads, and security experimentation.
  • Developed an AI-native Semantic Zero-Trust architecture for MCP tool use, including signed intent, hierarchical non-escalation, typed trust-labeled context, deterministic policy precedence, stateful risk memory, and separation of model planning from credential issuance.
  • Built RAG/CAG and structured-ingestion pipelines using local LLMs, embeddings, vector search, Python, Langflow, Docling, Weaviate, and machine-readable JSON/JSONL outputs.
  • Built and published the EPS Astro-RAG Platform and MCP Server, exposing five machine-readable research corpora through REST, semantic search, SSE, and Streamable HTTP for Claude, Copilot, and other MCP-compatible clients. github.com/eps-research/rag-corpus-series
  • Developed cross-model evaluation methods for agentic behavior, refusal patterns, epistemic / ontology drift, persistent context, and heterogeneous multi-model review.
  • Published peer-reviewed and preprint work spanning AI security, LLM evaluation, Zero Trust, MCP, HPC infrastructure, datasets, and computational astrophysics; maintains verifiable public artifacts through GitHub, ORCID, Zenodo, and arXiv.
  • Built secure and reproducible AI workflows combining model inference, tool access, scientific code, data provenance, adversarial validation, and explicit failure logging.
Professional Cybersecurity Experience
Senior Cybersecurity Architect
2023
ARMAVEL / U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs · Remote
  • Authored Protective DNS architecture and guidance aligned with VA Directive 6403, CISA, and NSA direction.
  • Produced Zero Trust and microsegmentation analysis based on NIST SP 800-207A and SP 800-204A/B patterns.
  • Delivered CISSP-level training and architecture guidance for secure modernization initiatives.
  • Participated in the Tier 4 Public Trust investigation process.
Senior Application Security Engineer / SME
2017–2018
Leidos / Social Security Administration · Woodlawn, MD
  • Led a remediation program addressing 32 million reported CVE findings through JRE modernization, Nessus/IAVA alignment, and coordinated application testing.
  • Managed testing and implementation decisions across 62 stakeholders and multiple development teams.
  • Performed architecture and secure-configuration reviews using Fortify, Nessus, secure coding standards, and federal security requirements.
Cybersecurity Architect
2016–2017
CenturyLink · Herndon, VA
  • Designed enterprise security solutions for cloud, network, application, DDoS, PCI, HIPAA, and PII requirements.
  • Led customer-facing architecture reviews and integrated security capabilities from RiskSense, Imperva, ThreatConnect, QRadar, firewall, and IAM platforms.
Cloud / Application Security Architect
2013–2016
IBM – Federal and Commercial Programs · Washington, DC Metro / Remote
  • Delivered cloud and application security architecture across AWS, SoftLayer, IBM Cloud Managed Services, Oracle, and Watson Health environments.
  • Led Platform IT security planning for U.S. Air Force civil-engineering systems spanning more than 80 bases, including industrial-control and IoT considerations.
  • Designed LDAP federation, IAM, encryption, secure application architecture, and security-test strategies for federal and regulated clients.
  • Performed and directed AppScan, Qualys, code-security, compliance, and cloud-control assessments; trained technical teams in secure development and CISSP domains.
Cybersecurity Project Manager / Security Lead
2013
Business Integra / Internal Revenue Service · Washington, DC
  • Managed a 12-person penetration-testing and code-analysis team supporting IRS security requirements and NIST SP 800-115-based test planning.
  • Produced staffing, risk-mitigation, work-order, scope, and level-of-effort plans for red-team and blue-team security activities.
Security Consultant
2013
U.S. Department of Commerce, OCIO · Washington, DC
  • Developed enterprise risk-analysis processes, testing criteria, security metrics, mitigation plans, and FISMA / NIST SP 800-53A-aligned assessment workflows.
  • Assessed applications, infrastructure, networks, telecommunications, and external services; authored practical security guidance and checklists.
Earlier Security, Engineering & Testing Experience
General Dynamics · SAIC · Digex · Perot Systems · MCI Metro · Trusted Information Systems · Department of Labor · DHSS · Bureau of Engraving and Printing · Office of Inspector General
  • Experience includes penetration testing, vulnerability management, secure SDLC, federal certification and accreditation / ATO documentation, application and database security, test automation, performance engineering, systems integration, and technical leadership.
Selected Results
  • Reduced or reconciled 32 million reported vulnerability findings during a major SSA Java modernization program.
  • Created security architecture and policy deliverables for VA, SSA, IRS, Department of Commerce, Air Force, NARA, healthcare, financial, and Fortune 500 environments.
  • Designed and operated sovereign AI / HPC infrastructure supporting local large-model inference, RAG/CAG, data engineering, and security research.
  • Published 18+ research outputs and software / dataset records, including peer-reviewed astrophysics and current AI-security work.
  • Taught cybersecurity, computer systems, orbital mechanics, robotics, and STEM programs at collegiate and continuing-education levels.
Education & Credentials
M.S., Computer Science — Loyola University Maryland
M.A., Catechetics — Christendom College Graduate School of Theology
CISSP — Active
IBM Cloud Architect · AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (previous; recertification planned)
Former Vice President, ISSA Baltimore Chapter
Selected Publications & Technical Work
Semantic Zero-Trust for Model Context Protocol (MCP), 2026 — agentic AI security control-plane architecture. zenodo.org/records/21731418
Cognitive Integrity Security: Securing Human–AI Interaction in Large Language Model Systems, 2026. doi.org/10.22541/au.177187613.38652471/v1
The Pathway to Implementing Zero Trust: Why Microsegmentation Remains the Critical Barrier, 2026. doi.org/10.36227/techrxiv.177274009.90250103/v1
High-Performance Dual-Node AI Infrastructure for Astrophysics and Cybersecurity, 2025. doi.org/10.36227/techrxiv.176369640.06690868/v1
A New Empirical Fit to Galaxy Rotation Curves — Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, peer reviewed. frontiersin.org · fspas.2025.1680387
GitHub / MCP Implementation github.com/eps-research/rag-corpus-series
Complete Publication Record orcid.org/0000-0002-2768-6650