{"id":173,"date":"2026-11-05T04:38:38","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T04:38:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/?page_id=173"},"modified":"2026-11-05T04:38:38","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T04:38:38","slug":"pooja-kiran-resume","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/?page_id=173","title":{"rendered":"Pooja Kiran Resume"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n  .resume-wrap {\n    max-width: 900px;\n    margin: 0 auto;\n    padding: 36px 24px 60px;\n    font-family: 'IBM Plex Sans', sans-serif;\n    color: #1a2535;\n  }\n\n  .resume-download-bar {\n    background: #dce8f5;\n    border: 1px solid #b8cfe4;\n    border-radius: 8px;\n    padding: 14px 20px;\n    display: flex;\n    align-items: center;\n    justify-content: space-between;\n    gap: 12px;\n    margin-bottom: 32px;\n  }\n\n  .resume-download-bar p { font-size: 0.85rem; color: #4a5a6e; margin: 0; }\n\n  .resume-download-btn {\n    background: #1e4f8a;\n    color: #ffffff;\n    text-decoration: none;\n    padding: 8px 18px;\n    border-radius: 5px;\n    font-size: 0.82rem;\n    font-family: 'IBM Plex Mono', monospace;\n    letter-spacing: 0.04em;\n    transition: background 0.2s;\n    white-space: nowrap;\n  }\n\n  .resume-download-btn:hover { background: #2d6aad; 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}\n    .resume-job-header { flex-direction: column; }\n    .resume-download-bar { flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"resume-wrap\">\n\n \n  <div class=\"resume-download-bar\">\n    <p>Download a copy of Pooja Kiran&#8217;s resume for offline use.<\/p>\n    <a class=\"resume-download-btn\" href=\"http:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Pooja_Kiran_Security_Engineer_Resume-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">\u2b07 Download PDF<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- Header -->\n  <div class=\"resume-name\">Pooja Kiran<\/div>\n  <div class=\"resume-title\">Security Engineer \u00b7 Application Security \u00b7 AI &amp; Agent Security \u00b7 Cloud IAM<\/div>\n  <div class=\"resume-contact\">\n    Tempe, AZ<br>\n    +1 480-776-7745 \u00b7 <a href=\"mailto:poojakiranbhardwaj@gmail.com\">poojakiranbhardwaj@gmail.com<\/a><br>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/poojakiran\/\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn<\/a> \u00b7\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-2010-9350\" target=\"_blank\">ORCID: 0009-0004-2010-9350<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- Professional Summary -->\n  <div class=\"resume-section\">\n    <div class=\"resume-section-title\">Professional Summary<\/div>\n    <p>Security engineer with an M.S. in Information Technology who combines hands-on security engineering, technical leadership, and business strategy to solve practical security challenges. Built an AI security gateway validated by 782 passing tests, collaborated directly with a cybersecurity startup founder on identity-security integration, and led a four-member team during the Honeywell Aerospace \u00d7 Arizona State University Technology Innovation Lab externship. Brings experience in AI security, cloud IAM, threat detection, cross-functional team coordination, and security risk management.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- Technical Skills -->\n  <div class=\"resume-section\">\n    <div class=\"resume-section-title\">Technical Skills<\/div>\n    <div class=\"resume-skills-grid\">\n      <div class=\"resume-skill-item\"><strong>Security Reviews &amp; Risk<\/strong>Security design review, threat modeling, risk analysis, risk assessment, API authorization, web-services security, software testing, CI security checks<\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-skill-item\"><strong>Cloud, Network &amp; Operating Systems<\/strong>AWS IAM, DNS, HTTP, TLS, Zeek\/Suricata-style telemetry, Linux \/proc TCP, HMAC-SHA256, Ed25519<\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-skill-item\"><strong>Engineering &amp; Leadership<\/strong>Python, C++, FastAPI, Docker, pytest, GitHub Actions, CodeQL, SARIF, Elastic SIEM, remote peer coordination, compliance research, budgeting<\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-skill-item\"><strong>Video Content Protection (Concepts)<\/strong>DRM license flows, encrypted HLS\/DASH, CloudFront signed URLs, AWS MediaPackage\/SPEKE<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- Professional & Applied Experience -->\n  <div class=\"resume-section\">\n    <div class=\"resume-section-title\">Professional &amp; Applied Experience<\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"resume-job\">\n      <div class=\"resume-job-header\">\n        <div class=\"resume-job-title\">Independent AI Security Researcher &amp; Engineer<\/div>\n        <div class=\"resume-job-date\">Aug 2024 \u2013 Present<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-job-org\">Self-Directed Research \u00b7 Tempe, AZ<\/div>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Built the MCP Agent Security Gateway with Python, FastAPI, and MCP\/JSON-RPC to guard against unauthorized AI-agent actions, prompt injection, and sensitive-data exposure; implemented 69 detection signatures, default-deny authorization, and 9 Elastic Security rules, supported by 782 passing tests and 81.93% statement coverage in a documented CI run.<\/li>\n        <li>Worked directly with an early-stage security startup founder to integrate privacy-preserving identity telemetry into the MCP gateway; delivered authenticated client paths for 3 identities and secured independent verification of event attribution, helping clarify customer-onboarding requirements and deployment limitations.<\/li>\n        <li>Developed open-source security tools to identify excessive AWS IAM permissions, assess AI model supply-chain risks, and investigate security events; implemented 25 IAM analysis rules and validated 244 identity-security tests and 296 attack-detection tests, delivering reproducible findings and documented controls for developers and security teams.<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"resume-job\">\n      <div class=\"resume-job-header\">\n        <div class=\"resume-job-title\">Business &amp; Compliance Lead<\/div>\n        <div class=\"resume-job-date\">Aug 2025 \u2013 Dec 2025<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-job-org\">Honeywell Aerospace \u00d7 Arizona State University \u00b7 Technology Innovation Lab Externship \u00b7 Tempe, AZ<\/div>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Assigned responsibilities to three remote peer project leads during designated AEROSEC lab phases; reviewed technical, customer-research, and prototype work, tracked deliverables, and reported to mentors to keep the four-member team aligned on project decisions.<\/li>\n        <li>Interviewed 4 of 12 industry participants and coordinated findings with research and technical teammates; translated aviation security risks into proposed requirements for API authorization, encryption, audit logging, and vendor-risk management.<\/li>\n        <li>Led business and financial planning, compared 4 commercial security solutions, and developed a proposed $120,000 first-year budget with a 12-month operating plan; presented market, security-risk, and financial assumptions across 3 pitches to Honeywell evaluators to support feasibility decisions.<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"resume-job\">\n      <div class=\"resume-job-header\">\n        <div class=\"resume-job-title\">Graduate Teaching Assistant | IT Grader<\/div>\n        <div class=\"resume-job-date\">Jan 2025 \u2013 Oct 2025<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-job-org\">Arizona State University \u00b7 Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering \u00b7 Tempe, AZ<\/div>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Reviewed code, milestones, and final projects for approximately 85 undergraduate students per semester; provided rubric-based technical feedback to help students correct web application defects and meet project requirements.<\/li>\n        <li>Evaluated 52 graduate cybersecurity assignments covering risk assessment, security compliance, infrastructure security, and configuration management; identified gaps in technical reasoning and explained corrections against course criteria.<\/li>\n        <li>Coordinated grading and student communication with instructors, addressed technical questions and grading disputes, and escalated exceptions to maintain consistent assessment and timely feedback across courses.<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- Selected Security Engineering Projects -->\n  <div class=\"resume-section\">\n    <div class=\"resume-section-title\">Selected Security Engineering Projects<\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"resume-job\">\n      <div class=\"resume-job-header\">\n        <div class=\"resume-job-title\">MCP Agent Security Gateway<\/div>\n        <div class=\"resume-job-date\">Oct 2025 \u2013 Oct 2026<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-job-org\">Python \u00b7 FastAPI \u00b7 MCP\/JSON-RPC \u00b7 Elastic SIEM<\/div>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Built a default-deny MCP\/JSON-RPC gateway with capability checks, anti-SSRF rules, 69 named prompt-injection signatures, hash-chained audit records, and nine Elastic Security detection rules.<\/li>\n        <li>Verified agent-to-tool enforcement and failure paths using Python 3.12 CI; recorded 782 passing tests and 81.93% statement coverage in the cited run.<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"resume-job\">\n      <div class=\"resume-job-header\">\n        <div class=\"resume-job-title\">AWS Agent Identity Guard<\/div>\n        <div class=\"resume-job-date\">Apr 2025 \u2013 Oct 2026<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-job-org\">Python \u00b7 AWS IAM \u00b7 SARIF 2.1.0<\/div>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Developed 25 AWS IAM static-analysis rules for broad grants, iam:PassRole, sts:AssumeRole, and trust-policy risks; exported findings in SARIF 2.1.0 for CI review.<\/li>\n        <li>Validated the rule suite in cited CI: 244 tests passed and three credential-dependent tests were skipped; did not claim live AWS effective-permission results.<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"resume-job\">\n      <div class=\"resume-job-header\">\n        <div class=\"resume-job-title\">HF Model Provenance Scanner<\/div>\n        <div class=\"resume-job-date\">Nov 2024 \u2013 Oct 2026<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-job-org\">Python \u00b7 SafeTensors \u00b7 GGUF \u00b7 ONNX \u00b7 Keras<\/div>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Built non-executing checks for unsafe serialization, embedded code, model provenance, and dependencies across SafeTensors, GGUF, ONNX, and Keras inputs.<\/li>\n        <li>Detected suspicious content in 33\/33 curated adversarial fixtures; confirmed 260 passing CI tests and 75.67% statement coverage without describing fixtures as real-world detection rates.<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"resume-job\">\n      <div class=\"resume-job-header\">\n        <div class=\"resume-job-title\">Attack Detection Engine \/ Aegis HealthSec<\/div>\n        <div class=\"resume-job-date\">Aug \u2013 Oct 2026<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-job-org\">Python \u00b7 FastAPI \u00b7 PostgreSQL \u00b7 ARM\/CAN<\/div>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Extended MITRE ATT&amp;CK v19 detection with offline CAN, C\/C++ firmware, and ARM ELF32 analysis using synthetic lab inputs and reproducible tests.<\/li>\n        <li>Integrated clinical-access detection and a FHIR R4 AuditEvent parser with event normalization, deterministic correlation, and PostgreSQL incident persistence on unmerged development branches.<\/li>\n        <li>Tested an authenticated FastAPI investigation workflow with analyst actions and audit history; Milestone E reported 296 local tests passing with real PostgreSQL, while hosted CI remained blocked.<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- Education -->\n  <div class=\"resume-section\">\n    <div class=\"resume-section-title\">Education<\/div>\n    <div class=\"resume-edu-grid\">\n      <div class=\"resume-edu-item\">M.S., Information Technology (Security) \u2014 Arizona State University\n        <span>May 2026 \u00b7 GPA: 3.87\/4.00<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-edu-item\">B.Tech., Computer Science &amp; Engineering \u2014 M. S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences\n        <span>Aug 2023<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- Certifications -->\n  <div class=\"resume-section\">\n    <div class=\"resume-section-title\">Certifications &amp; Training<\/div>\n    <div class=\"resume-edu-grid\">\n      <div class=\"resume-edu-item\">AWS Academy Graduate \u2014 Cloud Architecting\n        <span>Apr 2025<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"resume-edu-item\">AWS Academy Graduate \u2014 Cloud Security Foundations\n        <span>Nov 2025<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Download a copy of Pooja Kiran&#8217;s resume for offline use. \u2b07 Download PDF Pooja Kiran Security Engineer \u00b7 Application Security \u00b7 AI &amp; Agent Security \u00b7 Cloud IAM Tempe, AZ +1 480-776-7745 \u00b7 poojakiranbhardwaj@gmail.com LinkedIn \u00b7 ORCID: 0009-0004-2010-9350 Professional Summary Security engineer with an M.S. in Information Technology who combines hands-on security engineering, technical leadership,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"hide","_kad_post_layout":"fullwidth","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"unboxed","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-173","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"taxonomy_info":[],"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Rosemary Flynn","author_link":"https:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/?author=3"},"comment_info":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=173"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":177,"href":"https:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/173\/revisions\/177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eps-research.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}