I have a strong background in systems, security, and AI/ML. Currently, at Microsoft, I work on enabling novel hardware-assisted security, virtualization techniques, and privilege separation and monitoring mechanisms. I also hold a PhD in Computer Science from University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory, where I mostly worked on introducing new techniques in application isolation, compartmentalization, attack investigation, and secure and trustworthy AI/ML on heterogeneous SoC architectures.

Experience

Microsoft, Cambridge, UK (Feb 2022-present)
CoreOS and Edge Platform RnD

University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK (2018-2022)
PhD student, Systems Research Group

ETH Zürich, Remote (Feb 2021-Jul 2021)
Visiting Researcher, Secure & Trustworthy Systems Group

Microsoft Research Intern, Cambridge, UK (Summer 2020)
Confidential Computing Team

Microsoft Research Intern, Redmond, WA (Summer 2019)
Azure Sphere Team

Microsoft Research Intern, Redmond, WA (Summer 2017)
Project Sopris Team

Indiana University , Bloomington, IN (2015-2017)
Research Assistant

Publications

  • Information Flow Tracking for Heterogeneous Compartmentalized Software
    Zahra Tarkhani, Anil Madhavapeddy. The 26th International Symposium on Research in Attacks, Intrusions, and Defenses (RAID 2023)
  • Enabling Lightweight Privilege Separation in Applications with MicroGuards
    Zahra Tarkhani, Anil Madhavapeddy. ACNS2023-SecMT
  • Machine Learning with Confidential Computing: A Systematization of Knowledge.
    Fan Mo, Zahra Tarkhani, Hamed Haddadi. arXiv:2208.10134
  • Secure Programming with Dispersed Compartments.
    Zahra Tarkhani. PhD Thesis
  • Enhancing the Security & Privacy of Wearable Brain-Computer Interfaces.
    Zahra Tarkhani, Lorena Qendro, Malachy O'Connor Brown, Oscar Hill, Cecilia Mascolo, Anil Madhavapeddy. arXiv:2201.07711
  • Enclaves in the clouds: Legal considerations and broader implications.
    Jatinder Singh, Jennifer Cobbe, Do Le Quoc, Zahra Tarkhani. Communications of the ACM
  • Enclave-Aware Compartmentalization and Secure Sharing with Sirius.
    Z. Tarkhani, A. Madhavapeddy. arXiv:2009.01869
  • μTiles: Efficient Intra-Process Privilege Enforcement of Memory Regions.
    Z. Tarkhani, A. Madhavapeddy. arXiv:2004.04846
  • Snape: The Dark Art of Handling Heterogeneous Enclaves.
    Z. Tarkhani, A. Madhavapeddy, R. Mortier. The 2nd International Workshop on Edge Systems, Analytics and Networking
  • Enabling Hardware-enforced Private Computing on the Edge-Cloud
    Z. Tarkhani. Cambridge University Computer Laboratory Report
  • Trustworthy and Portable Emulation Platform for Digital Preservation.
    Z. Tarkhani, G. Brown, S. Myers. 14th International Conference on Digital Preservation (iPRES), 2017

    • Talks

  • Secure and Dynamic Hardware Partitioning Management on Heterogeneous SoC
    Linux Security Summit (Sep, 2022)
  • Enabling Pervasive Compartmentalization and Secure Sharing Across Privilege Layers
    MSR, Cambridge (March, 2021)
  • Enclave-Aware Compartmentalization and Secure Sharing with Sirius
    SRG seminars (October, 2020)
  • Snape: The Dark Art of Handling Heterogeneous Enclaves
    Edgesys19 (March 2019)
  • Towards Tiny Trustworthy Enclaves for Unikernels
    UK Systems Research workshop (March 2018)
  • How can TrustZone help ​with protecting microservices?
    Systems Research Group, Cambridge (Jun 2018)

    • Teaching

  • Supervising Concurrent and Distributed Systems Course
  • Supervising Operating Systems Course
  • Supervising Security Course
  • Supervising Programming in C and C++ Course

    • Services

  • IEEE S&P 2021 - Shadow PC
  • ACM EuroSys '19 - Shadow PC
  • Women@CL representative and committee member
  • SSCoF member & PhD representative
  • PSF member & representative

    • Education

    Ph.D., Computer Science (2018-2022)
    University of Cambridge, Cambridge
    Advisors: Anil Madhavapeddy and Jon Crowcroft

    M.S., Computer Science (2017)
    Indiana University, Bloomington
    Advisors: Geoffrey Brown and Steven Myers

    B.Sc., Computer Hardware Engineering (2015)
    Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran
    Advisor: Hamid.R.Zarandi

    Other

  • Besides tech, I love reading good books, traveling, playing guitar, walking, and sometimes a bit of painting :)