Mulualem Bitew Anley — Cybersecurity Researcher
MA
Cybersecurity Researcher

Mulualem Bitew Anley

Ph.D. in Cybersecurity · IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca & Università degli Studi di Milano
Trustworthy AI  ·  Federated Learning  ·  Intrusion Detection  ·  IoT Security

Ph.D. Graduate · 2026 Trustworthy AI Federated Learning Data Poisoning Open to Opportunities
✉ mulualem.anley@unimi.it 🌐 Website 📚 Google Scholar 🔬 ORCID
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Short Bio

I am a Ph.D. graduate in the National Ph.D. Program in Cybersecurity, jointly enrolled at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca and the Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy. My doctoral work focused on robust AI-based DDoS attack detection in complex scenarios, with an emphasis on federated learning, data poisoning resilience, and trustworthy AI for IoT security.

My research addresses the critical challenge of securing distributed machine learning systems from adversarial interference — including availability attacks, backdoor injection, and Sybil-based collusion — while preserving privacy through federated architectures. I combine theory with implementation, developing and evaluating defenses across heterogeneous, resource-constrained IoT environments.

I am actively seeking postdoctoral positions, research roles, and collaborations in academia and industry at the intersection of AI security, federated learning, and networked systems security.

Supervisor: Prof. Vincenzo Piuri (UNIMI) · Co-supervisors: Prof. Pierangela Samarati · Prof. Angelo Genovese

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Education
Dec 2022 –
Mar 2026
Ph.D. in Cybersecurity  Graduated
IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca & Università degli Studi di Milano
Track: Software, System, and Infrastructure Security
Thesis: “Robust AI-based DDoS Attack Detection in Complex Scenarios”
Supervisor: Prof. Vincenzo Piuri · Co-supervisors: Prof. Pierangela Samarati, Prof. Angelo Genovese
March 2018
M.Sc. in Information Technology
University of Gondar, Ethiopia
Thesis: “A Collaborative Knowledge-Based System with a Hybrid Machine Learning Approach”
Supervisor: Dr. Tibebe B. Tesema
June 2013
B.Sc. in Information Technology
Adama Science and Technology University, Ethiopia
Project: “Web-based Digital Library System with Multi-User Access and Role Management”
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Employment History
Dec 2022 –
Nov 2025
Ph.D. Researcher — PNRR Scholarship (XXVIII cohort)
IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca & Università degli Studi di Milano
Fully funded three-year scholarship in cybersecurity; focus on AI safety, security, and data protection.
Feb 2018 –
Oct 2022
Lecturer, Information Systems
University of Gondar, Ethiopia
Taught AI, cybersecurity, data mining, databases, and networking. Supervised undergraduate projects and theses.
Dec 2014 –
Jan 2018
Assistant Lecturer, Information Systems
University of Gondar, Ethiopia
2009 – 2010
Assistant Lecturer & Department Head, IT
Gendawuha TVET College, Ethiopia
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Research Focus
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Data Poisoning in AI/ML Security

Availability, integrity, and backdoor attacks in centralized and federated settings. Non-IID data, partial participation, Sybil/collusion, and update-level evasion. Detection and mitigation strategies for robust, trustworthy AI.

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Federated Learning for IoT Security

Privacy-preserving collaborative training of intrusion detectors. Metric-driven client sampling (resources, utility, trust), multi-objective optimization under edge constraints, and communication-efficient robust aggregation.

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Intrusion Detection Systems

AI-based IDS across heterogeneous IoT datasets. Adaptive neural architectures, transfer learning for evolving DDoS threats, and FL-aware detection for distributed network security.

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Trustworthy AI

Privacy-preserving ML, fairness, accountability, and transparency for distributed AI. Security and reliability in safety-critical AI deployments for IoT and edge environments.

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Agentic AI Security

Security challenges in autonomous AI agents and multi-agent systems — including adversarial manipulation of agent decision-making, tool misuse, prompt injection in agentic pipelines, and trust boundaries in agent-to-agent communication. Developing robust safeguards for AI systems that plan, act, and operate with minimal human oversight.

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Awards & Scholarships
PNRR Ph.D. Scholarship · 2022–2025
Awarded by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR), Italy, under the European Union’s NextGenerationEU program. Full three-year scholarship for cybersecurity research, with focus on AI safety, security, and data protection in emerging scenarios.
ELSA Mobility Travel Grant (Ph.D.) · 2025
Awarded up to €3,000 for international research travel and collaboration, supporting the visiting researcher stay at NTNU, Norway.
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Teaching Activities
University of Gondar, Ethiopia
A.Y. 2021/22
Artificial Intelligence (InSy3102)
Undergraduate, Information Systems. Search algorithms, knowledge representation, reasoning, ML. Lectures, hands-on supervision, project guidance.
A.Y. 2021/22
Information System Security (InSy4081)
Undergraduate, Information Systems. Cryptography, authentication, access control, malware, network security, risk management, emerging threats.
A.Y. 2019/20
Data Mining & Machine Learning (InSy2103)
Undergraduate, Information Systems. Preprocessing, classification, clustering, supervised and unsupervised ML. Lectures, labs, projects.
A.Y. 2018–20
Fundamentals & Advanced Database Systems (ComSc101)
Undergraduate, Computer Science. Relational design, SQL, normalization, query optimization, distributed and NoSQL databases.
A.Y. 2015–17
Networking & System Administration (InSy3023)
Undergraduate, Information Systems. Networking principles, protocols, system administration — install, configure, troubleshoot, secure.
Università degli Studi di Milano — Tutoring (Art. 45)
A.Y. 2024/25
Artificial Intelligence  24 hrs  ·  Database  24 hrs  ·  Operating Systems  30 hrs
B.Sc. & M.Sc. in Computer Science
A.Y. 2023/24
Artificial Intelligence  24 hrs  ·  Database  48 hrs  ·  Operating Systems I  30 hrs
B.Sc. & M.Sc. in Computer Science
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International Schools & Research Visits
International Schools
CISPA–ELLIS–ELSA Summer School 2025: Trustworthy AI
Aug 4–8, 2025 · Saarbrücken, Germany
CISPA – Helmholtz Center for Information Security
Topic: Secure & Safe Foundation Models; Trustworthy AI
Visits to International Research Centers
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) — NORCICS
Jul – Nov 2025 · Gjøvik, Norway
Hosts: Prof. Georgios Spathoulas · Prof. Jia-Chun Lin · Prof. Sokratis K. Katsikas (Director, NORCICS)
Focus: Trustworthy AI, federated learning defenses, secure aggregation
Activities: Designed and executed FL experiments; implemented defenses; delivered internal seminar; contributed to joint manuscript
Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Jul–Sep 2023 & Jul–Oct 2024
Host: Dr. Tibebe Beshah, Associate Professor, Dept. of Information Systems
Focus: AI-driven IoT security; FL models for scalable intrusion detection in heterogeneous environments
Activities: Collaborative research on data poisoning detection; co-authored conference paper
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Projects & Collaborations
Mar 2021 –
Apr 2022
Digital Disaster Recovery & Rehabilitation
Project Coordinator
Led end-to-end digital disaster recovery for public institutions in conflict-affected regions. Prioritized critical records, coordinated multi-site teams, enforced data-integrity checks, and institutionalized resilient backup practices, training, and post-incident policy recommendations.
2020 – 2021
Google Impact Amplifier: Online Safety
Contributor
Drove online-safety awareness and digital literacy: localized training on phishing, 2FA, privacy, cyber hygiene, and media literacy. Conducted webinars with schools, train-the-trainer rollouts, impact assessments, and playbook development.
Nov 2018 –
Jul 2019
Amharic-based Chatbot Decision Support for Farmers
Researcher / Developer
Developed an Amharic-language decision-support chatbot providing concise, time-sensitive agronomic guidance (crop choice and seasonal planning) for Ethiopian farmers.
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Publications
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Journal Articles
J1
“FELACS: Federated Learning with Adaptive Client Selection for IoT DDoS Attack Detection”
M. B. Anley, P. Coscia, A. Genovese, V. Piuri · Computers & Security, vol. 158, no. 104642, Nov 2025, pp. 1–13 · DOI: 10.1016/j.cose.2025.104642
J2
“Robust DDoS Attack Detection with Adaptive Transfer Learning”
M. B. Anley, A. Genovese, D. Agostinello, V. Piuri · Computers & Security, vol. 144, no. 103962, Sep 2024, pp. 1–10 · DOI: 10.1016/j.cose.2024.103962
J3
“Deep Learning for DDoS Attack Detection in IoT: A Survey”
M. B. Anley, A. Genovese, V. Piuri · Security and Cryptography, CCIS vol. 2588, Springer, 2025, pp. 1–22 · DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-09598-5_5
Conference Papers
C1
“FLIFRA: Hybrid Data Poisoning Attack Detection in Federated Learning for IoT Security”  Accepted
M. B. Anley, A. Genovese, T. B. Tesema, V. Piuri · IEEE SMC 2025, Vienna, Austria, Oct 5–8, 2025
C2
“TransferEdge: Transfer Learning Approach to Detect Evolving DDoS Threats in Edge-IIoT”  Accepted
M. B. Anley, A. Genovese, V. Piuri · RTSI 2025, Gammarth, Tunisia, Aug 24–26, 2025
C3
“Cybersecurity Assessment of Digital Twin in Smart Grids”
M. B. Anley, O. Ekpo, T. M. H. Gedara · ITASEC 2024, Salerno, Italy, Apr 8–12, 2024
C4
“Opinion Mining of Tourists’ Sentiments: Towards a Comprehensive Service Improvement of Tourism Industry”
M. B. Anley, G. S. Negashe, A. Y. Ayalew · IEEE CIVEMSA 2023, Virtual, Jun 12, 2023, pp. 3312–3319
C5
“Machine Learning Approach for Green Usage of Computing Devices”
M. B. Anley, R. B. Awgichew · Deep Learning Indaba-X Ethiopia 2021, Adama, Jan 27–29, 2022
C6
“Accessibility of AI Technologies for Persons with Disabilities and the Legal Requirements: Assessing the Situation in Ethiopia” [Poster]
M. B. Anley, A. A. Zegeye · NeurIPS 2021 Black in AI Workshop, Virtual, Dec 6–14, 2021
C7
“A Collaborative Approach to Build a KBS for Crop Selection: Combining Experts’ Knowledge and Machine Learning Knowledge Discovery”
M. B. Anley, T. B. Tesema · ICT4DA 2019, Bahir Dar, May 28–30, 2019 · CCIS vol. 1026, Springer, Cham
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Presentations & Seminars
Conference Presentations
  • FLIFRA — “Hybrid Data Poisoning Attack Detection in Federated Learning for IoT Security”, IEEE SMC 2025, Vienna, Oct 5–8, 2025
  • TransferEdge — “Transfer Learning Approach to Detect Evolving DDoS Threats in Edge-IIoT”, RTSI 2025, Gammarth, Tunisia, Aug 24–26, 2025
  • “Cybersecurity Assessment of Digital Twin in Smart Grids”, ITASEC 2024, Salerno, Italy, Apr 8–12, 2024
  • “Opinion Mining of Tourists’ Sentiments…”, IEEE CIVEMSA 2023, Virtual, Jun 12, 2023
  • “Machine Learning Approach for Green Usage of Computing Devices”, Indaba-X Ethiopia 2021, Adama, Jan 27–29, 2022
  • “Accessibility of AI Technologies for Persons with Disabilities [Poster]”, NeurIPS 2021 Black in AI Workshop, Virtual, Dec 2021
  • “A Collaborative KBS for Crop Selection…”, ICT4DA 2019, Bahir Dar, May 28–30, 2019
Seminars & Posters
  • Seminar: “Data Poisoning Attacks in Federated Learning”, NTNU, Gjøvik, Norway, Sep 1, 2025
  • Poster: “Cross-Domain Adaptation Learning for IoT Security”, CISPA, Saarbrücken, Germany, Aug 7, 2025
  • Seminar: “Opinion Mining for Tourism”, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, Sep 2023
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Professional & Academic Service
Peer Reviewer — Journals
  • Computers & Security (Elsevier)
  • IEEE Internet of Things
  • Information Security Journal (Web of Science)
  • Concurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience
Peer Reviewer — Conferences
  • IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (IEEE SMC 2025)
  • ICT4DA 2023
  • Deep Learning IndabaX 2022, University of Gondar
Technical Program Committee
  • National Conference on Digital Transformation for Holistic & Inclusive Development (2022)
  • Open Internet Standards for Web Servers, Internet Society (Apr 12–23, 2021)
Workshops Organized
  • Research data stewardship & e-infrastructures, with University of Vienna Library & Archive Service — Gondar, Aug 2018
  • Data Cleaning in OpenRefine; Data Analysis & Visualization in R/RStudio — Gondar, Mar 2019
Memberships
IEEE Graduate Student Member IEEE Young Professionals IEEE Communications Society IEEE Computational Intelligence Society IEEE Computer Society — Security & Privacy TC AIS Doctoral Student Member Ethiopian Cybersecurity Association (ECySA)
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Skills, Certifications & Languages
Programming
Python TensorFlow · Keras C++ JavaScript HTML / CSS MySQL / SQL
Frameworks & Tools
Flower (Federated Learning) Wireshark Nmap Kali Linux Pilar Risk Analysis
Research Areas
Federated Learning Data Poisoning Intrusion Detection IoT Security Transfer Learning Trustworthy AI DDoS Detection
Certifications
  • Hands-on Penetration Testing with Netcat — EC-Council (Nov 2023)
  • Deep Web and Cybersecurity — EC-Council (Nov 2023)
  • CISCO Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
  • Machine Learning for Data Science — Columbia University (Online, 2022)
  • Big Data Analytics — IIOE, UNESCO
Languages
  • Amharic — Native
  • English — Proficient
  • Italian — Basic