Assistant Professor
About Me
I am an Assistant Professor at the School of Computer Science and Engineering, Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST).
My research focuses on software security, program analysis, binary analysis, and trustworthy AI systems, with an emphasis on building reliable and secure software foundations.
I welcome collaborations and inquiries from students interested in these areas.
- Assistant Professor at MUST
- ACM SIGPLAN Distinguished Paper Award (PLDI 2021)
- Recent work accepted at FSE 2025
- Recruiting students and research collaborators
My research centers on building secure, reliable, and intelligent software systems.
Software Security
Automated techniques for vulnerability detection, analysis, and mitigation.
Program and Binary Analysis
Methods for understanding compiled code, program behavior, and optimization effects.
Trustworthy AI for Software
Reliability, security, and alignment in foundation models and software agents.
AI-Driven Software Comprehension
Learning-based methods for code understanding, testing, and hardening.
Representative publications in software security, binary analysis, fuzzing, and trustworthy intelligent systems.
I teach courses in embedded systems, cybersecurity, and software engineering.
Recent courses include:
- Embedded Systems Design
- Computer and Network Security
- Software Project Management
- Advanced Topics in Information Technology
- Cybersecurity
- Assistant Professor, Macau University of Science and Technology
- Research Associate, Tsinghua University
- Graduate Research Assistant / Teaching Assistant, The University of Texas at Arlington
Leadership and Service
- Vice Chair, IEEE Computer Society Macau Chapter (2025–Present)
- Secretary, Research Committee, School of Computer Science and Engineering, MUST (2024–Present)
- Panel Chair, CCF 19th International Conference on Service Science (2026)
- Local Chair, IEEE 32nd Asia-Pacific Software Engineering Conference (2025)
Reviewing — Journals
- IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
- IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society
- Journal of Computer Languages
- Computers & Electrical Engineering
- Journal of Systems & Software
- IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing
- Computers & Security
Reviewing — Conferences
- ACM CCS
- IEEE/ACM ASE
Award
- ACM SIGPLAN Distinguished Paper Award, PLDI 2021
Research Grants
- PI, Research Project (0011/2025/ITP1), supported by the FDCT, 2025–2027
- PI, Research Project (0134/2024/RIB2), supported by the FDCT, 2025–2027
- PI, Faculty Research Grant, MUST, 2025–2026
Professional Membership
- Member, CCF / ACM / IEEE
I am recruiting undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students interested in software security, program analysis, and trustworthy AI.
Please get in touch by email.
- Email: xlren[AT]must.edu.mo
- Google Scholar: Profile
- Faculty Profile: MUST Page