Dr. Sam Pagliarini

Professor

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Biography

Samuel Pagliarini is a Special Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to joining the ECE department in January 2024, Professor Pagliarini led the Centre for Hardware Security at Tallinn University of Technology from 2019 to 2023. He has also held postdoctoral positions at Carnegie Mellon University from 2015 to 2019 and at the University of Bristol from 2013 to 2015. His research is centered on hardware security, with a primary focus on the design of trustworthy integrated circuits (ICs) and secure chip systems. His work also encompasses topics such as electronic design automation, hardware trojan countermeasures, reverse engineering, and intellectual property protection through circuit design obfuscation. Additionally, he is involved in the development of ASIC cryptographic accelerators.

Research Interests

Experience

Special Professor

2024-01-01 — Present

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Leading research in hardware security and chip design.

Director

2019-01-01 — 2023-12-31

Centre for Hardware Security • Tallinn University of Technology

Oversaw research initiatives focused on hardware security.

Postdoctoral Researcher

2015-01-01 — 2019-12-31

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

Conducted research in hardware security and related disciplines.

Postdoctoral Researcher

2013-01-01 — 2015-12-31

University of Bristol • Bristol, UK

Focused on integrated circuit design and security.

Requirements for Carnegie Mellon University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
GRE General
Verbal
Required:158
Quantitative
Required:149
Analytical Writing
Required:4
Overall
Required:4
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field Research experience/publications
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Transcripts
  • GRE scores (optional but reported in profile)
  • English Proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo)
Specialization Notes

Admission is extremely competitive with no strict GPA cut-offs; holistic review is used.