Zhipeng Wang

Zhipeng Wang

Lecturer (Assistant Professor) @The University of Manchester

I am a Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor) in Cyber Security in the Department of Computer Science at The University of Manchester (since August 2025). Previously, I was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Imperial College London, where I also completed my PhD in Computing. Before that, I obtained both my Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Beihang University, China.

My research focuses on security, privacy, and trust in open and distributed computing systems. I investigate how to build secure, privacy-preserving, and trustworthy infrastructures for collaboration and intelligence in environments where participants may be decentralized, rational, or untrusted. My work spans distributed systems (e.g., blockchain), applied cryptography, and emerging AI systems, with interests in empirical measurement, attack analysis, secure protocol design, and privacy-preserving solutions.

My current research interests include:

  • Security and privacy in distributed and decentralized systems (e.g., blockchain)
  • Applied cryptography, including classical and post-quantum solutions
  • Trustworthy and secure AI in decentralized or collaborative environments

More broadly, my research is driven by a long-standing interest in strengthening security, privacy, and trust in real-world digital systems.

Open positions. I am happy to hear from prospective PhD students, research interns, and visiting researchers who are interested in security and privacy, applied cryptography, distributed systems, blockchains, and trustworthy AI. I am particularly keen to work with students who are excited about rigorous research at the intersection of systems, security, and emerging decentralized or collaborative AI settings. If you are interested in working with me, please email me your CV and a brief note describing your background, interests, and motivation.

For PhD applications, please also refer to the Department of Computer Science doctoral research programme page for application guidelines and funding opportunities.

I always welcome collaborations and discussions about research opportunities.

You can reach me at zhipeng[dot]wang0x01[at]gmail[dot]com or zhipeng[dot]wang[at]manchester[dot]ac[dot]uk.

Selected Publications

Full publication list can be found at Google Scholar.

Academic Service

Conference and workshop program committees

Journal reviewing

  • IEEE: TIFS, TNNLS, TSC, TBD, TCCN, TII
  • ACM: TOSEM
  • Others: JNCA, Financial Innovation, Blockchain

Teaching

  • Security and Privacy in Artificial Intelligence, 2025/26 2nd Semester, The University of Manchester (Lecturer)

  • Cryptography Engineering, Spring Term 2024, Imperial College London (Teaching Assistant)

  • Principles of Distributed Ledgers, Spring Term 2023, Imperial College London (Teaching Assistant)

Awards and Grants

Selected Invited and Conference Talks

  • DSKE: Digital Signatures with Key Extraction @UK Crypto Day Sep 2025. Manchester, UK, 09/2025

  • Migration to Post-Quantum Secure Blockchains @RITICS Showcase 2025. London, UK, 01/2025

  • How Can Blockchain Make AI More Decentralized? @UCL Distributed Ledger Technologies Seminar. London, UK, 11/2024

  • Pay Less for Your Privacy: Towards Cost-Effective On-Chain Mixers @AFT 2023. Princeton, USA, 10/2023

  • Blockchain Transaction Censorship: (In)secure and (In)efficient? @MARBLE 2023. London, UK, 07/2023

  • On the Usage, Privacy, and Censorship of On-Chain Mixers @Brevan Howard Centre for Financial Analysis Annual Crypto Showcasing Event. London, UK, 06/2023

  • On How ZKP-based Blockchain Mixers Improve, and Worsen User Privacy @The 2023 ACM Web Conference. Austin, USA, 05/2023

  • Speculative Multipliers on DeFi: Quantifying On-Chain Leverage Risks @FC 2022. Grenada, 05/2022