Fulbright HEC Ph.D. 2017–2022 alumnus Dr. Saad Islam opened USEFP’s Fulbright 80th Anniversary Conversations series with a practical session on “Scams in Pakistan: Real Stories and Real Lessons.”

Held at USEFP Islamabad, the session brought together Fulbright and Humphrey alumni from academia, banking, finance, and the development sector from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The conversation was moderated by USEFP Executive Director Dr. Peter Moran.

Drawing on his expertise in cybersecurity, Dr. Islam shared real-world examples and practical guidance on identifying common online scams, including fake accounts, fraudulent websites, and spam emails. His session focused on helping participants recognize warning signs and make more informed decisions when interacting with digital platforms and online communications.

The discussion also gave alumni an opportunity to connect cybersecurity concepts with experiences from their own professional and personal lives. During the closing Q&A, several participants shared examples of scams they had encountered, adding practical context to the conversation and reinforcing the importance of digital awareness.

Dr. Islam completed his Fulbright HEC Ph.D. program from 2017 to 2022 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, specializing in computer science and technology.

His work focuses on hardware and microarchitectural security. He discovered the SPOILER vulnerability (CVE-2019-0162) in Intel processors, and his research has also examined Rowhammer attacks and vulnerabilities affecting post-quantum cryptographic schemes. His work has been published in leading cybersecurity research venues, including USENIX Security, ACM CCS, and IEEE EuroS&P.

The session marked the start of USEFP’s Fulbright 80th Anniversary Conversations series, creating a platform for alumni to share professional expertise and practical lessons with fellow exchange alumni.