Computing’s Top 30: Meng Li

Meng Li is one of our "Computing's Top 30 Early Career Professionals" for 2025. This program seeks to highlight an esteemed group of rising stars who earned this honor for their exceptional early-career achievements and role in driving advancements across the computing landscape.

Introduction

I am currently a Professor and Ph.D. Supervisor in the School of Computer Science and Information Engineering at Hefei University of Technology (HFUT), China. My research interests span security, privacy, applied cryptography, blockchain, and the Internet of Vehicles. I have published over 140 papers in leading international conferences and journals, including IEEE S&P, USENIX Security, ACM MobiCom, IEEE INFOCOM, ACM ISSTA, TITS, TVT, TIFS, TDSC, ToN, TMC, TKDE, TODS, TPDS, TSE, TSC, and COMST. I co-authored the Springer monograph Blockchain Technology in Internet of Things.

What inspired you to pursue a career in technology?

My fascination with cryptography began in high school, and I was fortunate to pursue it further as an undergraduate major in Information Security at HFUT. During those years, I realized how much there was still to explore in this field—a realization that motivated me to continue my studies. I was lucky to become a Master’s student supervised by Prof. Liehuang Zhu, focusing on secure data aggregation in wireless sensor networks. Over two and a half years, I developed basic research skills and published four papers, which strengthened my commitment to pursuing research. My four-year doctoral program, including a year at the University of Waterloo, introduced me to privacy preservation in the Internet of Vehicles and greatly broadened my research perspective. I not only published papers in high-tier venues but also sharpened my research intuition and expanded my technical toolkit. Together, these experiences along with the sense of achievement and growing self-awareness solidified my resolve to build a career in technology.

What do you consider your highest achievement so far? How do you plan to continue or build on that success?

I consider the paper of Eunomia: Anonymous and Secure Vehicular Digital Forensics Based on Blockchain published in IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing (TDSC) to be my highest achievement so far. This work represents the culmination of years of dedicated research at the intersection of security, privacy, applied cryptography, and blockchain, and it embodies the research vision I began forming during my Ph.D. studies. It was selected as one of the six Featured Articles in IEEE TDSC 2023. I plan to continue or build on that success by introducing Trusted Execution Environment into the security framework and embracing advanced AI techniques to detect security breaches more efficiently.

Who do you draw inspiration from and how did that motivate you in your education or career?

During the past six years, I constantly drew inspiration from real-life applications and scenarios. For example, I used to take Didi rides between home and work. During the rides, I could talk to drivers about new functions and problems of ride-hailing services, which became the motivation behind many of my publications. Specifically, when a new problem is located, I look back at relevant techniques and see whether they can solve the problem. If not, then I am certain that I successfully found a new research problem, which I follow by designing a new scheme or mechanism to protect security or privacy.

How are you currently involved in the tech community aside from your job (volunteering, open-source projects, mentoring, etc)?

I am serving as an Associate Editor for TIFS, TDSC, and TNSM. I am a Senior Member of both IEEE and CCF. I have contributed to the organization of over 50 international conferences, such as Area Chair for WIFS 2026 and ICASSP 2026, and Technical Program Committee member for conferences including ACISP’ 26, Inscrypt’ 25/24, ICICS’25, TrustCom’25/24/23/22, and ICDCS’24.

Is there any emerging technology or industry segment you find exciting or interesting?

It is Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). The urgency in this field stems from the fundamental threat quantum computing poses to current public-key cryptosystems. The very foundations of internet security, such as RSA and ECC algorithms, will probably collapse in the face of a sufficiently powerful quantum computer. The excitement of PQC lies in our participation in a global reconstruction of cryptographic paradigms, designing quantum-resistant algorithms based on new mathematical problems like lattices and hashes. However, theoretical breakthroughs are just the beginning; the implementation of these complex algorithms in hardware and software will expose entirely new side-channel attack surfaces. Thus, the real challenge and opportunity lie in achieving secure and efficient engineering.

How do you see technology shaping humanitarian efforts or social good in the next 5 years?

In the next five years, technology will enable humanitarian efforts to be faster, smarter, and more accountable. It will empower individuals with access to services and control over their own identities. However, the lens of an information security professor reminds me that these systems are not magic. They are complex socio-technical constructs. Their success in serving the social good will depend entirely on our foresight in designing them to be resilient, inclusive, and secure against the very real threats of the digital age. The most powerful technology for good will be the one we trust, and trust is something that must be earned and engineered, not just assumed.

If you have ever worked cross-discipline, how did that influence your way of thinking or the way you approach your work?

In my research team, there is a highly capable researcher named Yan Qiao, whose research focuses on network measurement, network systems and theory, machine learning for networking, network data analysis. We have published several papers on high-tier venues such as TIFS, ToN and INFOCOM. During our cross-discipline collaboration, I have truly felt the sparks, passion, and opportunities for scientific discovery that arise from the intellectual friction of different research perspectives and background. Such collaboration has prompted me to further broaden my research perspective and refine my research framework.

What advice would you give to young professionals or recent graduates who are trying to enter your field?

Live healthily, be humble, act diligently, think strategically, and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone!

Make Connections

You can find Meng Li on LinkedIn.

Create Your Own Path

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