Hello, I'm Pawan Kumar Pradhan, I turn ambiguous, high-stakes problems into secure, useful systems. My work spans security operations, applied AI, technical research, and cross-functional delivery. The common thread is practical problem-solving: understand the real constraint, make the risk visible, build credible proof, and leave the team stronger.
From Incident Response to threat hunting to Cloud Security, my focus has always been on eradicating threat actors and defending against cyber threats.
I have also worked on AI systems, LLMs, and RAG architecture to implement solutions in line with the Digital Literacy Project at the University of Maryland, an initiative to empower residents of Marylands' lives by improving digital accessibility.
I am an avid sports enthusiast, having competed in District-level Soccer & Badminton Championships. When not immersed in the realm of cybersecurity, I find solace in outdoor adventures, often indulging in hiking expeditions. Sketching and drawing serve as outlets for my creativity and provide a balance to my technical pursuits. Recently into endurance sports and triathlon, completed a 50-miler Appalachian Trail hike in 18 hours.
E-Mail
pawan@umd.edu | p.pradhan1997@gmail.com
Phone
(240)-476-6975
Home Address
College Park, Maryland 20740
October 2026 - Present
Design and build agentic AI workflows that generate behavioral and circuit-level simulation models (MATLAB/Simulink, SPICE) for semiconductor devices from technical documentation.
Architect LLM inference across commercial APIs and self-hosted open-weight models served on GPU infrastructure, optimizing for quality, latency, and cost.
Build automated generate, simulate, and refine loops that verify model behavior with deterministic, numerical checks rather than just LLM judgment.
February 2023 - Present (~3 year)
Website: Marylandersonline.umd.edu
Create Multilingual conversation AI Agent workflow to support the Digital Navigator callcenter, using RAG and MCP Servers, with connections with Twilio and Google Cloud to offer a omnichannel gateway to access it. By leading a small engineering team.
Conducted Research on AI and RAG, LLM models in enhancing digital literacy & equity, identifying multiple high-impact use cases that can benefit the Project, leading to the development of these AI-powered features that improved the learning experience.
January 2020 - August 2022 (~3 years)
Experienced in Incident Response, Threat Hunting, malware, email, and phishing analysis with a track record of timely detection and mitigation of potential threats such as ransomware, APTs, Botnet, DDoS, phishing, and impersonation attacks.
As a key member of an MSSP, proactively performed 24/7 threat hunting, risk mitigation, and incident response. My contributions helped scale the SOC from 6 clients to successfully overseeing 16 clients within 2 years.
April 2019 - May 2019 (2 months)
Built an AI-powered B2B FinTech app displaying invoice details & predicts payment dates for businesses.
Designed and developed an AI-powered B2B FinTech app using Java, Servlet, JS, MySQL, ExtJS, Python, and Scikit-learn that extracts invoice details and predicts payment dates for businesses.
Gained full-stack software engineering skills to complement cybersecurity background.
Using steganography techniques, coupled with RSA encryption for enhanced security.
Using techniques like double-encoding and hashing.
End-to-end key Recovery on FrodoKEM via Rowhammer. Attack on PostQuantum KEM. Link to Slides
Certified Ethical Hacker v12
(Practical)
AWS Certified Security – Specialty
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
Sumo Logic Certified: Cloud SIEM Administration
Oracle Cloud: Certified Security Professional
CyberArk Certified Trustee (IAM)
Google Cloud: Certified SOAR Analyst
Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert
Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate
Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
API Security Fundamental
ISC2: Certified in Cybersecurity (CC)
Way to my:
Engaging in travel as a hobby broadens one's horizons by exposing them to diverse cultures, viewpoints, and adventures, thereby deepening their global awareness. This pursuit cultivates an innate sense of curiosity and a thirst for exploration, urging individuals to venture beyond the familiar confines of their everyday lives.
Personally, my passion for travel has always stemmed from the joy of connecting with strangers, collaborating with fellow travellers, and exchanging delightful anecdotes.
Immersing oneself in the kaleidoscope of landscapes and engaging with local communities nurtures a profound sense of empathy and reverence for the Earth's beauty. Each expedition we embark upon serves as a tapestry, woven intricately with the threads of newfound knowledge, memorable encounters, and personal evolution.