Phaedra Sophia Curlin

About Me

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I am a 5th year PhD student in Electrical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder under the supervision of Prof. Tamara Silbergleit Lehman. My research focuses on creating and implementing security metrics for computer hardware systems.

I obtained my MSc in Electrical Engineering in 2024 and my BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2022 at the University of Colorado Boulder. During my undergraduate degree, I researched applications of VR/AR to lunar robotics under the guidance of Prof. Jack O. Burns.

Abstracts & Posters

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2026

Open-Source Cache Architectures in Chipyard

P. Curlin, T. Lehman

Open-Source Computer Architecture (OSCAR) Workshop in conjunction with the IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA), Raleigh, NC, Jun. 2026.

slides
CASM: A Generalizable and Accessible Security Metric to Evaluate Security of Cache Architectures

P. Curlin, T. Lehman

CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshop, Seattle, WA, Mar. 2026.

poster

2023

S-box designs for an open-source AES ASIC

P. Curlin, C. Chan, T. Lehman

Young Fellows Program in conjunction with the ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference (DAC), San Francisco, CA, Jul. 2023.

poster

2022

An ASIC implementation of an open-source AES engine

P. Curlin, C. Chan, T. Lehman

Career Workshop for Inclusion and Diversity Computer Architecture (CWIDCA) in conjunction with the IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Microarchitecture (MICRO), Chicago, IL, Jul. 2022.
Troubleshooting lunar rover failures: a virtual reality digital twin and environment

P. Curlin, M. Muniz, A. Muniz, J. Burns

NASA Exploration Science Forum, Boulder, CO, Jul. 2022.

abstract poster
Virtual Reality Digital Twin and Environment for Troubleshooting Lunar-based Infrastructure Assembly Failures

P. Curlin, M. Muniz, A. Muniz, J. Burns

International Workshop on Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed-Reality for Human-Robot Interactions for HRI (VAM-HRI) in conjunction with the IEEE/ACM International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), Online, Mar. 2022.

extended abstract lightning talk

2021

Construction of lunar radio astronomy telescopes leveraging low latency VR/AR teleoperation

Mason Bell, P. Curlin, M. Muniz, J. Burns

NASA Exploration Science Forum & European Lunar Symposium, Online, Jul. 2021.

abstract lightning talk poster

2020

Construction of lunar radio astronomy telescopes leveraging low-latency VR/AR teleoperation

Mason Bell, P. Curlin, J. Burns

Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG), Online, Sep. 2020.

lightning talk poster
Construction of lunar radio astronomy telescopes leveraging low-latency VR/AR teleoperation

Mason Bell, P. Curlin, J. Burns

Lunar Surface Science Workshop (LSSW), Online, Aug. 2020.

abstract
Telerobotics assembly recovery using virtual training for low-latency lunar application

A. Kumar, Mason Bell, P. Curlin, J. Burns

NASA Exploration Science Forum, Online, Jul. 2020.

abstract lightning talk
Lunar telerobotic assembly recovery using cyber-physical training

A. Kumar, Mason Bell, P. Curlin, J. Burns

Lunar and Small Bodies Graduate Forum, Online, Jul. 2020.

abstract

AES Encryption Engine

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Graduate Research

May 2022 – Mar 2025

The SBox – the most important component of the AES algorithm.

TVLA setup for AES SBoxes using the CW305 with Artix FPGA Target.

I worked on creating of an open-source, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) engine for Sandia National Laboratory. My focus was on the AES SBox, the most important step of the AES algorithm. This included implementing multiple designs using Verilog with different levels of countermeasures (masking, thresholding) to be realized on an ASIC prototype. I also studied the different trade-offs (performance, security, area, power) based on state-of-the art implementations to better understand the properties of cryptographic ASICs.

CU Rover Team

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Undergraduate Club

Sep 2018 – May 2022

3D rendering of rover chassis.

MSP432 and x-io IMU testing.

Original rover design.

The University Rover Challenge is a yearly competition hosted by the Mars Society and held in Hanksville, Utah with the aim to promote human exploration and settlement on Mars. This competition specifically focuses on rovers that could possibly one day assist astronauts on the Martian surface. This multi-day event is composed of four missions that bring many aspects of engineering, biology, and geology together to design the best and most most capable rover!

Frequency Extraction Engine

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Senior Design Project

Sep 2021 – May 2022

FID Frequency Extraction Engine board.

Our team's logo.

Current methods for measuring the magnetic field produced by the brain are expensive and cumbersome. FieldLine Inc. has developed a magnetometer that does not require the use of shielded rooms and can provide data in real-time. For our senior design project, we created a frequency extraction engine to be used with our sponsor’s Free Induction Decay magnetometers. See our project here.

Lunar Telerobotics

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Undergraduate Research

Mar 2020 – May 2022

Digital Armstrong rover twin in lunar environment.

Physical Armstrong rover in lab hallway.

NASA will return to the Moon to conduct lunar and space science as well as prepare for human exploration missions. NASA’s current rover failure response methods use hardware duplicates which are costly and time consuming to assemble. To address this, we developed and assessed a VR digital rover twin in a simulated environment using novel technologies to support lunar robotic missions like FARSIDE in case of assembly failures.

Other Noteworthy Projects

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Past Work

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Past Research

AES Encryption Engine

Lunar Telerobotics

Past Projects

Frequency Extraction Engine

CU Rover Team

Publications

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2025

CASM: A Generalizable and Accessible Security Metric to Evaluate Security of Cache Architectures

P. Curlin, T. Lehman

IEEE International Symposium on Workload Characterization (IISWC), Oct. 2025.

paper slides code
A Survey of Hardware-Based AES SBoxes: Area, Performance, and Security

P. Curlin, J. Heiges, C. Chan, T. Lehman

ACM Computing Surveys, Apr. 2025.

paper code

2024

Baobab Merkle Tree for Efficient Secure Memory

S. Thomas, K. Workneh, A-T. Ishimwe, Z. McKevitt, P. Curlin, R. I. Bahar, J. Izraelevitz, T. Lehman

IEEE Computer Architecture Letters (CAL), Jan. 2024.

paper

Service

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Artifact Evaluation Committee Member

2026: EuroSys.
2025: ISCA.

Teaching Experience

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Graduate Learning Assistant

ECEN 1100: Exploring ECE (Fall 2023, Prof. Tamara S. Lehman)
ECEN 3593: Computer Organization (Spring 2023, Prof. Sumeet Chaudhary)

Student Course Developer

ECEN 2270: Electronics Design Lab (Summer 2020, Prof. Peter Mathys)

Grader

ASTRO 2020: Introduction to Space Astronomy (Fall 2020, Prof. Jack O. Burns)