Assistant Professor, at Taibah University, Saudi Arabia.
Prof. Fatemah Mordhi Alharbi is a cybersecurity and AI researcher, educator, and industry consultant specializing in AI-driven cyber defense, federated learning, and digital resilience. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Riverside and currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Taibah University, a Visiting Assistant Researcher at UC Riverside, and a Research Advisor at Cybersee Company. Prof. Alharbi has been recognized among the Top 40 Under 40 in Cybersecurity (2024) and the Top Cybersecurity Women of the World (2024). Her research focuses on securing Industry 4.0 systems, IoT networks, and critical infrastructures, with multiple papers under review in top-tier IEEE and Elsevier journals. Beyond academia, she actively contributes to global cybersecurity awareness as the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia for the Global Council of Responsible AI and a peer reviewer for leading cybersecurity journals.
Professional Profile
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Education 🎓
Prof. Fatemah Alharbi holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Riverside (2020), where she specialized in cybersecurity and AI-driven security frameworks. She earned her M.S. in Computer Science from California State University, Los Angeles (2013) and completed her B.S. in Computer Science at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia (2009).
Professional Experience 💼
Prof. Alharbi is an Assistant Professor at the Computer Science Department, Taibah University (Yanbu Campus, Saudi Arabia) and a Visiting Assistant Researcher at the University of California, Riverside. She also serves as a Research Advisor at Cybersee Company and holds a part-time Assistant Professor position at the University of Prince Mugrin. Previously, she worked as a Cybersecurity Consultant at Dera Company and led the Cybersecurity Awareness Month Initiative as CEO. In 2025, she was appointed as the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia for the Global Council of Responsible AI.
Research Interests 🌍
Her research explores cybersecurity, AI-driven cyber defense, federated learning, and digital resilience, with a strong emphasis on protecting Industry 4.0 systems, IoT security, and critical infrastructures. She has contributed to hierarchical federated learning, adaptive cyber defense for renewable energy grids, and cyber resilience in Saudi Arabia. Her work bridges the gap between AI, security, and real-world applications in smart grids, healthcare, and digital forensics.
Awards & Honors 🏆
Prof. Alharbi has received multiple prestigious recognitions, including the “Top International 40 Under 40 in Cybersecurity” (2024) and the “Top Cybersecurity Women of the World” (2024) awards. She was honored with the “Excellence Woman Award” (2024) and was previously featured in the Cybersecurity Women of the Year Awards (2023). In 2021, she was named among the “15 Remarkable Arab Female Scientists”, recognizing her groundbreaking contributions to cybersecurity.
Top Noted Publications 📚
“Collaborative Client-Side DNS Cache Poisoning Attack” – F. Alharbi, J. Chang, Y. Zhou, F. Qian, Z. Qian, N. Abu-Ghazaleh | IEEE INFOCOM | Citations: 65 | Year: 2019
“Zombie Awakening: Stealthy Hijacking of Active Domains Through DNS Hosting Referral” – E. Alowaisheq, S. Tang, Z. Wang, F. Alharbi, X. Liao, X.F. Wang | ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security | Citations: 31 | Year: 2020
“DNS Poisoning of Operating System Caches: Attacks and Mitigations” – F. Alharbi, Y. Zhou, F. Qian, Z. Qian, N. Abu-Ghazaleh | IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing | Citations: 22 | Year: 2022
“CSProp: Ciphertext and Signature Propagation – Low-Overhead Public-Key Cryptosystem for IoT Environments” – F. Alharbi, A. Alrawais, A.B. Rabiah, S. Richelson, N. Abu-Ghazaleh | USENIX Security Symposium | Citations: 8 | Year: 2021
“Opening Digital Borders Cautiously Yet Decisively: Digital Filtering in Saudi Arabia” – F. Alharbi, M. Faloutsos, N. Abu-Ghazaleh | USENIX Workshop on Free and Open Communications on the Internet (FOCI) | Citations: 8 | Year: 2020
Conclusion
Dr. Alharbi has exceptional qualifications, particularly in cybersecurity and AI. If she strengthens her accepted publications, grant funding, and research impact metrics, she would be a top contender for the Best Researcher Award.