About Me
Hi! I am Aravind Cheruvu, a Ph.D. candidate in the Computer Science department at Virginia Tech, advised by Dr. Danfeng Yao. As a Generative AI enthusiast, my research focuses on security and generative AI. I am honored to have received the Pratt Fellowship from the CS department.
My research investigates attacks and defenses within Large Language Models (LLMs) and Agentic AI, with a core focus on conversational AI systems. Specifically, I examine and mitigate data poisoning attacks on LLMs during model customization. Furthermore, I explore defense mechanisms against novel threat vectors emerging from Agentic AI. My background also includes work in Computer Vision (CV), specifically involving deepfakes, GANs, and diffusion models.
I worked as GenAI Research Intern at Samsung Research America (SRA) in Fall 2025. I also have 4.5 years of consulting experience, during which I worked on several large-scale projects with US-based clients. At Deloitte Consulting, I specialized as an Oracle Payroll Implementation Specialist. I completed my Bachelor’s in Information Technology in 2016 from VNR VJIET, Hyderabad (affiliated with JNTU), where I gained research experience in Temporal Data Mining and Network Security.
I am looking for full-time opportunities starting May 2026. If you are interested, please drop me an email.
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Latest News
- My paper “Optimus: A Robust Defense Framework for Mitigating Toxicity while Fine-Tuning Conversational AI” has been accepted to CODASPY 2026.
- I gave a research talk at UIUC invited by Dr. Xiaojing Liao and Dr. Luyi Xing in Dec 2025.
- I worked as GenAI Research Intern at Samsung Research America (SRA) in Fall 2025.
- I have successfully passed my Ph.D. Preliminary exam.
- I have attended The Amazon - Virginia Tech Initiative for Efficient and Robust Machine Learning - Fall retreat in Oct 2024.
- I have attended IEEE S&P 2024 as a coauthor in SFO in May 2024.
- I have successfully passed my Ph.D. Qualifier exam with a perfect score.
- Received “Pratt Fellowship” from the Department of Computer Science.
- Awarded with CCI SWVA Cyber Innovation Scholarship from Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) for FY 23 AND 24.
- I have presented my paper “A First Look at Toxicity Injection Attacks on Open-domain Chatbots” at ACSAC 2023 in Austin, TX in Dec 2023
- Received “Best Poster award at CCI researcher showcase” - Future cybersecurity leaders showcase research
- Our news interview at WDBJ7 - “Virginia Tech research aims to reduce toxic language from artificial intelligence.”
- Our news interview to VPM News Focal Point - “Artificial intelligence: What are the risks and benefits?”
Research Interests
- Security and Generative AI
- Large Language Models (LLMs)
- Conversational AI Systems
- Computer Vision and Deepfakes
- Temporal Data Mining
- Network Security