Zara Ahmad-Post

Hi, I’m Zara! I’m the Founder and Director of Research and Development at Z Collective. I’m a data scientist with an obsessive interest in AI/ML research and applications in security. I started Z Collective to connect my network of brilliant researchers and engineers with people who have challenging problems in cybersecurity from all sectors- academia, industry, government, and non-profit. I love mentoring and collaborating, and being able to share knowledge and solutions with anyone who is trying to make the internet a better place for us all to exist.

Over the last 10 years, I’ve worked in non-profits, academia, government contracting, and industry in various cybersecurity capacities. I’ve spent the last five years building and advising on AI/ML-based tooling to improve the security postures of organizations like major cloud service providers and the U.S. Department of Defense. My current research interests and activities are in open source software security, cloud native network security, detecting coordinated threat actor activities, and combatting disinformation and propaganda.

In addition to my research, I teach a graduate-level class on Cloud Computing at the University of Arizona. I love skateboarding, bachata, supporting local artists, and playing chamber music.