Binary Analysis · 2026
r2brief
Triage for binaries and firmware, built for agents and analysts.
Tap to flipReads files without running them and saves a JSON brief with hashes and the evidence behind each finding.
Software engineer · Nashville, TN
Michael Sandborn
I’m a former Vanderbilt pitcher turned software engineer and AI practitioner. I earned my Ph.D. there in 2024, studying AI for systems security.
My work has spanned reverse engineering, malware analysis, financial research, and autonomous vehicle design. I also host the GRASP Podcast, where I talk with professors about their research and how they got there.
Selected Work
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iHurt
OwnerAn offline pain journal. Mark where it hurts on a 3D body, then share the map with a clinician or an AI chat.
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Momnt
OwnerMy solo consulting practice for custom software, applied AI, and technical direction.
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r2brief
OwnerGet your bearings in an unfamiliar binary or firmware image. r2brief writes a brief that shows where to look and keeps the evidence behind each finding.
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MetisLLM
Co-founding engineerFinancial research that compares views across reports and ties every claim to its source.
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IntelligentRevenue
Co-founding engineerAI-native revenue management for upscale hotels.
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Placed 79th of 2,331 registered players in the Crackmes.one RE CTF 2026, landing in the top-100 Hall of Fame. A week of 12 challenges spanning custom VMs, shellcode, JIT decryption with nanomites, and DRM reversing; 710 players solved at least one (recap).
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Defended my Ph.D. dissertation in Computer Science at Vanderbilt: Cross Abstraction Artifacts to Detect Adverse Manipulation.
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Co-founded Athena AI Consulting (Athena AIC).
Projects
Research & open source
Reverse Engineering · 2026
angr MCP
Connects AI agents to angr for binary analysis through MCP.
Tap to flipAn angr-management plugin that lets agents decompile code, run symbolic execution, and add annotations in the analysis window.
Reverse Engineering · 2026
Ghidra MCP
Connects AI agents to Ghidra’s reverse-engineering tools through MCP.
Tap to flipA fork of LaurieWired’s GhidraMCP with 105+ tools for agents to inspect binaries, decompile functions, and rename symbols.
Fuzzing · 2026
fuzzah
A kit for running AFL++ fuzzing jobs across different targets.
Tap to flipRuns three AFL++ workers per target with CMPLOG. Groups duplicate crashes by ASAN stack hash and restarts failed workers. Use it from a terminal or coding agent.
Vehicle Design · 2024
Anvil
Automates the search for better vehicle designs.
Tap to flipUses FreeCAD, OpenFOAM, and Bayesian optimization to generate and test vehicle designs in fluid simulations. Covers air, land, and sea vehicles.
Vulnerability Prediction · 2024
KASTRO
Adapts LLMs to predict vulnerabilities in C code.
Tap to flipUses small adapter layers and abstract syntax trees to predict Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) labels from C source code.
Malware Analysis · 2023
MIMOSA
Uses computer vision to help analyze malware that detects test environments.
Tap to flipUses computer vision to set up malware samples in virtual machines configured to avoid triggering their environment checks. Then categorizes and analyzes their behavior.
Anti-Counterfeiting · 2022
Piezo PUFs
Patented technology to detect counterfeit goods in transit.
Tap to flipCompares piezoelectric signatures with fuzzy matching to check goods without damaging them.
Medical Imaging · 2021
Retinal Vessel Analysis
Uses a random walker algorithm to identify blood vessels in retinal images.
Tap to flipUses the ITKSnap Python API to segment vessels in retinal fundus images. Examines fractal dimension as a possible biomarker for retinopathy.
Experience
Experience
Co-Founder
Athena AI ConsultingCo-founded and bootstrapped an AI consulting firm with recurring client revenue. Build custom software, integrate AI into existing tools, and lead technical work for clients across industries.
Research Engineer — AI Infrastructure
Arta FinanceWorked on text and audio agents for wealth planning, tools to evaluate LLMs, and streaming market-data pipelines.
Ph.D., Computer Science
Vanderbilt UniversityResearched cyber-physical systems, computer security, program analysis, and applied AI. Contributed to DARPA-backed projects in binary micro-patching, vulnerability detection, and engineering automation.
Dissertation: Cross Abstraction Artifacts to Detect Adverse Manipulation.
B.S. Computer Science & Applied Mathematics
Vanderbilt UniversityGraduated with degrees in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics while pitching for Vanderbilt’s NCAA Division I baseball team.
Resources
TIWIKoE
“Things I Wish I Knew of Earlier.” Sites, books, and courses I’ve found useful over the years.