This academic year, 24 students graduated with a PhD from Grove School of Engineering at the City College. Saurabh Sachdeva is among this selective group. In September 2024, he graduated with a PhD in Electrical Engineering, in addition to an MPhil he earned the preceding year.
During his tenure at CCNY, Sachdeva specialized in blockchains, cybersecurity, and smart grids. One of the aspects Sachdeva valued from the PhD program at the Grove School of Engineering was the flexibility to pursue interdisciplinary research.
Photo: Courtesy of Saurabh Sachdeva
His dissertation, “A Blockchain-Based Framework for Secure and Decentralized Energy Trading in a Community,” focused on building secure systems for peer-to-peer energy training via decentralized blockchains, specifically Ethereum, an open-source software with its own cryptocurrency. Using real-time data and artificial swarm intelligence, he developed a pricing mechanism that minimized discrepancies between supply and demand in trading.
“One key finding was that blockchain can be used not just for recording transactions but also for enforcing security and trust in decentralized systems like energy trading,” Sachdeva said in an email interview with The RICC.
“I showed that with the right design, smart contracts on Ethereum can help create automated and secure marketplaces.”
The dissertation led him to be awarded a 160,000 yen (about 1,100 USD) Japan Student Services Organization scholarship by the Electrical Engineering Department, which allowed him to perform collaborative research at the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Fukuoka, Japan, for two months. During his visit, he developed a joint proposal on using groups of robots to decentralize disaster responses.
Alongside his studies, Sachdeva had the opportunity to teach as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Departments and the Physics Department at Borough of Manhattan Community College. He credited this experience as a fulfilling way to improve his ability to explain complex concepts in an accessible way, which motivated him to explore new ideas and enrich his work.
“My time at CCNY has been deeply meaningful,” Sachdeva said. “It was a journey of exploration and growth, both personally and professionally. I had the chance to work on cutting edge problems in blockchain and cybersecurity and also contribute to teaching and mentoring students.”
Sachdeva showed no signs of cutting the momentum post-graduation. This year, he was nominated as a Global Blockchain Business Council Ambassador for Security and Resilience, aligning him with a world-class cohort of leading blockchain experts across 124 disciplines.
“This isn’t just an honor, but a responsibility I embrace with immense pride.”
With all these accomplishments, Sachdeva stressed that he couldn’t do it alone. He is grateful to his mentor, Professor Tarek Saadawi, who was crucial in tailoring the direction and focus of his research.
Sachdeva credited the Office of International Student and Scholar Services with helping him maintain his visa status and stay on track academically as an international student.
“CCNY provided me not just with a research environment but with a community,” Sachdeva said. “It was a place where I was encouraged to explore interdisciplinary ideas, contribute to the classroom, and grow as a scholar.”
He plans to continue exploring the intersection of blockchain, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies through academic and industry research. He is particularly interested in smart contract auditing, decentralized infrastructure, and implementing AI to detect cyber threats.
Mia Euceda served as an editor for Baruch College’s Ticker newspaper and Refract Magazine. Their work has been published in The New York Review of Books and Treble Zine.