Samuel Howard — Cybersecurity Engineer

About

Builder. Defender.
Team Lead.

I'm a senior Computer Science student at the University of New Hampshire, concentrating in cybersecurity. My work sits at the intersection of network security, automation, and systems engineering — turning raw data into actionable intelligence.

At the UNH Interoperability Lab, I've spent over three years testing Ethernet standards from 10M to 25G, leading intern teams, teaching new hires, and adapting quickly to an ever-changing project landscape. I take pride in mentoring the people around me just as much as I do in shipping reliable work.

I'm a firm believer in leveraging modern AI tools — including Claude and ChatGPT — to multiply the quality and volume of work I can deliver, without ever compromising on fundamentals.

Years at UNH IOL

1M+

Log lines processed per day

10:1

Sponsor workload reduction delivered

25G

Max Ethernet speed certified

Skills & Expertise

What I Bring

A blend of software, hardware, and people skills built across the lab bench, the classroom, and real-world projects.

🛡️

Cybersecurity

Threat detection, log analysis, incident classification, and network security monitoring using industry-grade tooling and open-source intelligence.

Threat IntelOSINTLog AnalysisPalo Alto

☁️

Cloud Computing

Hands-on experience with AWS, Azure, and GCP for deploying, configuring, and managing cloud infrastructure and services.

AWSAzureGCP

🐍

Software Development

Full-stack development from Python automation pipelines and Flask web apps to front-end dashboards and RESTful data interfaces.

PythonFlaskJavaCHTML/CSS

🔌

Ethernet & Hardware

Deep expertise in IEEE 802.3 testing (10M–25G), cable plant construction, interoperability certification, and SMT/through-hole/SMA soldering for PCB assembly and prototyping.

IEEE 802.3PCB / SMT SolderingSMATest Fixtures

🤖

AI-Augmented Workflows

Proficient in leveraging Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI tools to solve complex problems faster, increase output quality, and scale the volume of work delivered without sacrificing precision.

ClaudeChatGPTPrompt Engineering

🤝

Leadership & Teamwork

Led intern teams on robotics and automation projects, onboarded and mentored new hires, and thrived in dynamic teams where priorities shift quickly. Agile-native with real sprint discipline.

MentorshipAgile / JiraNew Hire TrainingTeam Leadership

Experience

Where I've Worked

Professional roles that shaped how I think about systems, reliability, and people.

Jan 2023 – Present

Senior Baseband Test Technician

UNH Interoperability Laboratory · Durham, NH

Tested Ethernet IEEE 802.3 standards across speeds from 10M to 25G, verifying interoperability between products from multiple vendors.
Developed custom test plans to meet client-specific Ethernet device certification requirements.
Managed testing schedules and coordinated directly with customers to hit tight project deadlines.
Led a team of student interns in building a cable-changing robot — overseeing Python, Flask, Arduino, and all hardware assembly including soldering.
Onboarded, trained, and mentored new hires, adapting quickly as team composition changed each semester.
Assembled SMT, through-hole, and SMA components for prototype boards and test fixtures (PCB work).

Jan 2023 – 2024 (earlier tenure)

Junior Baseband Test Technician

UNH Interoperability Laboratory · Durham, NH

Learned interoperability, Clause 4 MAC, and Clause 31 Flow Control testing under IEEE 802.3 standards.
Constructed multiple Ethernet cable plants for 10M through 10G in-house test beds.
Practiced Agile sprint methodologies using the Atlassian suite (Jira, Bitbucket, Confluence).

Feb 2021 – Apr 2021

Outward Bound Leadership Semester

Leadville, CO & Utah Desert

Completed a 55-day leadership-intensive backpacking and canoeing expedition across the Colorado Rockies and Utah desert.
Developed core skills in leadership, rapid decision-making, and high-stakes team coordination under pressure.

Featured Project

Network Behavior

University of New Hampshire · Aug 2025 – May 2026

Project Lead · Computer Science, UNH

Automated Network Threat Monitoring & Analytics

Engineered a Python automation pipeline to parse and process 1,000,000+ line network traffic log files from the university's Palo Alto firewall infrastructure, replacing a fully manual review workflow and reducing operator processing time by a 10:1 margin.

Built a threat classification system that surfaces critical-severity security events by cross-referencing open-source threat intelligence reports and vulnerability detection service feeds — enabling faster incident response for network administrators. Results are published automatically to an Apache-hosted web dashboard built with Flask and HTML, providing a single centralized interface for real-time log querying, data visualization, and trend analysis backed by SQLite.

Led a two-team engineering group through Agile sprints (GitLab), coordinating the data visualization team and the threat intelligence/automation team simultaneously from concept to delivered product.

Python Flask SQLite Apache Threat Intelligence OSINT Data Visualization Agile / GitLab

SamuelHoward

Builder. Defender.Team Lead.