Research

Peter’s research vision is to fundamentally transform the way real-world software systems are built and engineered — ensuring their trustworthiness to the highest possible degree, backed by mathematical proof. He is a recognised leader in the formal analysis of network protocols used by emergency services and defence organisations. His research contributions led to the first formalisation of the AODV routing protocol (standardised by the IETF and integrated into IEEE 802.11s), uncovering routing loops that contradicted popular belief and the official standard — findings that directly influenced the development of its successor, AODVv2.

As part of DARPA’s High-Assurance Cyber Military Systems (HACMS) programme, Peter contributed to the design and verification of communication protocols. In 2023, DARPA honoured HACMS with its Game Changer Award, recognising its profound and lasting impact on national security. From 2021 to 2025, he led a AUD$1 million project funded by Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group, developing generic frameworks for verifying concurrent data structures used to protect sensitive infrastructure from cyber attacks.

To realise his research vision, Peter collaborates with leading researchers worldwide and with industry and government partners including Amazon Web Services, the Defence Science and Technology Group, DARPA, ProofCraft, and OpenBSD.