Markulf Kohlweiss

Markulf Kohlweiss is a Senior Lecturer in the Security and Privacy research group at the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh. He leads the Edinburgh ZK-Lab and conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of formal verification, cryptography, and privacy-enhancing technologies, with applications in blockchain systems and secure communication protocols.

• University: University of Edinburgh
• School: School of Informatics
• Department: Security and Privacy research group
• Academic Rank: Senior Lecturer

His research focuses on the design and verification of cryptographic protocols, particularly in privacy-preserving systems, zero-knowledge proofs, and blockchain technologies. He is known for his work on the miTLS and Project Everest initiatives, which aimed to build formally verified implementations of the TLS protocol. His recent work includes foundational contributions to zk-SNARKs, anonymous credentials, and secure smart metering.

The trends in his recent publications indicate a strong emphasis on formal verification of real-world protocols, privacy-preserving blockchain designs (e.g., Ouroboros Crypsinous), and the development of composable, reusable cryptographic primitives. His work bridges theoretical cryptography with practical implementation, often using the F* programming language for verification.

• Levchin Prize for Real-World Cryptography (for work on miTLS and Project Everest)

Markulf Kohlweiss mentors several PhD students and has been supported by research grants from IOHK and Microsoft Research. He has served on the program committees of top security conferences including CRYPTO, EUROCRYPT, IEEE S&P, and CCS. He is also actively involved in open-source verified software projects such as HACL* and EverCrypt. He co-leads Project Everest, whose verified components are deployed in systems used by billions, including Windows, Linux, and Firefox.

He directs the Edinburgh ZK-Lab, a research group dedicated to advancing zero-knowledge proof systems and their applications in decentralized systems and identity management. The lab collaborates with industry and academic partners on high-assurance cryptographic software.