Rebecca N. Wright

Dr. Rebecca Wright is the Druckenmiller Professor and Chair of Computer Science at Barnard College, where she also serves as Director of the Vagelos Computational Science Center. She holds affiliate positions at Columbia University's Computer Science Department and Data Science Institute, and co-chairs the Cybersecurity Research Center within the Data Science Institute. With a distinguished career spanning academia and research, she has established herself as a leader in computer security and privacy research.

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Yale University
• A.B. in Computer Science and Mathematics (Double Major), Columbia University
• Honorary M.E. from Stevens Institute of Technology

Her research focuses on computer and communications security, particularly in privacy, cryptographic protocols, and fault-tolerant distributed computing. She investigates how to design protocols, systems, and services that maintain functionality even when participants or components behave maliciously. Her work also extends to computer science education, with a strong emphasis on increasing diversity and inclusion in computing fields through initiatives like the Computing Fellows program and living-learning communities for women in computer science.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on privacy-preserving technologies, particularly differential privacy applications in anomaly detection and machine learning. Her work bridges theoretical computer science with practical applications in cybersecurity, while maintaining a consistent commitment to educational initiatives that broaden participation in computing. The interdisciplinary nature of her research is evident in collaborations across computer science, data science, and social sciences.

Scientific Awards:

• IEEE Fellow (2018) for Contributions to Applied Cryptography and Privacy
• ACM Distinguished Member (2017) for Scientific Contributions to Computing
• National Academy of Engineering Armstrong Endowment for Young Engineers – Gilbreth Lectureship (2008)

Dr. Wright has successfully mentored numerous PhD and MS students who have gone on to prominent positions in academia and industry. Her grant portfolio includes significant funding from the National Science Foundation for projects like the DIMACS/Simons Collaboration on Lower Bounds in Complexity Theory (2018-2021) and the DIMACS/Simons Collaboration in Bridging Continuous and Discrete Optimization (2017-2020), as well as European Commission funding for cybersecurity research. She is deeply involved in professional service, serving on the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security Steering Committee and the Electronic Registration Information Center's Privacy and Technology Advisory Board.

She leads the Cyber NYC REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program and has established the Computing Fellows program at Barnard to increase meaningful computing engagement across disciplines. Her work with the Douglass-DIMACS Computing Corps and other educational initiatives demonstrates her commitment to building inclusive computing communities and developing innovative educational approaches.