Kalikinkar MandalView profile
Associate Professor
Dr. Kalikinkar Mandal is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of New Brunswick (UNB), Fredericton, Canada. He holds the prestigious NB Power Cybersecurity Research Chair for smart grid security and privacy, a position supported by $500,000 in funding from NB Power for a five-year term. Dr. Mandal is also a member of the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity (CIC), an ACM member, and a member of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR). Education: PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo (2013) MTech in Computer Science from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata (2009) Additional Master's degree in Mathematics Dr. Mandal's research broadly focuses on cryptography, cybersecurity, and privacy, with specific expertise in lightweight cryptography, privacy-preserving computation, security and privacy in smart grids and Internet of Things (IoT), trusted computing, and high-speed cryptography. His work addresses critical challenges in securing emerging technologies, particularly in energy infrastructure where cybersecurity threats can have severe consequences for essential services. His research bridges theoretical cryptography with practical applications in real-world systems. Analysis of Dr. Mandal's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on cryptographic techniques for resource-constrained environments, particularly for smart grid and IoT applications. His work spans theoretical foundations of cryptographic primitives, practical implementations of lightweight ciphers, and innovative privacy-preserving protocols for emerging technologies. A notable trend in his research is the development of efficient cryptographic solutions that balance security requirements with performance constraints in critical infrastructure systems. Scientific Awards: NB Power Cybersecurity Research Chair ($500,000 funding) Contributor to multiple cryptographic algorithms (ACE, SPIX, SpoC, WAGE) that reached Round 2 of NIST Lightweight Cryptography standardization Dr. Mandal actively mentors graduate students in cybersecurity research, currently supervising three students working on cryptographic protocols for cyber-physical systems, cybersecurity in advanced metering infrastructure, and privacy for electric vehicles. His NB Power Cybersecurity Research Chair supports research that provides training opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students, preparing them as future cybersecurity leaders. Through direct applied research, knowledge dissemination, and student training, his work addresses critical challenges in power and security infrastructure. Dr. Mandal is actively involved in several research initiatives related to lightweight cryptography. He is part of the development teams for ACE, SPIX, SpoC, and WAGE - all of which were Round 2 candidates in the NIST Lightweight Cryptography standardization project. His GitHub repository (comsec-lwc) contains reference and optimized implementations of these cryptographic algorithms. He also contributes to the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity at UNB, focusing on practical applications of cryptographic techniques in critical infrastructure security.
