Professor John D. Kubiatowicz is a faculty member at the University of California at Berkeley in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences since 1998. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (minor in Physics) from MIT (1998), an M.S. in EECS (1993), and a double B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Physics (1987) from MIT. His research interests span Quantum Computing Architectures Distributed Systems and Storage Network Security and Peer-to-Peer Protocols Introspective and Manycore Operating Systems Edge and Fog Computing Hardware-Assisted Security He has pioneered systems like OceanStore , a global-scale distributed file system, and Tessellation , a manycore OS with continuous adaptation. The scientific awards he has received include Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE, 2000) Scientific American 50 (2002) Diane S. McEntyre Teaching Award (2003) IEEE ICRA Best Paper (2025) George M. Sprowls Award for MIT PhD thesis (1998) Okawa Research Grant (1998) Best Paper at International Conference on Supercomputing (1993) His recent publications focus on Quantum Circuit Design and Optimization Edge/Fog Computing Architectures Secure Runtime Systems Distributed Garbage Collection Manycore OS Innovations Hardware-Assisted Security Mechanisms He leads the Quantum Architecture Research Center and co-founded the SWARM Lab at Berkeley, advancing a vision of self-adapting, secure systems from the chip level to internet scale.
Reza Curtmola is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at NJIT. His research focuses on cybersecurity, distributed systems, and network security with an emphasis on secure routing, cloud computing, and privacy-preserving technologies. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University (2007), an M.S. from the same institution (2003), and a B.S. from the Politehnica University of Bucharest (2001). Dr. Curtmola’s work addresses challenges in wireless mesh networks, vehicular communication systems, and mobile-cloud integration. His contributions include innovative solutions for secure network coding, distributed resource management (e.g., parking assignment systems), and auditable data storage mechanisms. He has developed middleware frameworks like Moitree for mobile-cloud applications and has explored defenses against side-channel attacks, cache leaks, and entropy-based network vulnerabilities. His research also extends to privacy in vehicular DSRC protocols, dynamic traffic optimization, and verifiable code review systems. He has published extensively on topics ranging from cryptographic defenses in distributed systems to practical implementations of remote data checking in untrusted clouds. Current research activities include advancing secure cloud infrastructure, improving mobile crowdsensing reliability, and mitigating threats in IoT-enabled urban environments. His work often bridges theoretical foundations with practical system implementations, emphasizing real-world applicability in smart cities and critical infrastructure systems.
Leonid Reyzin is a Professor and Associate Chair of Academics at Boston University, specializing in cryptography. His research focuses on enabling secure computation, communication, and collaboration in untrusted environments, with contributions to biometric security, cryptographic protocols, and privacy-preserving technologies. He earned his Ph.D. from MIT and has advised on industry standards and received prestigious awards including the NSF CAREER Award and Boston University’s Neu Family Award for Excellence in Teaching. His work spans cryptographic primitives such as fuzzy extractors, verifiable random functions, and proofs of space, addressing challenges like secure key derivation from noisy data and blockchain security. He has collaborated on standards like RFC 9381 and contributed to cryptographic tools for distributed systems and privacy-enhancing technologies. Reyzin’s research emphasizes practical applications, including secure authentication systems, cryptographic protocols for blockchain and distributed ledgers, and mitigating threats like side-channel attacks. His recent work explores advancements in proofs of space, memory-hard functions, and asynchronous authenticated data structures, reflecting a balance between theoretical rigor and real-world applicability. Awards: NSF CAREER Award, Neu Family Award for Excellence in Teaching Key Contributions: Fuzzy extractors, VRFs, cryptographic standards development, blockchain security frameworks Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, MIT
Prof. Blerim Rexha is a full professor at the University of Prishtina's Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kosovo. With a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Vienna University of Technology (2004), he has led research in cybersecurity, blockchain, machine learning, and electronic voting systems. His teaching portfolio includes data, computer, and internet security courses. Education : Ph.D. in Computer Engineering (Vienna), Electrical Engineer MSc (Prishtina), specialized certifications in software engineering, biometrics, and .NET programming. His research spans cybersecurity (DDoS mitigation, face authentication attacks), blockchain applications (electronic voting bridges, transaction privacy), and machine learning integration (boosted trees for intrusion detection, LSTM for vulnerability scanning). He has contributed to cloud security through novel encryption methods and AI-driven attack detection. Recent publications focus on energy efficiency in cloud vs on-premises systems, XGBoost/CatBoost/LightGBM comparisons for network security, and blockchain bridges for e-voting. His work has addressed privacy preservation in video data, SMS encryption, and eID card pseudo-profiles. Awards include the 2024 Marin Barleti Prize for academic contributions and Best Paper Awards in election security (2015) and Kosovo website vulnerabilities (2013). Honors : Marin Barleti Prize (2024) Cyber Security Ambassador (2018) ICT Academician of the Year (2016) Best Paper Awards (2015, 2013) As academic advisor to the KosovaCyberTeam , he mentors students like Korab Keqekolla and Abian Morina. His leadership extends to Kosovo's Cyber Security State Training Center curriculum development and jury roles in Albanian ICT Awards .
Soufiene Djahel is a Professor at the Centre for Future Transport and Cities (CFTC) at Coventry University, UK. His research focuses on connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cyber security, and smart cities. He holds a PhD in Secure Routing and Medium Access Protocols from Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille (2010), and has held academic positions including Senior Lecturer at the University of Huddersfield and Manchester Metropolitan University. His research interests include CAV coordination protocols, cyber-physical security solutions, and intelligent transportation systems. Djahel leads projects such as the £1.2M AeroPharma Logistics initiative and has secured funding from the Newton Fund and JSPS. He is a recipient of the 2021 JSPS Invitational Fellowship and has published extensively in IEEE journals and conferences. Current projects explore UAVs-as-a-service, digital twins for CAVs, and B5G/6G for smart infrastructure. He advises PhD students on topics like AI-based threat mitigation and transport electrification. Djahel also serves as an external examiner and editorial board member for journals like IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems.
Nadine Akkerman is an Associate Professor at Leiden University's LUCAS (Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society), specializing in Early Modern English Literature. She is Principal Investigator of the ERC Consolidator Grant project FEATHERS, which investigates collaborative authorship in early modern legal and literary texts. Her academic career spans roles at VU Amsterdam, Radboud University Nijmegen, and visiting fellowships at Queen Mary London, All Souls College Oxford, and NIAS. PhD in English Literature (cum laude) from VU Amsterdam (2008) Junior Lecturer at VU Amsterdam (0.8 FTE, 2002-2006) Junior Lecturer at Radboud University (0.3 FTE, 2006-2007) Her research focuses on epistolary culture, women's history, and intelligence studies. She pioneered the study of female spies in 17th-century Britain through her monograph Invisible Agents , and authored the authoritative biography Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Hearts . Her work integrates manuscript studies, diplomatic history, and digital humanities, including a groundbreaking Nature Communications paper on virtual document unfolding. Recent publications include the projected The Correspondence of Elizabeth Stuart (3 vols, Oxford University Press) and co-authoring a Yale University Press trade book on early modern spycraft (2024). Her research has transformed understanding of women's roles in espionage and court politics, with methodological innovations in archival science. ERC Consolidator Grant (€2M, 2020) Ammodo Science Award (€300,000, 2019) World Cultural Council Special Recognition Award (2017) Aspasia NWO Premium (2016) Akkerman actively communicates her research to the public through TV/radio appearances and curated exhibitions. She leads the FEATHERS project (2020-2025), funded by the ERC, which examines authorship mediation in early modern texts. Her work combines rigorous archival analysis with interdisciplinary approaches, bridging history, literature, and digital methodologies.
Associate Professor Peter Sutton is an academic at the University of Queensland (UQ), holding roles as Deputy Head of School (Teaching and Learning) and Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. His research focuses on Engineering Education, Embedded Systems, Reconfigurable Computing, and Electronic Design Automation. He has contributed to curriculum design, remote lab management during the pandemic, and hardware-software co-design for embedded systems. Sutton completed his undergraduate studies at UQ and earned advanced degrees at Carnegie Mellon University, with over three decades of experience in computer systems research and education. Education Bachelor of Science, University of Queensland Bachelor (Honours) of Engineering, University of Queensland Masters of Science (Coursework), Carnegie Mellon University Doctor of Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University Research Interests Sutton’s work spans engineering pedagogy, embedded system design, and reconfigurable computing. Recent projects include adapting hands-on labs for remote learning during the pandemic and optimizing FPGA-based architectures for data compression and encryption. His contributions to cache optimization and multiprocessor systems highlight his expertise in hardware-software integration. Publications His 50+ publications cover topics like FPGA implementations of neural networks, code compression techniques for VLIW processors, and embedded system design tools. Notable contributions include frameworks for reconfigurable system-on-chip development and methods to enhance debugging practices in post-novice students. Labs & Teams He collaborates within UQ’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, contributing to research groups focused on embedded systems and engineering education innovation.
Rafail Ostrovsky is the Norman E. Friedman Chair in Knowledge Sciences at UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, where he serves as a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics. He also directs the Center for Information and Computation Security at UCLA. His academic leadership extends to his role as a foreign member of Academia Europaea and his fellowship in multiple prestigious organizations including the National Academy of Inventors, AAAS, ACM, IEEE, and IACR. Professor Ostrovsky's research spans multiple domains in theoretical computer science, with primary focus on cryptography, secure computation, and algorithms. His work on garbled circuits, zero-knowledge proofs, and private information retrieval has had significant theoretical and practical impact. He has pioneered research in secure multi-party computation, oblivious RAM, and cryptographic protocols that maintain privacy while enabling complex computations on sensitive data. His research bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in secure systems, ranging from database security to hardware-based cryptographic primitives. Ostrovsky's publication record shows a consistent trajectory of innovation in cryptographic theory and its applications. His recent work focuses on optimizing secure computation protocols for efficiency while maintaining strong security guarantees, with particular attention to communication complexity, round complexity, and practical implementations. He has made significant contributions to homomorphic encryption, non-malleable commitments, and zero-knowledge proofs, often developing techniques that transform theoretical constructs into practically viable solutions. 1993 Henry Taub Prize 2017 IEEE Computer Society Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award 2018 RSA Award for Excellence in Mathematics (RSA Prize) 2022 W. Wallace McDowell Award (highest award from IEEE Computer Society) Fellow of National Academy of Inventors, AAAS, ACM, IEEE, and IACR Foreign member of Academia Europaea With over 350 peer-reviewed publications and 16 issued USPTO patents, Professor Ostrovsky has significantly shaped the field of cryptography and secure computation. His mentorship has cultivated numerous students and postdocs who have gone on to make their own contributions to the field. His editorial roles on prestigious journals including Journal of ACM and Algorithmica reflect his standing in the theoretical computer science community. His leadership extends to chairing major conferences including FOCS 2011 and serving on over 40 international conference program committees. As Director of the Center for Information and Computation Security at UCLA, Professor Ostrovsky leads a team focused on advancing the theoretical foundations and practical applications of secure computation. His center serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research connecting cryptography with systems security, network protocols, and hardware security. The center's work spans from foundational cryptographic primitives to real-world applications requiring privacy-preserving computation.
Eric Wustrow is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering (ECEE) at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research focuses on computer security, network security, anticensorship, and protocol security. He has advised multiple PhD students including Abdulrahman Alaraj, Jackson Sippe, and Gaukas Wang. Research Interests: Network security and protocol analysis Anticensorship techniques and measurement Internet measurement and infrastructure analysis Cryptography and secure system design Notable Contributions: Developed ZMap, a fast internet-wide scanning tool Pioneered anticensorship research through projects like Telex and TapDance Conducted impactful studies on TLS vulnerabilities and cryptographic key management Awards: Best Paper at USENIX Security 2012 IRTF Applied Networking Research Prize (2024) Third Prize in 2021 Internet Defense Prize Labs/Teams: Active contributor to Refraction Networking projects and cybersecurity tool development initiatives.
Emre Salman is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Stony Brook University (SUNY), where he directs the Nanoscale Circuits and Systems (NanoCAS) Lab. His research focuses on nanoscale IC design, energy-efficient computing, and biomedical electronics, with notable contributions to 3D integrated circuits and wireless energy harvesting for IoT and healthcare applications. Education : PhD in Electrical Engineering, University of Rochester (2009) MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Rochester (2006) BSc in Microelectronics Engineering, Sabanci University, Turkey (2004) Research Interests : Salman’s work spans energy-efficient integrated circuits, secure IoT systems, and implantable medical devices. He pioneers techniques like charge-recycling logic and thermal-aware design for post-Moore computing. His group develops monolithic 3D ICs to address power/thermal challenges in AI accelerators and biomedical implants. Articles Trends : Recent publications highlight advancements in triboelectric energy harvesters for knee implants, thermal covert channel mitigation in 3D processors, and energy-efficient DNN accelerators. He emphasizes sustainability and security in emerging technologies like ReRAM-based computing and AC circuits for wireless IoT. Awards : 2023-2024 IEEE Distinguished Lecturer 2018 IEEE Region 1 Technological Innovation Award 2013 NSF CAREER Award Advising & Grants : Salman has directed multiple NSF, NIH, and industry-funded projects. He advises students on topics like hardware security and biomedical electronics, with a focus on translating research into commercializable technologies. Labs & Teams : The NanoCAS Lab collaborates with Brookhaven National Lab and industry partners (e.g., AMD, Samsung) to bridge academic research with real-world applications in energy-efficient computing and secure 3D ICs.
Zheng Yang is a Professor at Tsinghua University's School of Software, with significant research contributions in cryptography, cybersecurity, and privacy-preserving systems. His work spans multiple institutions including collaborations with University of Helsinki's Secure System Group and Chongqing University of Technology. He maintains active research in both theoretical and applied security domains, with particular focus on industrial applications. Professor Yang's research interests center on cryptographic protocols, authentication mechanisms, and security for emerging technologies. His work addresses critical challenges in Cyber-Physical Systems security, Industrial Internet of Things protection, and privacy-preserving computation. He has made significant contributions to secure key exchange protocols, authentication systems, and defenses against sophisticated network attacks including DDoS mitigation strategies. His research bridges theoretical cryptography with practical implementations for resource-constrained environments. Analysis of Professor Yang's recent publications reveals a strong trend toward practical security solutions for industrial and embedded systems. His work increasingly focuses on balancing security with performance constraints in Cyber-Physical Systems and Industrial IoT environments. Key research themes include lightweight cryptography for resource-constrained devices, privacy-preserving location services, and novel authentication mechanisms that maintain security while minimizing computational overhead. His publications demonstrate consistent innovation in adapting cryptographic techniques to real-world security challenges. Professor Yang has established himself as a leading researcher through his extensive publication record in top security venues including IEEE Security & Privacy, USENIX Security, and ACM conferences. His work has been published consistently in high-impact journals and conferences, demonstrating sustained research productivity and influence in the security community. Professor Yang maintains active research collaborations with numerous institutions globally, evidenced by his extensive co-authorship network. His research has attracted significant funding for projects addressing critical security challenges in emerging technologies. His work on secure authentication protocols and privacy-preserving systems has practical applications across multiple industry sectors. Professor Yang leads research initiatives focused on secure Cyber-Physical Systems and Industrial IoT security. His laboratory work emphasizes practical implementations of cryptographic protocols for real-world systems, with particular attention to performance constraints in embedded environments. Current research directions include secure communication for programmable logic controllers, privacy-preserving location services, and adaptive defenses against sophisticated network attacks.
Aslan Askarov is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Aarhus University, where he leads research in computer security and programming languages. He is a member of the Logic and Semantics Group and maintains an active research program with several ongoing projects. Dr. Askarov's research interests span computer security and privacy, with a focus on foundations, information-flow, covert channels, metadata privacy, and formal methods for security. He also works extensively in programming languages, particularly in semantics, design, type systems, and program analysis. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical security applications, particularly in web and mobile security contexts. His active projects include Troupe, a programming language for concurrent and distributed programming with dynamic information flow control, and DenIM, a protocol for secure instant messaging with metadata privacy. These projects reflect his commitment to developing practical security solutions grounded in formal methods. Dr. Askarov has published extensively in top security and programming languages venues, with recent work focusing on metadata privacy in instant messaging, separation logic for virtual machine security, and oblivious execution techniques for reactive programs. His research demonstrates a consistent pattern of addressing fundamental security challenges through formal methods and language-based approaches. CSF 2026 ESOP 2026 PLDI 2025 CSF 2025 CSF 2022 CSF 2021 CSF 2020 PriSC 2020 Nordsec 2019 (co-chair) POST 2019 Euro S&P 2018 PLAS 2017 FCS 2017 (co-chair) HotSpot 2017 FCS 2016 (co-chair) CSF 2016 ESSOS 2015 FCS-FCC 2014 ARES 2014 FCS 2013 ARES 2013 PLAS 2013 ARES 2012 PLAS 2011 (co-chair) ISARCS 2010 PLAS 2009 VODCA 2008 Dr. Askarov teaches advanced courses in computer science, including Compilers in Fall 2024 and Language-Based Security in Spring 2024. He is actively recruiting PhD students and postdocs to work in the areas of Programming Languages and Computer Security, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to mentoring the next generation of researchers.
Peter Schwabe is a scientific director at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy and holds academic positions as a part-time professor for cryptographic engineering in the Digital Security Group at Radboud University, Faculty of Science, and as an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at Ruhr University Bochum. His career spans multiple prestigious institutions including Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University. Dr. Schwabe's research focuses on cryptography, particularly post-quantum cryptography, cryptographic engineering, and implementation security. His work addresses critical challenges in secure cryptographic implementations, side-channel resistance, and the transition to quantum-resistant algorithms. He has made significant contributions to NIST's post-quantum cryptography standardization project, particularly with CRYSTALS-Kyber which was selected for standardization in July 2022. His publication record shows a strong emphasis on practical implementations of cryptographic algorithms, formal verification of security properties, and addressing real-world security challenges. Recent work centers on verifying Kyber implementations, protecting against Spectre variants, and developing high-assurance cryptographic software. Dr. Schwabe has received significant recognition in the field, serving as an elected member of the IACR Board of Directors and participating in various steering committees including the IACR CHES and RWC Steering Committees. He also serves on advisory boards for several security-focused companies. As an advisor, he has supervised numerous PhD students working on cutting-edge cryptographic research, with recent graduates focusing on post-quantum cryptography, side-channel resistance, and formal verification of cryptographic implementations. His research group actively contributes to both theoretical advances and practical implementations in cryptography.
J. Alex Halderman is the Bredt Family Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Michigan, directing both the Center for Computer Security and Society and the Michigan CSE Systems Lab. His work critically examines the societal impacts of security and privacy technologies through empirical research and policy engagement. Halderman's research spans computer security and privacy with emphasis on election integrity, censorship resistance, and the intersection of technology with law and policy. He investigates real-world vulnerabilities in systems ranging from voting infrastructure to encrypted communications, prioritizing measurable societal impact through forensic analysis and large-scale measurement studies. His publication record demonstrates consistent focus on high-stakes security challenges, particularly in democratic processes and user privacy. Notable contributions include internet-wide scanning tools (ZMap), forensic investigations of election systems, and foundational work on cryptographic vulnerabilities affecting global infrastructure. Scientific recognitions include: USENIX Security Best Paper Award (2024) USENIX Security Best Paper Award (2022) USENIX Security Best Paper Award and Internet Defense Prize (2022) IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy Best Student Paper Award (2020) Pwnie Award for Best Crypto Attack (2016) ACM CCS Best Paper Award (2015) ACM IMC Applied Networking Research Prize (2015) ACM IMC Best Paper Award (2014) USENIX Security Best Paper Award and Test of Time Award (2012) USENIX Security PET Award Runner-up (2011) USENIX Security Best Student Paper Award (2008) Halderman advises a dynamic research group including current members Braden Crimmins, Erik Chi, and Dhanya Narayanan, with over two dozen alumni who have advanced the field. His leadership extends to developing practical security solutions like Let's Encrypt and conducting court-admissible forensic analyses of election systems. He directs the Michigan CSE Systems Lab, which pioneers research in computer systems security, and the Center for Computer Security and Society, which bridges technical research with policy impact through cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Berk Sunar is a Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and the founder of the Vernam Applied Cryptography and Cybersecurity Laboratory at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). He joined WPI in 2000 after holding postdoctoral and research roles at Oregon State University (OSU) and Trust Inc. His work focuses on applied cryptography, microarchitectural security, AI security, post-quantum cryptography, and homomorphic encryption. Sunar received his BSc from Middle East Technical University (1995) and PhD from Oregon State University (1998). Research interests include vulnerabilities in hardware (e.g., Rowhammer, TPM-FAIL), side-channel attacks, and cryptographic implementations. Notable contributions include discovering flaws in Intel CPUs and TPM chips affecting billions of devices, as well as developing defenses like cuHE (GPU-accelerated homomorphic encryption). Publications highlight breakthroughs in transient execution attacks (e.g., LVI, RIDL), post-quantum signature schemes (Dilithium), and cloud security (Firecracker VMM vulnerabilities). Awards include NSF CAREER (2002) and IBM Pat Goldberg Best Paper (2007). Advised over 30 graduate students, many of whom hold senior roles in academia and industry. Current research addresses AI security, quantum-resistant algorithms, and automated attack detection via machine learning. The Vernam Lab remains a hub for cybersecurity innovation.
