Aloni Cohen

Aloni Cohen is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Data Science at the University of Chicago. Previously, he served as a Postdoctoral Associate at Boston University, with a joint appointment at the Hariri Institute for Computing and the School of Law. He is also a former affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society and a Fellow at the Aspen Tech Policy Hub.

Aloni earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, advised by Shafi Goldwasser, supported by a Facebook Fellowship and an NSF Graduate Student Research Fellowship. His research bridges theoretical cryptography, privacy, law, and policy, focusing on real-world applications like differential privacy, encryption, and legal frameworks such as GDPR and the Fifth Amendment.

• Key research themes include privacy-preserving data analysis, cryptographic watermarking, and ethical implications of AI.
• He explores tensions between cryptographic theory and legal regulations governing data privacy and surveillance.

His recent publications address topics such as the societal impacts of differential privacy, legal challenges in compelled decryption, and policy questions around multiparty computation. Notable awards include the 2024 Outstanding Paper Award at the International Conference on Algorithmic Learning Theory and the 2022 Distinguished Paper Award at USENIX Security Symposium.

• Awards:
• 2024 Outstanding Paper Award, International Conference on Algorithmic Learning Theory
• 2022 Distinguished Paper Award, USENIX Security Symposium
• 2014 NSF Graduate Student Research Fellowship

Aloni’s work involves interdisciplinary collaborations, addressing both technical and policy dimensions of modern computational challenges. Details on grants or specific advising roles are not explicitly listed in the provided texts.