Ghada Almashaqbeh

Ghada Almashaqbeh is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Connecticut's School of Computing, affiliated with the Connecticut Advanced Computing Center (CACC) and the Engineering for Human Rights Initiative. Previously, she cofounded CacheCash (based on her PhD work) and worked as a Cryptographer at NuCypher. She is currently a scientific advisor at Sunscreen and The Melon, and holds 2023 fellowships from the Foresight Institute and Uniswap Foundation's TLDR program. She earned her PhD in Computer Science from Columbia University (2019), advised by Allison Bishop and Tal Malkin, and is supported by NSF, Protocol Labs, and UConn grants.

Her research focuses on cryptography, systems security, and privacy, particularly in blockchain and distributed systems. Key areas include secure blockchain scalability (chainBoost, ammBoost), privacy-preserving smart contracts (smartFHE), unclonable cryptography using biochemical materials, and revocable proxy signatures. Her work bridges theory and practice, emphasizing real-world applications and rigorous validation.

She has received awards including the 2023 Foresight Institute Fellowship and Uniswap Foundation's TLDR Fellowship. Her lab recruits postdocs and PhD students to tackle challenges in cryptography, privacy, and systems security. She emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, combining cryptography with biochemistry and distributed systems for practical solutions.