Huijia (Rachel) Lin

Huijia (Rachel) Lin is a Professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington. Her research bridges theoretical cryptography with broader domains in computer science, including complexity theory, algorithm design, learning, and security.

Dr. Lin leads the Simons Collaboration on the Theory of Algorithmic Fairness (2020–2027) and collaborates with UW’s cryptography and theory groups, which include Professors Andrea Coladangelo, Stefano Tessaro, and Nirvan Tyagi. She has also served on numerous prestigious program committees and steering committees, including as a co-chair for TCC 2025 and FORC 2026.

Research Interests:

• Theoretical aspects of cryptography
• Program obfuscation and functional encryption
• Lattice-based cryptography
• Secure multiparty computation
• Non-malleability and concurrent security
• Connections to quantum computation

Scientific Awards:

• NSF CAREER Award
• Hellman Fellowship
• Cisco Research Award
• JPMorgan Faculty Award
• Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship
• Best Paper Award at STOC 2021
• Best Paper Award at Eurocrypt 2018
• Best Paper Honorable Mention at Eurocrypt 2016

Advising and Grants: Dr. Lin has mentored numerous PhD students and postdocs, including Kameron Shahabi, Ji Luo, and Min Jae Song. Her research is supported by the Simons Collaboration on the Theory of Algorithmic Fairness.