Ian Miers

Ian Miers serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, holding a joint appointment with the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) and serving as a core faculty member of the Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2). His academic home resides within the Department of Computer Science, though the overarching college/school structure is not explicitly stated in available materials.

His research program centers on applied cryptography with a context-driven methodology: starting from real-world security challenges to develop deployable cryptographic protocols. Key focus areas include blockchain privacy (notably Zerocoin/Zerocash), zero-knowledge proofs, anonymous credentials, and secure messaging systems. Miers emphasizes practical implementations that address subtle security requirements in production environments, bridging theoretical cryptography with tangible system security.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals dominant trends in zero-knowledge proof scalability (zkSNARKs), privacy-preserving infrastructure for blockchains, and cryptographic solutions for content moderation in encrypted messaging. His work consistently targets deployable systems, with increasing focus on balancing privacy guarantees with accountability requirements in real-world applications.

Miers actively recruits PhD students for hands-on research in his small lab, emphasizing direct collaboration on applied security and blockchain problems. As a founding scientist of Aleo, Bolt Labs, and Zcash, he translates academic research into commercial products, with his work receiving coverage from major media outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Wired.