Rafail Ostrovsky

Rafail Ostrovsky is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at UCLA, holding the Norman E. Friedman Chair in Knowledge Sciences at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. As Director of the Center for Information and Computation Security, he leads research in cryptography, theoretical computer science, and secure computation with over 350 refereed publications and 15 issued USPTO patents.

His primary research focuses on cryptography and theoretical computer science, with significant contributions to private information retrieval, zero-knowledge proofs, secure multi-party computation, and privacy-preserving technologies. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in network security, data analysis, and cryptographic protocols. Dr. Ostrovsky's research has evolved from fundamental cryptographic primitives to complex systems addressing modern security challenges in distributed environments, with recent work emphasizing efficient secure computation, robust protocols, and privacy-preserving techniques for high-dimensional data.

His publication record demonstrates consistent leadership in cryptography, with recent articles focusing on zero-knowledge systems, secure computation protocols, and cryptographic primitives with enhanced security properties. The research trends show increasing emphasis on efficiency, robustness against malicious adversaries, and practical implementations of theoretical cryptographic concepts.

• 1993 Henry Taub Prize
• 2017 IEEE Computer Society Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award
• 2018 RSA Award for Excellence in Mathematics
• 2022 W. Wallace McDowell Award (highest award from IEEE Computer Society)
• Fellow of AAAS, ACM, IEEE, and IACR
• Foreign member of Academia Europaea
• Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors

Dr. Ostrovsky has held significant leadership roles including chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Mathematical Foundations of Computing (2015-2018) and chair of the IEEE FOCS 2011 Program Committee. He has served on over 40 international conference program committees and currently serves on editorial boards for Journal of ACM, Algorithmica Journal, and Journal of Cryptology. At UCLA, he teaches foundational courses including Introduction to Cryptography (CS183), Foundations of Cryptography (CS282A/M209A), and Cryptographic Protocols (CS282B/M209B).

As Director of the Center for Information and Computation Security, Dr. Ostrovsky leads a multidisciplinary team advancing research in cryptography, network security, and privacy technologies. His group collaborates across computer science, mathematics, and engineering disciplines to develop innovative solutions for contemporary security challenges, with upcoming work focusing on obfuscation, proof systems, and secure computation as evidenced by his scheduled visiting scientist position for Summer 2025.