Tal Malkin

Tal Malkin is a Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, where she directs the Cryptography Lab and previously served as the inaugural chair of the Cybersecurity Center at the Data Science Institute. Her academic journey includes a BS in Math and Computer Science from Bar-Ilan University, an MS in Computer Science from the Weizmann Institute of Science, and a PhD in Computer Science from MIT. Prior to joining Columbia, she worked as a research scientist at AT&T Labs Research.

Dr. Malkin's research spans foundational and practical aspects of cryptography, with significant contributions to secure computation, private search, non-malleable codes, leakage and tamper resilient cryptography, and strong public key encryption. Her work increasingly explores connections between cryptography and other fields including complexity theory, information theory, and machine learning. As evidenced by her numerous publications in top-tier venues like Crypto, Eurocrypt, and TCC, her research combines theoretical rigor with practical applications, particularly in privacy-preserving technologies and secure distributed systems.

Her publication record reveals a strong focus on cryptographic foundations and security protocols, with recent work addressing challenges in tamper resilience, leakage resistance, and secure multiparty computation. The trend shows increasing integration of cryptographic techniques with machine learning applications, reflecting the growing importance of secure AI systems. Her research has consistently addressed both theoretical limits and practical implementations of cryptographic primitives.

• IACR fellow
• NSF CAREER Award
• Faculty awards from JP Morgan, IBM, and Google
• Avanessians Diversity Award from the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science
• Presidential Teaching Award at Columbia University

Professor Malkin has successfully mentored numerous PhD and MS students, with her current advisees including Marshall Ball, Chengyu Lin, and Negev Shekhel Nosatzki. Her extensive service to the cryptographic community includes chairing major conferences (CRYPTO 2021, CCS 2017, TCC 2016A, ACNS 2015, CT-RSA 2008) and serving on program committees for virtually all major cryptography and security conferences. She chairs the Theory of Cryptography Conference steering committee and has organized numerous workshops including the New York Area Theory Day and New York City Crypto Day.

She leads the Columbia Cryptography Lab, which serves as a hub for both theoretical and applied cryptographic research. The lab maintains strong connections with industry partners and regularly publishes in top venues, demonstrating a balanced approach to fundamental research and practical security applications.