Deian Stefan is an Associate Professor at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering . His research spans security , programming languages , and systems , with a focus on building principled and practical secure systems. He has served as a co-founder and Chief Scientist at Intrinsic (acquired by VMWare) and contributed to standards bodies like the W3C WebAppSec and Node.js Security Working Groups . His research interests include: Secure Systems : Web frameworks, browser designs, sandboxing, runtime systems Language-Based Security : Constant-time programming, memory safety, information flow control Verification : Security verification, static/symbolic analysis tools WebAssembly and JavaScript JITs security Deian Stefan has received multiple scientific awards , including several Distinguished Paper Awards at venues like POPL, ICFP, and USENIX Security, as well as the IEEE Cybersecurity Award for Practice (2022) and CSAW 2020 First Place for Applied Research. He has taught courses on Computer Security (CSE 127, CSE 227) and advanced topics in Building Secure Systems (CSE 291) using Rust, WebAssembly, and blockchain security. His work has been supported by collaborations with industry and academia, including projects like RLBox and COWL .
Xing Gao is an Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware, affiliated with the Department of Computer and Information Sciences and jointly with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His office is located at 316B FinTech Innovation Hub on the STAR Campus. He holds a PhD from the College of William and Mary (2018) and a BS from Beijing Institute of Technology (2011). Research Interests: Cybersecurity in Software Supply Chain, Web 3, High-Performance Computing, Large Language Models, with a focus on Security, Cloud Computing, and Mobile Computing. Education: PhD | 2018 | College of William and Mary BS | 2011 | Beijing Institute of Technology His recent work explores cybersecurity vulnerabilities in cloud gaming services (CCS'22), container registries (USENIX-SEC'22), and software supply chains, with specialized attention to GPU cache attacks (USENIX-SEC'24) and Ethereum smart contracts (WWW'24). His research spans theoretical and applied aspects of system security, including CI/CD pipelines (CCS'24), SDN backdoors (INFOCOM'23), and hardware-level threats (ACSAC'21). Scientific Awards NSF CAREER Award (2024) NSF CRII Award (2020) NDSS Distinguished Poster Award (2016) He serves as Registration Chair for ACM/IEEE Symposium on Edge Computing (2023) and Publicity Co-Chair for IEEE Conference on Communications and Network Security (2022). He is actively involved as TPC Member in multiple top-tier conferences including USENIX Security (2026,2025), CCS (2026,2025,2024), and IEEE DSN (2024). He has also reviewed for journals like IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing. Labs & Teams X-Lab at the University of Delaware, a research group focused on cybersecurity in emerging technologies.
Sean Foley is a Professor of Applied Finance at Macquarie University, specializing in Fintech, Cryptocurrencies, Trading, and Market Design. He leads the Decentralized Assets division at the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC), bridging academia, industry, and government. His research focuses on blockchain applications like automated market makers, DeFi protocols, and stablecoins. Education: PhD in Finance from the University of Sydney (2014), focusing on 'The Impact of Regulation on Market Quality'. Research Interests: Decentralized finance (DeFi) systems Cryptocurrency market dynamics and regulation Market microstructure and liquidity provision Energy market crises and policy Regulatory frameworks for financial markets Key Projects: Leading the DFCRC's Industrial PhD Scholarships (2021–2031), mentoring students like Arvind Rangarajan and Juuso Artturi Itkonen. Research on Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM) suspension and energy policy. Awards: Best Paper Award at the Cryptocurrency Conference (2019) Philip Brown Prize for Best Australian Paper (2021) Exceptional Research Prize (2019) Advising & Grants: Supervised over 10 PhD students through DFCRC scholarships. Secured $181 million for the Digital Finance CRC. Lead applicant in the Gunns Ltd shareholder class action. Labs/Teams: Head of Decentralized Assets at DFCRC, collaborating on policy and technology. Co-researcher on 'Electricity Markets in Crisis' and cryptocurrency illicit use studies.
Noorbakhsh Amiri Golilarz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at The University of Alabama, College of Engineering. He has established himself as a prominent researcher in artificial intelligence, particularly in computer vision, deep learning, and image processing. His educational background includes: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Computer Science, Boston College (2023) Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (2023) D. Eng., Computer Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (2021) M.S., Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Eastern Mediterranean University (2017) B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Guilan (2012) Dr. Golilarz's research spans multiple domains of artificial intelligence with a particular focus on computer vision, deep learning, and image processing applications. His work addresses challenges in medical imaging, satellite imagery, and cognitive neuroscience. He has made significant contributions to image denoising techniques, control chart pattern recognition, and AI applications in healthcare. His recent work has expanded into generative AI, large language models, and secure machine learning operations. His publication portfolio demonstrates consistent productivity with over 2500 citations and an h-index of 25. His most impactful work includes applications of blockchain and federated learning for COVID-19 detection, optimized support vector machines for medical diagnosis, and innovative image denoising techniques using metaheuristic optimization algorithms. Among his professional achievements: Co-founded AI Letters journal in 2024, serving as Associate Editor-in-Chief Served as Lead Guest Editor and Topic Editor for several SCI-indexed journals Held the role of Conference Program Chair Dr. Golilarz has supervised numerous graduate students and research projects, with his work spanning theoretical advancements in AI algorithms to practical applications in healthcare, energy systems, and cybersecurity. His research group has established collaborations with institutions including Boston College and Mississippi State University.
Ronald J. Colombo is Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Distance Education at Hofstra University's Maurice A. Deane School of Law. He teaches courses in Business Organizations, Securities Regulation, Contracts, and corporate law seminars. He has been on the faculty since 2006 and previously served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (2013–2015). Education: JD, New York University School of Law (magna cum laude, Order of the Coif), 1998 BS, Cornell University, 1994 Clerkship: Judge Jerry E. Smith, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Professor Colombo’s research focuses on corporate law, securities regulation, financial regulation, and the constitutional rights of corporations, especially First Amendment protections. His work explores the moral and philosophical underpinnings of corporate personhood, religious liberty in business, and the role of trust in financial systems. He is particularly known for bridging legal doctrine with ethical and theological perspectives. His recent scholarly publications reveal a strong thematic trend: the intersection of religion, corporate governance, and constitutional law. He has also contributed to legal education, especially in online teaching methodologies, and continues to publish on financial regulation and corporate ethics. Scientific Awards: Stessin Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Publication Lawrence A. Stessin Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Publication (2008) Professor Colombo has been actively involved in professional service, including serving on the editorial review board of the Review of Business and as an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). He has not listed any formal research grants or PhD students, but his influence extends through media engagement—quoted in The New York Times , Wall Street Journal , and Bloomberg —and through his widely read op-eds in The Financial Times and Huffington Post . He has held leadership roles in academic administration and is a recognized expert in both practitioner and scholarly legal communities. His treatise Law of Corporate Officers and Directors is republished annually by Thomson Reuters, indicating sustained scholarly and practical impact.
Professor Rainer Böhme is a prominent academic in the field of IT security and privacy at the University of Münster's School of Business and Economics, Department of Information Systems. He also holds a professorship for Security and Privacy at the University of Innsbruck's Institute of Computer Science. His research spans multiple dimensions of digital security, with particular expertise in steganography, digital forensics, privacy-enhancing technologies, and the economic aspects of cybersecurity. Dr. Böhme earned his Doctoral Degree from TU Dresden's Faculty of Computer Science in 2008, following studies in Communications, Economics and Computer Science at Technische Universität Dresden and Université Paris XII. His academic journey includes positions as Assistant Professor at the University of Münster (2010-2015), Postdoctoral Fellow at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley (2009-2010), and Scientific Staff at TU Dresden's Chair of Privacy and Data Security. His research interests focus on steganography and steganalysis, digital forensics, privacy-enhancing technologies, security and usability, economic and behavioral aspects of information privacy, virtual currencies, and the economics of information security. His work bridges technical security mechanisms with economic and behavioral considerations, creating a unique interdisciplinary approach to cybersecurity challenges. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward the economics of security, particularly regarding blockchain technologies, cryptocurrency, and privacy valuation. His work increasingly examines the intersection of technical security mechanisms with market dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and user behavior. The research spans theoretical game-theoretic models, empirical studies of user behavior, and practical applications in digital forensics and privacy protection. Program Co-Chair, Financial Cryptography and Data Security (2015) Program Co-Chair, New Security Paradigms Workshop (NSPW) (2015) General Chair, 8th International Conference on IT Security Incident Management & IT Forensics (2014) Organizer and Program Co-Chair, 1st Workshop on Bitcoin Research (2014) Associate Editor, Electronic Commerce Research (since 2013) Associate Editor, EURASIP Journal on Information Security (since 2013) Professor Böhme has supervised multiple Master's theses in Information Systems, including work on static code analysis for smart contracts, remote maintenance protocol security, and application protection requirements in retail banking. His research is supported by significant grants from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, the DFG, and the EU FP7 program, with projects focusing on digital forensics, privacy-enhancing technologies, and cryptocurrency crime prevention. He leads the IT Security Research Group at the University of Münster, which investigates theoretical and applied aspects of information security with particular emphasis on the economic dimensions of security decisions.
Arvind Narayanan is a Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University and Director of the Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP). His research focuses on the societal impact of digital technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, with emphasis on policy implications, fairness, and privacy. He leads interdisciplinary efforts connecting technical research with real-world policy challenges. Dr. Narayanan earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas, Austin in 2009. His academic journey has established him as a leading voice in the critical examination of AI systems and their societal consequences. Narayanan's research spans multiple domains where technology intersects with society. His work on AI includes critical analysis of AI capabilities versus marketing claims (AI Snake Oil), fairness in machine learning systems, and the reproducibility crisis in ML-based science. In privacy research, he led the Princeton Web Transparency and Accountability Project which uncovered how companies track users online, developing the OpenWPM tool used in over 100 studies. His early work demonstrated fundamental limits of de-identification techniques and how machine learning reflects cultural stereotypes. His recent publications reveal a consistent focus on demystifying AI capabilities while identifying genuine opportunities and risks. Narayanan's work bridges technical computer science with policy relevance, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based approaches to AI governance. His research increasingly addresses the limitations of prediction systems, the challenges of evaluating AI systems, and the need for transparency in foundation models. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) Privacy Enhancing Technologies Award (twice recipient) Privacy Papers for Policy Makers Award (three-time recipient) TIME's inaugural list of 100 most influential people in AI 2025 Graduate Mentoring Award Narayanan is recognized as an exceptional mentor, receiving Princeton's Graduate Mentoring Award in 2025. His policy engagement extends to congressional testimony, advisory roles, and frequent media commentary. He has secured significant research funding supporting his work on web transparency, AI policy, and cryptocurrency analysis. His research group has produced influential tools like OpenWPM for web privacy studies and contributed to foundational textbooks on cryptocurrencies and fairness in machine learning. At Princeton, Narayanan leads the Web Transparency and Accountability Project, a major research initiative that has conducted large-scale measurements of online tracking across millions of websites. He also co-founded and directs the CITP's AI Policy Initiative, which brings together researchers from multiple disciplines to address pressing AI governance questions. His work frequently involves collaboration with social scientists, legal scholars, and policymakers to develop practical solutions to technology governance challenges.
Elaine Shi is a Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Computer Science (CSD) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). She is also an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on cryptography, security, mechanism design, algorithms, blockchains, and programming languages. Shi co-founded Oblivious Labs, Inc., and her work on Oblivious RAM and differentially private algorithms has been adopted by major companies like Signal, Meta, and Google. Affiliations: CMU’s Crypto Group CMU’s Cylab Crypto Seminar Series (co-founder) Research Interests: Cryptography and Security: Focused on oblivious computation, private information retrieval, and secure protocols. Blockchain Technology: Including consensus mechanisms, transaction fee design, and decentralized systems. Privacy-Preserving Algorithms: Such as differential privacy and secure multi-party computation. Algorithm Design: With applications to parallel computing and efficient data structures. Awards: Packard Fellow Sloan Fellow ACM Fellow IACR Fellow Advising & Grants: Current advisees include PhD students like Benjamin Chan, Yanyi Liu, Mingxun Zhou, and Nikhil Vanjani. Past students have taken academic roles at institutions like UVA, University of Michigan, and Duke University. Grants supported research in secure computation, blockchain mechanisms, and privacy-preserving technologies. Labs & Teams: Co-founder of Oblivious Labs, Inc. Leading CMU’s Crypto Group and Cylab Crypto Seminar Series.
Dr Zeno Leoni is a Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London, based at the Joint Services and Staff College (JSCSC) of the Defence Academy of the UK. He is also an affiliate of the Lau China Institute, co-convening their policy brief series. His research focuses on US and Chinese grand strategies, US-China relations, AUKUS, and world order, with recent publications including a forthcoming book on the new Cold War. He leads a research group studying middle-power diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific and has advised Italian and UK government bodies on geopolitical trends. Teaching: Delivers courses on China for the Higher Command and Staff Course (HCSC) at the JSCSC, and lectures on International Security Studies, Airpower, and International Political Economy. Additionally teaches at Italy’s IASD defence institute. Key Research Areas: Specializes in US-China competition, AUKUS dynamics, and the evolving Indo-Pacific order. His work bridges academia and policy, with contributions to UK Parliament hearings on AUKUS and US defense policies. Leads research on middle powers’ strategies amid great power competition. Professional Activities: Executive Director of ITSS Verona, a non-profit focused on international security. Active in King’s research groups including Contemporary Marxism, Environmental Security, and Economic Conflict & Competition. Frequently contributes to media analyses for outlets like the Financial Times and BBC. Awards: While no specific prizes are listed, his extensive policy engagement and academic output reflect recognition in strategic studies circles. Collaborations include work with the EU, UAE, and other middle powers on geopolitical strategy.
Ben Fisch is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Yale University's School of Engineering & Applied Science. He is also the co-founder of Espresso Systems, a company focused on blockchain infrastructure. His research focuses on privacy and verifiability in decentralized systems like Bitcoin and Ethereum, with applications in digital finance and healthcare. Dr. Fisch received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his Ph.D. at Stanford University, where he worked with Dan Boneh in the applied cryptography research group. His educational background provided the foundation for his work at the intersection of cryptography, distributed systems, and economics. His research centers on leveraging cryptographic tools such as succinct non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs), private information retrieval, and homomorphic encryption to address challenges in verifiable computation, verifiable storage, and verifiable fairness. He has made significant contributions to verifiable delay functions (VDFs) and proofs of replication, which have been adopted by major blockchain projects including Ethereum 2.0, Chia, and Filecoin. His work on Filecoin's Proofs of Replication has helped the network reach over 1.5 exabytes of storage capacity. His publication record shows a clear trend toward increasingly sophisticated cryptographic protocols for blockchain applications, with recent work focusing on data availability for Bitcoin rollups, efficient folding schemes for pairing-based arguments, and privacy pools with proof-carrying disclosures. His research bridges theoretical cryptography with practical implementations that have real-world impact in decentralized systems. His notable recognition includes: Best Paper Finalist at ACM CCS 2017 for 'Iron: Functional Encryption using Intel SGX' Dr. Fisch's research has led to significant technology transfer, most notably with his work on Verifiable Delay Functions (VDFs) sparking a multimillion dollar industry initiative through the VDF Alliance. His research on Proofs of Replication forms the basis of Filecoin's incentive layer and consensus protocol. His newer SNARK system Basefold is being used by several commercial products. He maintains active collaborations across academia and industry, with publications spanning top conferences in cryptography and security. As co-founder of Espresso Systems, Dr. Fisch leads a team developing next-generation blockchain infrastructure, particularly focusing on sequencing layers for rollups. His work bridges academic research with practical implementation, ensuring that theoretical advances in cryptography find real-world applications in decentralized systems.
Rida Khatoun is a Professor in Cybersecurity at the Computer Sciences and Networks (Infres) Department at Télécom Paris. He holds a M.Sc. in Computer Engineering and a Ph.D. from the University of Technology of Troyes (UTT), France, awarded in 2004 and 2008, respectively. His research focuses on cybersecurity in networks, including cloud computing security, IoT security, vehicular networks security, intrusion detection systems, and blockchain technology. He has taught at Telecom Paris since 2014, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) since 2016, and other institutions in China and France since 2005. His work spans theoretical frameworks and practical solutions for network security challenges. Key research areas include DDoS attack detection, vehicular communication security, and cryptographic protocols. He leads the Cybersecurity and Cryptography (C²) research team and is affiliated with the Laboratoire Traitement et Communication de l'Information (LTCI). His contributions include developing secure routing protocols (e.g., ASROP), statistical trust systems in wireless networks, and blockchain-based authentication for IoT. He has authored over 115 publications, including peer-reviewed articles and conference proceedings, with recent work addressing vehicular platooning security, TLS handshake optimization for C-ITS, and machine learning for cyberbullying detection. Rida’s academic activities include teaching courses on network security protocols, wireless network fundamentals, and QoS mechanisms. He collaborates internationally, contributing to smart city cybersecurity architectures and 6G programmable communications. His research emphasizes practical cybersecurity solutions for emerging technologies, ensuring robust protection against evolving threats in vehicular, IoT, and cloud environments.
Alessandro Chiesa is an Associate Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences, holding positions across multiple departments including Computer Security (COMPSEC), SSC, SIN, and EDIC. His office is located at BC 245 in Building BC, Station 14, Lausanne, Switzerland. Chiesa's research spans cryptography, complexity theory, and computer security, with particular focus on the theoretical foundations and practical implementations of cryptographic proofs that are short and easy to verify. His work bridges theoretical computer science with real-world applications, especially in blockchain technology and privacy-preserving systems. He has made significant contributions to zero-knowledge proof systems, including zkSNARKs, and their applications in cryptocurrency. His publications reveal a strong focus on cryptographic protocols, with particular emphasis on privacy-preserving technologies. The analysis of his articles shows consistent work in applying mathematical foundations to practical security problems, especially in the domain of blockchain and digital currencies. His research demonstrates expertise in both theoretical aspects of cryptography and their implementation in real systems. IEEE SP Test-of-Time Award (2024) Sloan Research Fellowship (2021) Okawa Foundation Research Grant (2020) Google Faculty Research Awards (2018 and 2017) MIT Technology Review's 35 Innovators Under 35 list (2018) Chiesa has supervised multiple PhD students including Di Zijing, Fenzi Giacomo, Guan Ziyi, Knabenhans Christian Louis, Manzur Ignacio, Weissenberg Guy, and Zheng Yuxi. His teaching includes Algorithms I, Foundations of Probabilistic Proofs, and Lattice-based Cryptography. He co-founded Zcash and StarkWare Industries, translating his theoretical research into practical applications that have significantly impacted the cryptocurrency space.
Maria Apostolaki is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University. Her research focuses on designing secure, reliable, and high-performance networked systems, integrating expertise in networking, security, blockchain, and machine learning. She holds a Ph.D. from ETH Zurich (2021) and an M.Eng. from the National Technical University of Athens (2015). Education: Ph.D., ETH Zurich 2021 | M.Eng., NTUA 2015 Her work investigates challenges in network security, distributed systems, and adversarial resilience. Notable contributions include SABRE (protecting Bitcoin from routing attacks) and TANGO (collaborative route control). She has advised multiple graduate students in computer science and engineering. Key honors include the NSF CAREER Award and the IRTF/IETF Applied Networking Research Prize (2018). Her lab explores cutting-edge topics like contextual robustness in ML-driven network functions and formal methods for secure systems. Advising: 6 advisees in COS/ECE domains Grants: NSF CAREER Award, innovation grants for AI/robotics Her TANGO framework enables secure cross-domain routing, while recent work addresses vulnerabilities in Ethereum PoS and BGP routing protocols.
Andrew Miller is an Associate Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Illinois, specializing in Programming Languages, Formal Methods, Software Engineering, Security and Privacy, and Systems and Networking. His research focuses on blockchain technologies, cryptography, and secure systems. Professor Miller's research spans multiple critical areas in modern computer security. His work primarily focuses on blockchain technologies , where he has made significant contributions to understanding and improving the security, privacy, and performance of systems like Bitcoin and Ethereum. He has conducted empirical analyses of privacy in the Lightning Network and developed protocols for confidential smart contracts. His work in cryptography includes research on multiparty computation, zero-knowledge proofs, and formal methods for cryptographic protocol design. Miller also investigates security vulnerabilities in proof-of-stake systems and resource exhaustion attacks, contributing to the robustness of decentralized systems. His applied security research extends to privacy-preserving health applications, as evidenced by his work on the Safer Illinois platform for COVID-19 contact tracing. Miller's publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to top security and systems venues including IEEE Security & Privacy, ACM CCS, Financial Cryptography, and USENIX Security. His research shows a clear trajectory from foundational work in blockchain security to more applied systems addressing real-world privacy and security challenges. Recent work focuses on making multiparty computation services publicly auditable and developing decentralized identity solutions that maintain compatibility with existing systems. Distinguished Reviewer Award, IEEE Security & Privacy 2018 Professor Miller has advised students including Vivek Nair, who joined the prestigious Hertz Fellows program in 2022. He has taught various courses including Introduction to Algorithms & Models of Computation, Advanced Computer Security, Cryptography, Applied Cryptography, and Ideal Functionality in Cryptography. His research has received support through grants including the SaTC: CORE: Medium project on "Automated Support for Writing High-Assurance Smart Contracts" in 2018. Miller is actively involved in research groups focusing on blockchain security, cryptographic protocols, and privacy-preserving systems. His lab appears to collaborate extensively with researchers across multiple institutions, as evidenced by the diverse author lists on his publications. Current work seems to be focused on making decentralized systems more secure, privacy-preserving, and accessible for real-world applications.
Peter Pietzuch is a Professor in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London, where he leads the Large-Scale Data & Systems (LSDS) group. He also serves as the Director of Research and is a Visiting Researcher at Microsoft Research Cambridge. Pietzuch holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and a B.A. from Girton College. His research spans distributed systems, cloud computing, big data processing, and systems security. Key interests include: Scalable architectures for cloud-native applications Efficient stream processing and machine learning systems Trusted execution environments and secure cloud infrastructure Optimization of serverless computing and distributed databases His recent publications focus on adaptive machine learning frameworks, secure cloud resource management, and high-performance stream processing systems. Trends show strong emphasis on hardware-software co-design, confidential computing, and fault-tolerant architectures. Awards include: Best Paper Award at Middleware'03 He actively advises PhD students and secures grants for projects like Faasm (serverless computing) and Teechain (blockchain security). His LSDS group collaborates with industry partners including Microsoft Research. Pietzuch teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including Scalable Systems for the Cloud and Operating Systems . He co-founded the ACM DEBS conference and serves on steering committees for EuroSys and Middleware.
