Professor Steven J. Murdoch is a leading figure in cybersecurity and privacy-enhancing technologies at the Department of Computer Science , University College London . His work bridges computer science and law, focusing on payment system security, electronic evidence reliability, and dispute resolution mechanisms. Head of Information Security Research Group at UCL (2022–present) Director at Open Rights Group (2022–present) Research spans payment security , privacy protocols , and legal implications of computer evidence . Key contributions include analyzing EMV protocol flaws, designing secure authentication mechanisms, and improving Tor's anonymity. Publications cover privacy-preserving federated learning , time-lock puzzles , and malware ecosystem analysis Awards include Fellowships from the Institution of Engineering & Technology and British Computer Society , and a Royal Society University Research Fellowship . Teaches COMP0055 Computer Security II and COMP0061 Privacy Enhancing Technologies at UCL
Assoc Prof Wu Hongjun is an Associate Professor at the Division of Mathematical Sciences, School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). His research focuses on cryptography and information security, with notable contributions to lightweight authenticated encryption algorithms like TinyJAMBU and ACORN, as well as cryptanalysis of stream ciphers (e.g., ZUC, HC-128) and hash functions (e.g., JH, SHA-3 candidates). His academic career includes over 15 years of contributions to cryptographic standards, IoT security frameworks, and secure cloud data management. Key areas of expertise encompass symmetric-key cryptography, algorithm design for resource-constrained devices, and vulnerability analysis of cryptographic primitives. Prof Wu has authored influential papers on authenticated encryption modes (AEGIS, MORUS), lightweight cipher optimizations (ACORN), and cryptanalysis techniques applied to Feistel networks and stream ciphers. His work bridges theoretical cryptography with practical implementations across telecommunications, IoT, and cloud computing domains.
Dr. Martin Kleppmann is an Associate Professor at the University of Cambridge, specializing in local-first software and security protocols . He leads research in distributed systems, focusing on decentralized architectures, collaborative editing tools, and cryptographic methods. As a key contributor to the Automerge open-source project, he bridges academic innovation with real-world applications. Formerly a research fellow at TU Munich (2022–2023) and Cambridge (2015–2022), he has also worked as a software engineer and startup founder, including LinkedIn (acquired 2012). Research Interests span Distributed Systems Security , Conflict-Free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs) , Collaborative Software , and Cryptography . His work addresses challenges in decentralized social networks, privacy-preserving protocols, and efficient data synchronization. Recent projects include Kintsugi (end-to-end encrypted key recovery) and Pudding (private user discovery for anonymity networks). Publications emphasize Collaborative text editing (2025: Eg-walker, 2023: The Art of the Fugue) CRDTs for JSON and trees (2021, 2017) Privacy in decentralized systems (2024: Pudding, 2025: Emission Impossible) Scientific Awards include Gilles Muller Best Artifact Award (EuroSys 2025) Distinguished Paper & Artifact Awards (OOPSLA 2017) Best Presentation Awards (Security Protocols Workshop 2018, PaPoC 2025)
Elette Boyle is an Associate Professor at the Efi Arazi School of Computer Science, Reichman University (IDC Herzliya), Israel. She serves as the Director of the FACT Research Center and is a Senior Scientist at NTT Research. Additionally, she heads the RRIS International Program. Her academic career spans prestigious institutions including MIT, Technion, and Cornell. Dr. Boyle received her Ph.D. in Mathematics from MIT under the guidance of Shafi Goldwasser and Yael Tauman Kalai. Following her doctorate, she completed postdoctoral research at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology (2013-2015) hosted by Yuval Ishai, and a short-term postdoc at Cornell University (Summer 2013) hosted by Rafael Pass. She completed her undergraduate studies in mathematics at Caltech. Her research focuses on the theoretical foundations of computer security and cryptography, with particular expertise in secure multiparty computation, function secret sharing, distributed point functions, and memory checking protocols. Her work bridges theoretical computer science with practical cryptographic applications, developing protocols that balance security guarantees with computational efficiency. Dr. Boyle's research has significantly advanced the field of cryptography, particularly in understanding the fundamental limits and possibilities of secure computation protocols. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on the theoretical foundations of secure computation, with particular emphasis on understanding computational and communication complexity limits. Her work spans multiple dimensions of cryptography including foundational protocols, complexity analysis, and practical implementations. A recurring theme in her research is developing efficient cryptographic primitives that minimize communication overhead while maintaining strong security guarantees. Her contributions to function secret sharing, distributed point functions, and pseudorandom correlation generators have been particularly influential in the field. Dr. Boyle has advised several graduate students including Pierre Meyer (Ph.D., co-advised with Geoffroy Couteau), Matan Hamilis (Ph.D.), and D'or Banon (MSc., co-advised with Ran Cohen). Her research has been supported by various grants enabling her to lead significant projects in cryptography and secure computation. As Director of the FACT Research Center, she leads a team focused on foundational aspects of computer science and cryptography. Her center collaborates with researchers worldwide and serves as a hub for advancing cryptographic research in Israel and internationally.
Elaine Shi is a Professor with a joint appointment in the Computer Science Department (CSD) and Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Carnegie Mellon University. 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. She co-founded Oblivious Labs, Inc., and her work on Oblivious RAM and differential privacy has been adopted by Signal, Meta, and Google. Education: Not explicitly listed, but her academic roles imply advanced degrees in computer science. Research Interests: Shi's work spans foundational areas such as secure computation, privacy-preserving algorithms, and blockchain protocols. She emphasizes practical implementations, such as Oblivious RAM and cryptographic compilers like Viaduct. Her research also explores game-theoretic mechanisms for decentralized systems and explores the intersection of theory and practice in secure distributed systems. Publications: Over 150+ articles in top venues like Eurocrypt, S&P, and CCS, covering topics like oblivious algorithms, blockchain security, and differential privacy. Recent work includes optimizing obfuscation, secure aggregation, and transaction fee mechanisms. Packard Fellow, Sloan Fellow, ACM Fellow, IACR Fellow Co-founder of CMU's Crypto Group and Crypto Seminar Series Advising & Grants: Supervises a large group of students and postdocs, with notable alumni holding academic and industry roles. Active in securing grants for research in secure computation and blockchain technologies. Labs & Teams: Leads research in Oblivious Labs and collaborates on projects like the Viaduct compiler and secure enclaves for privacy-preserving computation.
Nicola Nicolici is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McMaster University. His research focuses on methods and algorithms for the design of digital integrated circuits and systems, with significant contributions in manufacturing test, post-silicon validation and debug. His work has expanded to include embedded systems, low-energy computing, and custom hardware-accelerated computing systems. Professor Nicolici's research interests span multiple areas of digital system design and validation. His early work focused on manufacturing test methodologies and power-aware testing strategies for integrated circuits. More recently, he has made significant contributions to post-silicon validation techniques, including constrained-random stimuli generation, trace signal selection, and bit-flip detection. His research has evolved to address emerging challenges in embedded computing systems, low-energy design, and specialized hardware acceleration for various applications including deep neural networks and signal processing. His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward hardware acceleration for specialized computing tasks. The research spans matrix multiplication algorithms (Strassen and Karatsuba), memory system optimization (DDR5 calibration), FPGA-based radar processing, and neural network acceleration. His work consistently bridges theoretical algorithm development with practical hardware implementation considerations, particularly focusing on precision analysis, fault tolerance, and energy efficiency. The research demonstrates a clear progression from traditional digital circuit testing to more complex system-level validation and acceleration techniques. Professor Nicolici has been actively involved in teaching courses related to system-on-chip design and test, digital systems, and embedded systems. His teaching portfolio includes advanced courses such as System-on-Chip (SOC) Design and Test and Digital Systems Design , reflecting his expertise in the field. While specific grant information isn't detailed in the provided text, his extensive publication record suggests ongoing research funding support. His research has contributed significantly to the fields of digital circuit testing, post-silicon validation, and hardware acceleration. The work has practical applications in semiconductor manufacturing, embedded systems design, and specialized computing architectures. His recent focus on neural network acceleration and memory system optimization reflects the evolving landscape of computer architecture research.
Xiaowen Zhang is a Professor of Computer Science at the College of Staten Island (CSI), City University of New York (CUNY), and a Doctoral Faculty Member at the CUNY Graduate Center. His academic work bridges theoretical and applied research in cybersecurity, information systems, and network technologies. Dr. Zhang holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the CUNY Graduate Center (2007) and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Northern Jiaotong University (1999), along with an M.A. from CUNY Queens College, an M.S. from Northern Jiaotong University, and a B.S. from Shanxi University. His research focuses on Cryptography, Information Security, Cybersecurity, Secure Biometrics, RFID Security & Privacy, Information Retrieval, and Wireless Sensor Networks . He explores both foundational cryptographic methods—such as secret sharing schemes and hash functions—and their practical implementations in secure systems, including RFID authentication protocols and data visualization platforms for sensor networks. The analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent focus on security mechanisms in distributed and wireless environments . His work frequently combines cryptographic theory with system-level implementations, particularly in RFID and sensor networks. There is a strong trend toward privacy-preserving protocols, efficient data retrieval, and secure information sharing , often leveraging mathematical structures like Latin squares and Bloom filters. Dr. Zhang has been actively involved in mentoring students, as evidenced by numerous co-authored publications with graduate and undergraduate researchers. His contributions span journals such as Security and Communication Networks , Journal of Applied Security Research , and International Journal of Security and Networks , as well as major conferences including IEEE LISAT, ACM CODASPY, and IEEE Sarnoff Symposium.
Abderrahim Benslimane is a Full Professor of Computer Science at the University of Avignon, France, where he serves as Vice Dean of International Relations at the UFR STS (Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies). He is also Head of the master degree SICOM (Systèmes Informatiques Communicants: réseaux, services et sécurité) program at the university. His extensive academic career spans several decades with significant contributions to computer science, particularly in networking and security domains. Professor Benslimane holds a HDR (Title to supervise researches) from the University of Cergy-Pontoise, a Ph.D. from the University of Franche-Comté, along with M.S. and B.S. degrees in Computer Science from the same institution and the University of Nancy respectively. His research interests primarily focus on distributed computing, networking and communication protocols, with particular emphasis on modeling, describing and implementing secure communication protocols and multimedia applications in heterogeneous network architectures. He combines engineering and theoretical approaches using graphs, distributed algorithms, transition systems, and performance evaluation models. Benslimane's scholarly work demonstrates a strong trend toward addressing security and privacy challenges in emerging technologies. His recent publications focus on cybersecurity applications for wireless sensor networks, Internet of Things, blockchain implementations, UAV communications, and vehicular networks. He has pioneered research in energy attack mitigation, trust management systems, and secure group communications, often employing game theory and novel cryptographic approaches. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations in next-generation networking technologies. IEEE VTS Distinguished Lecturer (2020-2022) Best Paper award at IEEE ICC 2019 Multiple Prime d'Encadrement et de Recherche Doctorale awards (1998-2021) Prime d'Excellence Scientifique (2011-2015) IEEE Senior Member As an academic leader, Benslimane has served as Editor in Chief of Multimedia Intelligence and Security Inderscience Journal, Area Editor of IEEE Internet of Things Journal, and Associate Editor for multiple prestigious publications including IEEE Transactions on Multimedia and IEEE Wireless Communication Magazine. He has founded and led research centers including the Informatics Research center (CRI) at the French University in Egypt and the Multimedia and networking team (RAM) at the Laboratoire d'Informatique d'Avignon (LIA). His laboratory research focuses on security, communication protocols, graphs and distributed algorithms, with applications in ad hoc networks, sensor networks, vehicular networks, and IoT.
Quan Quan Tan is a Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, specializing in symmetric-key cryptanalysis and automation tools. He previously served as a Cybersecurity Engineer at CSIT, Singapore for nearly two years. His educational background includes: Ph.D. in Mathematical Sciences from NTU (2023) under Prof. Thomas Peyrin. Thesis: "Cryptanalysis of Lightweight Symmetric-Key Cryptographic Algorithms" M.Sc. in Mathematical Sciences from NTU, with research on optimization techniques for block cipher hardware implementations B.Sc. in Mathematical Sciences from NTU Dr. Tan's research focuses on automation in cryptographic design and analysis, emphasizing secure symmetric-key primitives and advanced cryptanalysis tools. His work bridges theoretical cryptography with practical security engineering through algorithm development and vulnerability assessment. Analysis of his 2020-2025 publications reveals dominant themes in symmetric-key cryptanalysis, including innovative meet-in-the-middle attacks, differential cryptanalysis frameworks, and automated verification systems. His contributions span attack methodologies (e.g., higher-order differential-linear techniques), tool development (Trail-Estimator), and novel cipher design (uKNIT-BC), demonstrating consistent advancement in lightweight and low-latency cryptographic systems.
Vincent John Mooney III is an Associate Professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology. His research focuses on Hardware-Software Co-Design , Cyber Physical Systems Security , and Low-Power Architectures . He has authored numerous publications on topics such as probabilistic computing, hardware security, and embedded systems design. Dr. Mooney has received prestigious awards including the NSF Career Award , National Semiconductor Fellowship , and ARCS Best Paper Award . Education: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (1998), Stanford University MA in Philosophy (1997), Stanford University MS in Electrical Engineering (1994), Stanford University Certificate of Graduate Study (1992), University of Navarra BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (1991), Yale University Research interests span hardware/software codesign, cybersecurity in embedded systems, and synthesis of reconfigurable architectures. His recent work includes Gridtrust for decentralized supply chain cybersecurity and COPPER for computation obfuscation. Dr. Mooney has supervised numerous Ph.D. students and held leadership roles in conferences such as HOST and CASES . Scientific awards include NSF Career Award (2000) National Semiconductor Fellowship (1997-1998) AT&T Engineering Scholarship Program (1987-1991) NCAA Postgraduate Scholar (1991) Senior Member, IEEE (2003) ARCS 2012 Best Paper Award Advising and grants highlight his mentorship of students like Jun Cheol Park and Yudong Tan , along with grants such as the U.S. Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship (2007). He leads the Hardware/Software Codesign for Security Group at Georgia Tech and has contributed to advancements in real-time operating systems and deadlock detection algorithms.
Zakir Durumeric is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, leading the Stanford Empirical Security Research Group. His research focuses on Internet security, trust, and safety, emphasizing large-scale network measurement and open-source tool development. He founded Censys, a platform providing global Internet device data, and maintains tools like ZMap, ZGrab, and Retina. Research interests include cybercrime prevention, censorship analysis, disinformation tracking, and platform governance for online harassment. Notable contributions include studies on the Mirai botnet, TLS certificate ecosystems, and vulnerabilities like Heartbleed and Logjam. Awards include the IRTF Applied Networking Research Prize (2015) and a Test of Time Award (2022). Teaches courses: CS155 (Computer & Network Security), CS356 (Systems & Network Security), and CS249i (Modern Internet). Advises over 20 students, including Catherine Han, Kimberly Ruth, and Liz Izhikevich. Develops open-source software such as ZMap Toolkit and ASdb, and maintains datasets like CrUX Top Million Websites. Recent work explores toxic online behavior, misinformation ecosystems, and regional censorship mechanisms in China. His lab’s tools are widely adopted in academia and industry for security research and policy guidance.
Julia Len is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she conducts research in applied cryptography and computer security. She co-leads the Cryptography Group with Saba Eskandarian and is currently recruiting Ph.D. students for Fall 2026. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell University in 2024 under the supervision of Tom Ristenpart, following a B.S. in Computer Science from UC San Diego in 2018, where she worked with Mihir Bellare. Before joining UNC, she was a METEOR postdoctoral fellow at MIT. Her research focuses on improving the security and privacy of deployed cryptographic protocols, particularly in end-to-end encrypted messaging. Key areas include interoperability, abuse prevention, key transparency, and authenticated encryption. She applies principled approaches ranging from identifying flaws in existing protocols to designing new cryptographic schemes and definitions. Her recent publications span top venues such as USENIX Security, CCS, Eurocrypt, and Crypto, demonstrating a strong and consistent research output in applied cryptography. Trends in her work show increasing focus on real-world protocol design, security analysis of widely used schemes, and privacy-preserving moderation mechanisms for secure communication platforms. METEOR Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT Julia Len has advised and collaborated with numerous researchers; current advisees are being recruited for Fall 2026. She has received research support through collaborations with industry partners including Zoom, Microsoft Research, and Meta. Her work on Partitioning Oracle Attacks has led to updates in Shadowsocks, age, OPAQUE, and HPKE, demonstrating significant real-world impact. She co-leads the Cryptography Group at UNC Chapel Hill, fostering research and education in cryptography. She also serves on the program committees of IEEE S&P 2026, USENIX Security 2025, and CATS 2023, contributing to the broader academic community.
Emin Gün Sirer is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science , College of Engineering , Cornell University . He co-directs the Initiative for Cryptocurrencies and Smart Contracts and leads the Meridian and HyperDex projects. Research in operating systems, networking, and distributed systems Focus on secure operating systems, high-performance cloud infrastructure, and peer-to-peer networks Developed systems like Nexus (secure OS), OpenReplica (Paxos implementation), and Trickles (stateless network protocol) Prominent Projects : Meridian - Lightweight network location service without virtual coordinates Cubit - Decentralized peer-to-peer search Kimera - Network-centric Java verification SPIN - Extensible microkernel for application-specific services Scientific Contributions : Leading work in blockchain security and peer-to-peer systems Patents in executable content rewriting and distributed virtual machines Advising & Collaborations : Advises projects in network positioning and content distribution Collaborates with institutions like Usenix , SIGCOMM , and NSDI Personal Background : Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Washington B.S.E. in Computer Science from Princeton University High school at Robert College
Chester Rebeiro is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering within the Indian Institute of Technology Madras . His work spans hardware and software security with a focus on cryptographic implementations and microarchitectural vulnerabilities. Research interests include hardware security, applied cryptography, side channel analysis, and operating system security. He develops frameworks for automatic vulnerability detection and mitigation in cryptographic systems. Editorial Board: Associate Editor at Journal of Hardware and Systems Security (Springer, 2021-2024) Conference Leadership: General Co-Chair for SPACE 2024, Program Co-Chair for ATS 2024, and Program Co-Chair for INDOCRYPT 2023 Professional Activities: Organizer of e-CTF Embedded Capture The Flag and contributor to cybersecurity workshops across India and abroad Scientific contributions highlight two major awards: a Distinguished Paper Award at USENIX Security 2024 and a Best Paper Award at IEEE HOST 2020. His research focuses on practical security solutions for processors and cryptographic systems. Advising includes mentoring 11 PhD students and 7 MS by Research candidates, with notable co-guided projects in fault attack detection and side-channel mitigation. He actively contributes to educational initiatives through courses on Secure Processor Microarchitecture and Operating Systems.
Luís B. Elvas is an Assistant Professor at ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon's Department of Social and Business Sciences (SINTRA) and a Research Assistant at ISTAR-Iscte Research Center. He holds qualifications including a Technical Specialization in TensorFlow for AI (Coursera, 2021) and certifications in IoT/Blockchain from ISCTE and cybersecurity from Palo Alto Networks. His research spans artificial intelligence, healthcare informatics, smart cities, and blockchain, with applied work in medical imaging, data sharing, and urban analytics. Research interests include: Healthcare AI : Developing deep learning models for cardiac diagnostics, medical imaging analysis, and blockchain-based health data systems Smart Cities : Implementing IoT solutions for urban mobility optimization, disaster management, and sustainable transportation Data Science : Creating predictive analytics frameworks for clinical decision support and urban planning His publications demonstrate a strong focus on AI-driven healthcare solutions (67% of recent works) and smart city technologies (33%), with emerging interests in blockchain and NLP. Research consistently targets real-world applications in clinical settings and urban environments. Awards: Award for best internship, Order of Engineers (2022) Distinction for best internship, Order of Engineers (2021) He leads/contributes to multiple EU research consortia including AMR-EDUCare (antimicrobial resistance education), NEEM (e-health in Nepal), and Blockchain.PT. Coordinates the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Student Branch Chapter at ISCTE and developed the ManagiDiTH master's program in digital health transformation.
