Nickolai Zeldovich is the Joan and Irwin M. Jacobs Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). He received his PhD from Stanford University in 2008 and focuses on building practical secure systems, including encrypted databases, undefined behavior detection tools, formally verified file systems, and cryptocurrency protocols. His work spans both theoretical and applied aspects of computer security and distributed systems. Research interests include: Secure system design Distributed consensus mechanisms Formal verification of software/hardware Cryptographic protocols Privacy-preserving web technologies Publications & Verification Tools Recent work focuses on modular verification of complex systems, including: Shipwright (2025): Byzantine-fault-tolerant distributed system verification PoWER (2025): Crash consistency verification framework K2 Architecture (2023): Trustworthy hardware security modules Grove (2023): Separation-logic-based verification library Tiptoe (2023): Private web search protocols Major Awards Best paper award, ACM SOSP (2011, 2015, 2017) Sloan Research Fellowship (2010) NSF CAREER award (2011) MIT Jamieson Award for Teaching (2024) Active in multiple startup ventures including Algorand (cryptocurrency), MokaFive (virtualization), and PreVeil (end-to-end encryption).
Dr. Kenneth Edwin Barker is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science within the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary, where he also serves as Director of the Institute for Security, Privacy and Information Assurance (ISPIA). His academic career spans several decades with significant contributions to database systems and privacy research. Dr. Barker earned his B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Calgary in 1982 and 1984 respectively, followed by a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Alberta in 1990. His educational background established the foundation for his extensive research career in database systems and information security. His primary research interests focus on Privacy Preserving Data Repositories , with specific attention to protecting privacy in mobile applications, understanding privacy's impact on data analytics, and architecting database management systems that inherently respect user privacy. His work also extends to distributed database environments, integration of legacy systems, and multidatabase environments. Dr. Barker's research bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications, making significant contributions to how privacy is implemented in real-world systems. An analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward practical privacy-preserving techniques for cloud data, social networks, and location-based services. His work consistently addresses the tension between data utility and privacy protection, developing innovative methods to maintain data value while safeguarding personal information. The publications span multiple subfields including encrypted search, graph privacy, high-dimensional data privacy, and privacy metrics. Best Paper Award at DBSec 2012 Best Paper Award at CODASPY 2012 Best Paper at BNCOD 2009 Dr. Barker has been instrumental in establishing privacy research infrastructure at the University of Calgary through his leadership of ISPIA. His research has attracted significant funding from various sources supporting privacy and security initiatives. While specific grant details aren't provided in the text, his extensive publication record indicates sustained research funding throughout his career. He has collaborated extensively with researchers both within and outside the University of Calgary, particularly with R. Alhajj and other colleagues on numerous projects. As Director of ISPIA, Dr. Barker oversees a research environment focused on advancing security and privacy technologies. The institute serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research, bringing together computer scientists, social scientists, and legal experts to address complex privacy challenges. His leadership has positioned the University of Calgary as a significant player in privacy research within Canada.
Sharad Mehrotra is a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), leading the Center for Emergency Response Technologies (CERT) and directing the NSF-funded RESCUE project. He previously served at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin (1993). His research focuses on data management, IoT systems, privacy-preserving technologies, and smart spaces, with contributions to frameworks like TIPPERS and MARS. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Texas at Austin, 1993 Research Interests: His work bridges database systems, security, and IoT, emphasizing privacy in smart environments. Notable projects include sentient space technologies for disaster response, cryptographic methods for encrypted data queries, and semantic IoT integration. Recent efforts address privacy in multi-owner data systems and resilient community water infrastructure. Awards & Recognition: ACM Fellow (2024) SIGMOD Best Paper (2001), DASFAA Best Paper (2004) NAVWAR Innovation Award (2021) Outstanding Graduate Mentor (2005) Grants & Leadership: As RESCUE PI, he managed $12.5M NSF funding, developing crisis-response software deployed by emergency agencies. Collaborations include the Cal-IT2 institute (UCSD/UCI) and the US Navy’s TIPPERS platform. He co-leads initiatives like the NSF Civic Innovation Challenge for disaster resilience in aging communities. Labs & Teams: Directs UCI’s Information Systems Group and CERT, fostering interdisciplinary research with 60+ members. His teams produce open-source tools (e.g., SEMIoTIC, PrivacySphere) and engage in global partnerships via Fulbright Visiting Scholar programs.
Associate Professor Peter Sutton is an academic at the University of Queensland (UQ), holding roles as Deputy Head of School (Teaching and Learning) and Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. His research focuses on Engineering Education, Embedded Systems, Reconfigurable Computing, and Electronic Design Automation. He has contributed to curriculum design, remote lab management during the pandemic, and hardware-software co-design for embedded systems. Sutton completed his undergraduate studies at UQ and earned advanced degrees at Carnegie Mellon University, with over three decades of experience in computer systems research and education. Education Bachelor of Science, University of Queensland Bachelor (Honours) of Engineering, University of Queensland Masters of Science (Coursework), Carnegie Mellon University Doctor of Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University Research Interests Sutton’s work spans engineering pedagogy, embedded system design, and reconfigurable computing. Recent projects include adapting hands-on labs for remote learning during the pandemic and optimizing FPGA-based architectures for data compression and encryption. His contributions to cache optimization and multiprocessor systems highlight his expertise in hardware-software integration. Publications His 50+ publications cover topics like FPGA implementations of neural networks, code compression techniques for VLIW processors, and embedded system design tools. Notable contributions include frameworks for reconfigurable system-on-chip development and methods to enhance debugging practices in post-novice students. Labs & Teams He collaborates within UQ’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, contributing to research groups focused on embedded systems and engineering education innovation.
Farah Kamw is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Wayne State University. With a PhD in Computer Science (2019) from Kent State University, her expertise spans 18 years of software development, academic teaching, and research in information visualization and database management. Education : PhD (Kent State), MSc (University of Zakho), BSc (University of Baghdad) Her research focuses on Information Visualization and Visual Analytics of spatial-temporal data, particularly through 8 publications (2013-2021) addressing urban mobility patterns, trajectory analysis, and geospatial data integration. She has developed several open-source visual analytics tools including TrajAnalytics and SparseTrajAnalytics, applying both document and graph database techniques. Farah teaches core Computer Science courses such as Algorithm Design , Programming Languages , and Database Systems . Her technical skills include Python, C++, Java, SQL, NoSQL databases, and GIS technologies.
Dr. YANG Guomin is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Singapore Management University's School of Computing and Information Systems, where he coordinates the BSc Cybersecurity Track. His research focuses on privacy-preserving cryptography, authentication systems, and secure IoT frameworks. Research spans cryptographic protocols for cloud security, blockchain applications, and federated learning with emphases on efficiency and practical implementation. Recent publications demonstrate innovations in threshold authentication, redactable blockchains, and privacy-aware communication protocols. Advisees include LI Huilin and WANG Jiaheng, with research projects examining hardware-enhanced encryption, biometric authentication policies, and space network security. Work consistently addresses tension between security guarantees and computational efficiency in distributed systems.
Willem Jonker is a Full Professor at the Digital Society Institute, specializing in Semantics, Cybersecurity & Services. His research focuses on encryption schemes, access control, and privacy-preserving technologies. He has contributed to over 120 publications, with recent work addressing CVE-to-CWE mapping, anomaly detection in network traffic, and functional encryption systems. His expertise aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to secure digital systems and privacy. Jonker has supervised 10 students and actively participates in academic conferences, presenting on topics like secure data management and cryptographic protocols. Research interests include cryptographic protocols, secure data management, and cybersecurity solutions. Notable projects involve developing methods for detecting covert channels, enhancing data privacy in healthcare, and improving secure search over encrypted data. He has also contributed to standards in digital rights management and forensic image recognition.
Esfandiar Mohammadi is an Associate Professor at the Institute for IT Security, University of Lübeck, leading the Privacy & Security (PrivSec) group and directing the AnoMed competence cluster. He has held tenured faculty positions since 2019 after postdoctoral research at ETH Zürich (2016-2019) and a PhD at Saarland University (2015). University of Lübeck (2015-present) ETH Zürich (2016-2019) Saarland University (2015) His research focuses on privacy-preserving technologies in machine learning, anonymous communication protocols, and formal verification of security properties. Recent work includes advancements in Mixnet scalability and federated learning with differential privacy guarantees. Key publication trends reveal a strong emphasis on privacy-preserving algorithms for machine learning (2024), cryptographic protocols for anonymous communication (2025), and security analysis of decentralized systems (2023-2025). Collaborations span institutions like ETH Zürich, Saarland University, and industry partners EnergieDock/NAECO Blue for the VeDS project. His group includes 11 researchers (5 PhD students) and software engineers working on topics like Differential Privacy Secure Multi-Party Computation Trusted Execution Environments
Henry Corrigan-Gibbs is an Assistant Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is affiliated with the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and collaborates with the PDOS and CSS research groups. Henry co-hosts the MIT Security Seminar series. Education : PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University (advisor: Dan Boneh), Postdoc at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) (host: Bryan Ford), and B.S. in Computer Science from Yale University . Research Interests Henry focuses on computer security , cryptography , and systems research , building technologies that: Empower end users through privacy-preserving design Implement strong cryptographic security in real-world deployments Scale to millions of users while maintaining security Key projects include: Tiptoe for private web search Prio for privacy-preserving aggregate statistics used by Apple and Google Express for metadata-hiding communication SafetyPin and True2F for secure authentication Scientific Contributions Standards Influence : IETF and NIST standards recommend his private-aggregation systems Industry Impact : Deployed in Apple iOS , Google Android , and Mozilla Firefox Non-profit Deployment : Co-founder of Divvi Up for real-world Prio implementations Academic Recognition 2023 MIT EECS Jerome Saltzer Award for teaching excellence 2020 ACM Doctoral Dissertation Honorable Mention 2016 Caspar Bowden Award for PET research 2015 IEEE Security & Privacy Distinguished Paper Award Multiple IACR Best Young Researcher Paper Awards (2015–2018) Advising and Collaborations Current advisees include: PhD students: Alexandra Henzinger , Ryan Lehmkuhl Postdoc: Emma Dauterman Collaborates with industry (Apple, Google, Mozilla) and standards bodies (IETF, NIST) to translate research into practice.
Rafail Ostrovsky is the Norman E. Friedman Chair in Knowledge Sciences at UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, where he serves as a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics. He also directs the Center for Information and Computation Security at UCLA. His academic leadership extends to his role as a foreign member of Academia Europaea and his fellowship in multiple prestigious organizations including the National Academy of Inventors, AAAS, ACM, IEEE, and IACR. Professor Ostrovsky's research spans multiple domains in theoretical computer science, with primary focus on cryptography, secure computation, and algorithms. His work on garbled circuits, zero-knowledge proofs, and private information retrieval has had significant theoretical and practical impact. He has pioneered research in secure multi-party computation, oblivious RAM, and cryptographic protocols that maintain privacy while enabling complex computations on sensitive data. His research bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications in secure systems, ranging from database security to hardware-based cryptographic primitives. Ostrovsky's publication record shows a consistent trajectory of innovation in cryptographic theory and its applications. His recent work focuses on optimizing secure computation protocols for efficiency while maintaining strong security guarantees, with particular attention to communication complexity, round complexity, and practical implementations. He has made significant contributions to homomorphic encryption, non-malleable commitments, and zero-knowledge proofs, often developing techniques that transform theoretical constructs into practically viable solutions. 1993 Henry Taub Prize 2017 IEEE Computer Society Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award 2018 RSA Award for Excellence in Mathematics (RSA Prize) 2022 W. Wallace McDowell Award (highest award from IEEE Computer Society) Fellow of National Academy of Inventors, AAAS, ACM, IEEE, and IACR Foreign member of Academia Europaea With over 350 peer-reviewed publications and 16 issued USPTO patents, Professor Ostrovsky has significantly shaped the field of cryptography and secure computation. His mentorship has cultivated numerous students and postdocs who have gone on to make their own contributions to the field. His editorial roles on prestigious journals including Journal of ACM and Algorithmica reflect his standing in the theoretical computer science community. His leadership extends to chairing major conferences including FOCS 2011 and serving on over 40 international conference program committees. As Director of the Center for Information and Computation Security at UCLA, Professor Ostrovsky leads a team focused on advancing the theoretical foundations and practical applications of secure computation. His center serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research connecting cryptography with systems security, network protocols, and hardware security. The center's work spans from foundational cryptographic primitives to real-world applications requiring privacy-preserving computation.
Ioannis Tsaknakis is an Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Peloponnese. He holds a PhD in computational geometry and multidimensional data structures from the University of Patras (2004) and has been actively involved in software systems research since 2004. His work spans Database Information Management , Big Data Systems , and Knowledge Mining , with a focus on data structures and computational geometry. Research Interests : Information Management in Databases Big Data Management Systems Computational Geometry Knowledge Mining in Databases/Web Publications highlight his contributions to IoT-driven educational frameworks, machine learning applications, and cryptographic systems for data security. He has taught courses on software design and data management since joining the University of Peloponnese in 2019. Contact : jtsaknakis@uop.gr . Office hours are in Building K (Monday & Tuesday, 8:00-9:00).
Dr. Dima Alhadidi is an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Windsor. His research focuses on Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, Machine Learning, and their applications in Health Informatics, Cloud Computing, and Smart Grids. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and Software Engineering from Concordia University (2010). His research interests include secure federated learning frameworks, privacy-preserving techniques for genomic and health data, and adversarial machine learning defenses. Notable contributions include Trustformer (2025), secure aggregation methods in federated learning, and hybrid malware classification using deep learning. Recent work emphasizes mitigating membership inference attacks and developing privacy-preserving analytics for distributed systems. Dr. Alhadidi actively advises graduate students on topics like social network clustering (NICASN 2022) and federated learning security. No scientific awards are explicitly listed. His research spans theoretical frameworks (e.g., λ_AOP calculus) to applied systems in smart grids and healthcare informatics.
Dr. Kenneth Kent is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of New Brunswick (UNB), where he has served for 14 years. He is the Director of the Information Technology Centre (ITC) and heads the Reconfigurable Computing Group. He also serves as Director of the IBM Centre for Advanced Studies - Atlantic and holds an Honorary Professorship at Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg. His research focuses on hardware/software co-design, reconfigurable computing, virtual machines, and embedded systems. Dr. Kent earned his PhD and Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Victoria. His work has led to over 100 refereed publications and the supervision of 70+ graduate students. He co-founded WEnTech Solutions Inc., a software firm addressing waste-to-energy optimization. His awards include the IBM Faculty Fellow of the Year and Project of the Year (as Principal Investigator) for contributions to the J9 Java Virtual Machine. His articles span FPGA acceleration, compiler optimization, cloud storage security, and IoT intrusion detection. Recent work emphasizes energy-efficient Node.js systems and advancements in CAD tools like VTR 9 for FPGA architecture. Dr. Kent’s advising and grants include leading the IBM CAS Atlantic and directing industry-academia collaborations. He has pioneered technologies such as the Eclipse OpenJ9 JVM and the CephArmor storage interface, balancing academic research with commercial innovation. He leads the Reconfigurable Computing Group at UNB and collaborates with the Institute for Visual Computing in Germany. His research bridges theoretical computing and practical applications, with a focus on scalable systems and embedded technologies.
Duong Hieu Phan is a Professor at Telecom Paris, part of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, and Head of the Cybersecurity-Cryptography team. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Ecole Normale Supérieure and has extensive postdoctoral experience at University College London and research roles at France Telecom R&D. His academic career includes roles as an assistant/associate professor at LAGA, University of Paris 8 (2007–2015), and later as a professor and director of the Master 2 Maths CRYPTIS program at XLIM, University of Limoges (2015–2020). His research focuses on cryptography, with emphasis on provable security, functional encryption, privacy-preserving systems, and anamorphic cryptography. Key areas include secure communication mechanisms against oppressive surveillance, decentralized systems, and post-quantum security. He has contributed to foundational work on CCA security for FHE, quantum-resistant protocols, and verifiable functional encryption. Prof. Phan is actively involved in professional committees, including IACR ASIACRYPT and PKC steering committees, and editorial boards such as the IACR CIC Journal. He promotes Franco-Vietnamese scientific collaboration through roles in the CNRS IRL partnership. His teaching spans cryptography, algorithms, and mathematics at undergraduate and master’s levels, including program coordination and research supervision.
Hokeun Kim is an Assistant Professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence (SCAI) at Arizona State University (ASU), part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. He previously held positions at Hanyang University (2021-2023) and worked in industry roles at Google, LinkedIn, and HP Labs. His research focuses on cyber-physical systems, IoT security, and computer architecture, with a particular emphasis on safety and security aspects of time-sensitive systems. Education: Ph.D. in EECS, University of California, Berkeley (2017) M.S. in EECS, Seoul National University (2012) B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering, Seoul National University (2010) Research Interests: Kim’s work spans secure IoT frameworks, real-time embedded systems, and edge computing. He develops tools like the Secure Swarm Toolkit (SST) and Lingua Franca, addressing challenges in distributed system security, interoperability, and performance. Key Contributions: Authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications in top venues like IEEE Transactions, ACM Conferences, and DATE. Received the ACM/IEEE Best Paper Award (IoTDI 2017) and IEEE Micro Top Picks Honorable Mention (2017). Active in organizing conferences (e.g., DATE, FDL) and serves on technical committees for top journals/conferences. Teaching: Courses include Computer Architecture I/II, Real-Time Embedded Systems, and IoT design at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
