Prof. Sanjam Garg is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Berkeley in the Computer Science Division under the College of Engineering. His work focuses on cryptography and its applications to security and privacy , with affiliations to the Berkeley Center for Responsible, Decentralized Intelligence (RDI) and the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing (SITC). Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, University of California, Los Angeles (2013) B.Tech, Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (2008) His research spans cryptography , secure computation , and zero-knowledge proofs , with recent publications on threshold encryption , zkSNARKs , and private set intersection . Trends in his work emphasize blockchain security , obfuscation , and secure multiparty computation . Scientific Honors: ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award (2013) Sloan Research Fellowship (2020) Okawa Research Grant (2016) IACR EUROCRYPT Best Paper Award (2013) FOCS Test of Time Award (2023) Bakar Fellows Spark Award (2023) Prof. Garg has advised researchers like James Bartusek (2024), Akshayaram Srinivasan (2020), and Peihan Miao (2019), who are now at institutions such as Microsoft Research and University of Toronto. He teaches CS 170 on algorithms at Berkeley.
Anand V Natarajan is the ITT Career Development Professor in Computer Technology and Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at MIT, with affiliation to the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). He holds a PhD in Physics from MIT (2018), advised by Aram Harrow, and previously served as a postdoc at Caltech's Institute for Quantum Information and Matter. His research focuses on theoretical quantum information, emphasizing quantum complexity theory (e.g., MIP* and QMA(2) classes), nonlocality (Bell inequalities, nonlocal games), and semidefinite programming hierarchies. He teaches courses such as Quantum Cryptography, Quantum Systems Engineering, and Introduction to Algorithms at MIT. Notable contributions include resolving the MIP* = RE problem and the FOCS 2019 Best Paper Award for NEEXP ⊆ MIP*. He advises PhD students in quantum computing topics and collaborates extensively on quantum verification protocols and entanglement testing.
Brent Waters is a Professor at the Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at Austin , where he has been since 2008. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Princeton University (2004) and held a postdoctoral position at Stanford University (2004-2005). His research focuses on cryptography and computer security, with groundbreaking work in Identity-Based Encryption, Functional Encryption, Attribute-Based Encryption, and code obfuscation. He is a founder of Functional Encryption and Attribute-Based Encryption. Education Ph.D., Computer Science, Princeton University (2004) Research Interests Cryptography, Security Protocols Functional Encryption, Attribute-Based Encryption Indistinguishability Obfuscation, LWE-Based Systems Zero-Knowledge Proofs, Key-Dependent Message Security Selected Publications Trends Recent work (2025) addresses adaptive security in broadcast encryption, SNARGs, and multi-authority ABE systems using LWE and bilinear maps. Key themes include collusion resistance, witness encryption, and optimizing cryptographic assumptions like CRS size reduction. Scientific Awards IEEE Fellow (2025), IACR Fellow (2024), ACM Fellow (2021) Simons Investigator (2019), Grace Murray Hopper Award (2015) Presidential Early Career Award (2011), Packard Fellowship (2011) Advising Current Ph.D. students: Shafik Nassar, George Lu Past Ph.D. students: Rachit Garg (2024), Satya Vusirikala (2021), Rishab Goyal (2019), Venkata Koppula (2018), Yannis Rouselakis (2013), Allison Bishop (2012) Contact Email: bwaters@cs.utexas.edu Phone: (512) 232-7464 | Office: GDC 6.810
Cristian Cadar is a Professor in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London, leading the Software Reliability Group . His research focuses on improving software reliability and security through practical techniques in software engineering, computer systems, and program analysis. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, Stanford University M.Eng. in Computer Science, MIT B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics, MIT His research interests center on software engineering and software security , particularly symbolic execution , dynamic symbolic execution (DSE) , and multi-version execution . Current work explores techniques for scalability, constraint solving, and runtime security in software systems. Key trends in his recent articles include optimizing symbolic execution for testing, addressing path explosion in constraint-based test generation, and advancing multi-version execution for dynamic software updates. His publications also cover program analysis , automated testing , and formal methods for software reliability. Awarded prestigious honors such as the Humboldt Research Award (2024) , ERC Consolidator Grant (2018) , and IEEE New Directions Award (2022) . Other accolades include the BCS Roger Needham Award (2019) and SIGOPS Hall of Fame (2018) . Cadar supervises PhD and postdoctoral researchers in software reliability and security. His group has secured grants from the ERC and EPSRC , including a Consolidator Grant (2018) and Early-Career Fellowship (2013) . He actively contributes to conference organizing committees and editorial boards. The Software Reliability Group at Imperial College, led by Cadar, specializes in techniques like KLEE and EXE for automated testing. Their work has been adopted by industry partners such as Fujitsu, IBM, and Microsoft, particularly in runtime security tools like WIT .
David Manuel Bozzini is a Full Professor at the University of Fribourg , affiliated with the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences within the Department of Social Sciences . He also serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science (Faculty of Science and Medicine), indicating interdisciplinary expertise. Joined University: 2017 Research Focus: Bozzini's work examines state surveillance mechanisms in militarized contexts, particularly in Eritrea and its diaspora. His research spans political anthropology, digital security, and cryptography, analyzing how insecurity is socially constructed and resisted through both traditional and technological means. Publications: His recent works explore: Ethnographic analysis of surveillance practices Digital repression in authoritarian regimes Political mobilization among exiles Technological resistance strategies Contact: Email: david.bozzini@unifr.ch Phone: +41 26 300 7840
Stavros Sintos is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He joined UIC after a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago, where he was part of the ChiData group under Sanjay Krishnan. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Duke University in 2020, advised by Pankaj K. Agarwal. His research focuses on designing efficient algorithms for databases, data mining, and computational geometry . Key themes include: Theoretical guarantees for practical problems Compact indexing structures for query efficiency Geometric optimization combined with database systems Fairness in algorithmic design (e.g., Fair Set Cover, FairHash) Temporal data analysis and dynamic query processing Notable scientific contributions include a Best Paper Award at ICDT 2024 for work on range entropy queries. His publications span top venues like SIGMOD, PODS, VLDB, and SODA, covering areas such as clustering algorithms, synthetic query witnesses, and temporal join optimizations.
Alastair F. Donaldson is a Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London, where he leads the FastPL research group. His academic career spans over a decade at Imperial, progressing from Lecturer (2011-2014) to Senior Lecturer (2014-2017), Reader (2017-2020), and Professor (2020-present). He has also held significant industry positions, including Founder and Director of GraphicsFuzz Ltd. (acquired by Google in 2018), Senior Software Engineer at Google (2018-2021), and Visiting Researcher at both Google and Microsoft Research Redmond. Donaldson earned his PhD from the University of Glasgow under Alice Miller, following a BSc (hons, First Class) in Computing Science and Mathematics. His postdoctoral work included an EPSRC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oxford and a Research Fellowship at Wolfson College Oxford. His research focuses on formal analysis, software testing and programming languages techniques for improving software reliability, with special emphasis on high-performance systems. Donaldson's work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications, particularly in compiler testing, GPU programming verification, and metamorphic testing. His research has significantly influenced both academia and industry, as evidenced by the acquisition of his startup GraphicsFuzz by Google. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on fuzz testing techniques applied across diverse domains including compilers, GPUs, cryptographic protocols, and large language models. His work consistently combines formal methods with practical testing approaches, addressing challenges in compiler correctness, memory models, and API verification across multiple platforms. 2017 BCS Roger Needham Award EPSRC Early Career Fellowship Best Paper Award, EuroSys 2024 Best Paper Award, MET 2021 Best Paper Award, IWOCL 2019 Best Paper Award, IISWC 2019 Best Paper Award, ICST 2016 ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award, ISSTA 2023 ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award, FSE 2017 ACM SIGPLAN Most Influential OOPSLA Paper Award, 2022 (for GPUVerify) As Director of Research in the Department of Computing, Donaldson oversees research strategy and development. His FastPL research group investigates novel techniques for programming, testing and reasoning about high performance systems. He has served on numerous program committees and held leadership roles including PLDI Steering Committee Chair (2022-2025) and PACM-PL Advisory Board member. His industry engagement includes testifying as an Expert Witness in the IBM UK Ltd v LzLabs GmbH & Ors case. The FastPL research group, which Donaldson leads, focuses on formal analysis, software testing and programming languages. The group has made significant contributions to compiler testing, GPU verification, and metamorphic testing techniques, with practical impact demonstrated by the acquisition of GraphicsFuzz. Current research directions include fuzzing for zero-knowledge proof circuits, randomized testing of decompilers, and systematic testing of large language models for code generation.
Maxim Bolt is an Associate Professor of Development Studies at the University of Oxford's Department of International Development (ODID). He also holds positions as a Research Associate at the Wits Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of the Witwatersrand, and a Senior Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of African Studies and Anthropology at the University of Birmingham. Previously, he worked at the University of Birmingham and the British Museum, where he conducted fieldwork for the 'Money in Africa' project. Bolt's research focuses on economic anthropology in southern Africa, particularly examining labor, migration, borders, money, property inheritance, class, and the state. His early work investigated South Africa's border with Zimbabwe, focusing on commercial agriculture, black workforces, and white landowners during Zimbabwe's economic and political crisis. His current research explores property inheritance, state institutions, and class reproduction in Johannesburg, analyzing how inheritance processes connect to kinship, property, and legal systems in post-apartheid South Africa. Bolt's publication record reveals a consistent focus on economic anthropology with growing emphasis on legal anthropology and urban studies. His earlier works centered on border studies, farm labor, and migration patterns, while recent publications increasingly address property law, inheritance systems, and urban governance in South Africa. His research shows a clear trajectory from examining labor relations in rural border contexts to analyzing how legal frameworks shape urban property relations and class formation. Scientific Awards Recipient of the 2016 British Sociological Association / BBC Thinking Allowed Ethnography Award for 'Zimbabwe's Migrants and South Africa's Border Farms: The Roots of Impermanence' Shortlisted for the 2016 Herskovits Prize (African Studies Association, USA) Shortlisted for the 2016 biennial Fage and Oliver Prize (African Studies Association of the UK) Delivered the prestigious Malinowski Memorial Lecture in 2018 Bolt serves as a doctoral supervisor for DPhil projects taking ethnographic approaches to economic life, state institutions, and formal/informal institutions, primarily focused on African contexts. His research has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK. He has previously held editorial positions as Editor of AFRICA: Journal of the International African Institute and the Journal of Southern African Studies , and currently serves on the editorial boards of these journals plus African Studies Review . Bolt's scholarly work demonstrates strong institutional connections across British and South African academic networks, with particular emphasis on how legal frameworks intersect with everyday economic practices in urban South Africa, especially regarding property inheritance and class reproduction in the post-apartheid context.
Professor Lisa Waller serves as the Associate Dean of Communication at RMIT University's School of Media and Communication. Her expertise spans journalism, political communication, and media representation, with a focus on Indigenous media, fact-checking, and ethical reporting. Prior to RMIT, she held roles at Deakin University and worked in editorial positions at major news outlets like The Canberra Times and The Australian Financial Review. Her research explores the intersection of media and public policy, including election promise tracking and the role of journalism in democratic processes. She leads the Australian Research Council-funded project 'Democratic Promissory Representation,' examining political journalism's impact on public perceptions of governance. Her work also addresses media representation of First Nations peoples, rural communities, and issues of gender equality. Waller supervises PhD and Master’s students on topics such as fact-checking methodologies, foreign correspondence, and teenagers' engagement with news algorithms. She has authored books including Local Journalism in a Digital World and The Dynamics of News and Indigenous Policy in Australia , and her research emphasizes ethical practices in journalism, particularly regarding sensitive topics like child sexual abuse reporting and death knock procedures. Her grants and collaborations include five ARC projects, reflecting her commitment to advancing media studies and public interest journalism. She actively engages with industry through advisory roles and mentoring, bridging academic research with practical journalism challenges.
Debabrota Basu is a tenured faculty member (Inria Starting Faculty Position - ISFP) at the Scool team (previously called SequeL) of Inria Centre at University of Lille in France. He teaches postgraduate-level courses on privacy, responsible machine learning, and research methods in AI at École normale supérieure-PSL University, Université de Lille, and Centrale Lille. He is also a member of the ELLIS Society (European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems) and the Paris unit of ELLIS. Dr. Basu earned his PhD in Computer Science from the Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, National University of Singapore, advised by Stéphane Bressan and Pierre Senellart. Prior to that, he obtained a B.E. degree with Honours in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Jadavpur University. Before joining Inria, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Chalmers University of Technology's Data Science and AI Division. Dr. Basu's research focuses on constructing algorithms for developing efficient, robust, private, and ethical learning machines that solve real-world problems. His methodological approach blends statistics, machine learning, and optimization. His application interests span sustainable agro-ecology, medical and pharmaceutical applications, energy-efficient autonomous systems, and algorithmic audits. Recent collaborations include the Inria-Indian Statistical Institute associate team SeRAI for developing Sequential Testing and Learning Algorithms for Verifiably Robust and Responsible AI, and the Inria-INRAE collaboration on Resilient Agricultural Decision Making under Environmental Risks. His publication record demonstrates expertise in bandit algorithms, reinforcement learning, and privacy-preserving machine learning. Recent work shows a strong theoretical foundation with practical applications, particularly in pure exploration bandits, differential privacy mechanisms, constrained optimization, and fairness verification. His research bridges the gap between theoretical guarantees and real-world deployment challenges across multiple domains. Dr. Basu has received notable recognition for his contributions: Best Student Paper Award at ACM EAAMO 2022 for 'On Meritocracy in Optimal Set Selection' Young researcher (JCJC) grant from the French National Research Agency (ANR) in 2022 in 'Artificial Intelligence and Data Science' He leads the project 'RL under Real-life Constraints: Regrets and Algorithms' and supervises PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. His research is supported by multiple projects including REPUBLIC ('Vers l'IA responsable avec l'apprentissage par renforcement sous contraintes') and 'Foundations of robustness and reliability in artificial intelligence.' Dr. Basu actively collaborates with institutions worldwide, including establishing the RELIANT associate team with Kyoto University for investigating structured multi-armed bandit problems.
Robin Kranendonk MSc is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), holding a concurrent affiliation with the Free University of Amsterdam where she served as Lecturer in Forensic Psychology in 2018. Her academic career spans police interrogation research, victimology, and forensic evidence communication since 2009, with current work focused on the NSCR-Police Academy collaboration developing the Strategic Police Research Agenda 2023-2026. Her research expertise centers on vulnerable populations within criminal justice systems, particularly suspects with mild intellectual disabilities. Key investigation areas include: Police interrogation techniques adaptation for cognitively vulnerable suspects DNA evidence report comprehensibility for legal professionals Victim needs assessment in criminal proceedings Official police report accuracy and bias analysis Impact of recording media (audio/video/text) on evidence interpretation Her doctoral research demonstrated how interrogation training improves outcomes for suspects with intellectual disabilities, directly influencing policy implementation. Analysis of her publication history reveals consistent focus on evidentiary reliability across three interconnected domains: suspect vulnerability (60% of works), victim procedural needs (25%), and forensic documentation standards (15%). Recent work emphasizes technological solutions for interrogation quality improvement and specialized knowledge application in diverse interview contexts. Award recognition: Master's Thesis Prize in Criminology (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 2012) Kranendonk actively bridges academic research and police practice through her NSCR-Police Academy partnership, collaborating with experts like Nicolien Kop (Criminaliteitsbeheersing) and Christianne de Poot (Forensic Research). Her secondary roles include Board Membership for the Study & Work Customised Foundation, focusing on quality management for vulnerable job seekers. Current projects examine memory-enhancing techniques in witness interviews and waiver of legal rights by intellectually disabled suspects. She operates within NSCR's Evidence-based Policing research group, strengthening scientific-practical integration for evidence-based police methodology through the Kenniscentrum Opsporing en Criminaliteitsbeheersing knowledge center.
Jessica Roberts is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon, affiliated with the Faculty of Human Sciences and the Research Centre for Communication and Culture (CECC). She is an active researcher and author, focusing on journalism, fake news, media ethics, and the role of non-traditional actors in public information. Ph.D. in Journalism Studies, University of Maryland M.A. in Journalism, University of Southern California Her research explores the ethical dimensions of citizen journalism, social media, and participatory media practices such as selfies as forms of witnessing. She investigates how disinformation spreads and how journalists can respond effectively, with a strong emphasis on empathy, public trust, and the integrity of the information ecosystem. Her work bridges theoretical analysis with practical implications for modern journalism. The trend in her publications shows a consistent focus on the evolving media landscape, particularly the intersection of technology, ethics, and public discourse. From analyzing the 'Humans of New York' phenomenon to reimagining selfies as journalistic acts, her work highlights how everyday individuals contribute to public knowledge. Recent articles and books reflect growing concern about disinformation, media fear, and the future of trustworthy journalism. Literati Award Outstanding Paper (2021) Second Place Best Faculty Research Paper (2023) Jessica Roberts has supervised 16 academic works at UCP and leads the 'Humans of New York' research project (2020–2026), which examines empathy and storytelling in public service journalism. She is actively involved in organizing key academic events, including the Lisbon Winter School and research symposia on journalism studies, demonstrating leadership in the scholarly community. She is a principal investigator on externally funded research and regularly presents at conferences and invited talks, contributing to both academic and public discourse on media and communication. Her engagement with press and media further underscores her role as a public intellectual. Her lab or research team is embedded within the Research Centre for Communication and Culture (CECC), where she collaborates with scholars on interdisciplinary projects exploring media, emotion, and ethics. The CECC serves as a hub for innovative communication research in Portugal and beyond.
Celine Taylor Parkins-Ozephius serves as Junior Assistant Professor at Utrecht University's School of Law, specifically within the Willem Pompe Institute for Criminal Law and Criminology. Her academic appointment falls under the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance, where she focuses on the intersection of criminal procedure and digital technology. Her research centers on digital evidence reliability in criminal courts, with particular expertise in smartphone forensics, biometric authentication, and cross-border digital investigations. Current projects examine judicial frameworks for assessing technical evidence, EU standards for digital searches, and privacy implications of law enforcement's access to encrypted devices. Her work frequently addresses tensions between investigative needs and fundamental rights in digital contexts. Teaching responsibilities include coordination of the master's course "In-Depth Criminal Procedure Law," where she delivers lectures and tutorials. She actively supervises master's theses in criminal procedure and digital evidence topics. Her publications demonstrate consistent engagement with emerging challenges in digital criminal justice, including EncroChat investigations, two-factor authentication evidence, and ECHR compliance in digital evidence collection. Collaborative work appears across multiple Dutch legal journals and the EHRC Updates platform, often with Dave van Toor and other Willem Pompe Institute colleagues. Her research methodology combines doctrinal legal analysis with practical examination of investigative techniques, emphasizing the need for updated judicial frameworks in digital evidence assessment.
Professor Jeffrey Kramer is a distinguished academic at Imperial College London, where he currently serves as Professor in Distributed Computing within the Department of Computing, Faculty of Engineering. With a career spanning over four decades at Imperial College, he has held numerous leadership positions including Senior Dean (2009-2012), Dean of the Faculty of Engineering (2006-2009), and Head of the Department of Computing (1999-2004). Professor Kramer's research focuses on software engineering, particularly in distributed computing, requirements engineering, software architecture, and self-managing adaptive systems. His work on the Darwin Software Architecture led to commercial implementation by Philips in consumer television products. He has been a principal investigator in research projects developing the CONIC and DARWIN environments for distributed programming. His publication portfolio includes over 200 refereed journal and conference papers along with two influential books: 'Distributed Systems and Computer Networks' (1986) and 'Concurrency: State Models & Java Programs' (1999, 2nd ed. 2006). His most cited works address software architecture, dynamic reconfiguration, and adaptive systems, demonstrating a consistent research trajectory focused on foundational aspects of distributed software systems. FREng Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (2008) ACM SIGSOFT Outstanding Research Award (2005, joint with Prof. Magee) ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Service Award (2011) Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering (2006-2009) Most Influential Paper Award at ICSE 2003 IEE Informatics Premium prize (1998/99) Professor Kramer has served on over 50 international conference committees in the last decade and has delivered numerous keynote addresses globally. His industrial collaborations include work with BP, BT, NATS, Fujitsu, Barclays Capital, QinetiQ, Kodak, Microsoft, and Philips. He has also served as an expert witness for major law firms and has been involved in numerous research collaborations and consulting engagements.
Amir Kafshdar Goharshady is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and a Tutorial Fellow at St Catherine's College. His research focuses on theoretical computer science, including formal program verification, parametrised algorithms, compiler optimisation, and blockchain technology. He leads the ALPACAS research group, which explores algorithms, logic, program analysis, cryptocurrencies, and smart contracts. Education: PhD in Theoretical Computer Science from IST Austria (supervised by Prof. Krishnendu Chatterjee), MSc in Computer Science (Systems) from Georgia Tech, and undergraduate studies in Maths and Computing at the Universities of London and Yazd. Prior to Oxford, he was an Assistant Professor at HKUST and maintains a visiting role at IIT Bombay. Research Interests: Formal methods for program verification Algorithmic efficiency in compiler optimisation Decentralized systems and blockchain applications Game-theoretic approaches to secure protocols Advising and Grants: Supervises over 20 PhD and Master’s students, with a rigorous selection process emphasizing problem-solving skills. Leads an international research group with multiple grants and collaborations. Former roles include organizing high school Olympiads and founding the Sundar STEM School in Pakistan. Labs/Teams: ALPACAS group, known for its work on smart contract optimization, blockchain security, and parametrised algorithm design. Regularly hosts visiting researchers such as Petr Novotný and Thomas Henzinger.
