Stanislaw Jarecki Named Fellow of the International Association for Cryptologic Research

Associate Professor of Computer Science Stanislaw Jarecki of UC Irvine’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) has been named a fellow of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR).

The IACR Fellows Program recognizes scholars who have advanced the science, technology and practice of cryptology; promoted the free exchange of related ideas and information; developed professional skills in the cryptologic community; and advanced the standing of the cryptologic community in the wider scientific and technical world. Jarecki was one of six IACR members to receive this honor in 2023.

In particular, he was recognized for “fundamental contributions to distributed cryptography and efficient secure computation.”

Such contributions include novel research into threshold cryptography and into secure computation used in distributed systems like blockchain technology. His research into a new Password Authenticated Key Agreement (PAKE) protocol called OPAQUE has also helped secure 2 billion WhatsApp users and is currently on the road toward internet-wide adoption

Jarecki was pleased to be named an IACR Fellow. “I am happy that several things I have been working on are recognized as important contributions,” he says. “It is an honor to receive this recognition from the cryptology community.”

— Shani Murray