Seminar on Advanced Topics in Cryptography

Spring 2022

When: Sundays 9-11, Where: Dan David 204.

Instructors: Nir Bitansky, Omer Paneth.

About the seminar: This is a graduate-level seminar in cryptography. The seminar will cover a variety of advanced topics, including: advanced forms of encrypted computation, like functional encryption and obfuscation, advanced proof systems like zero knowledge proofs and succinct proofs, and black box impossibility results.

Prerequisites: The foundations of cryptography graduate course (0368.4162) . If you haven't take the course and want to join you will need an approval from one of the instructors.

Requirements: Almost all lectures will be given by the students (possibly in pairs). You will be required to:

  • Select a topic and read the relevant materials.

  • Prepare a lecture using slides or whiteboard. Prepare to give the talk in English if needed.

  • Meet with Nir/Omer before your talk to go over the lecture and make any required changes (by default on Wednesday).

  • Attend lectures by fellow students.

We will aim to post on the webpage slides/notes after the lectures. If you plan to give a whiteboard talk make sure to prepare readable notes (preferably in Latex).

Topics: Below is a list of lecture topics for students to pick from. You're also welcome to suggest other papers. The lectures to be given and their order will be decided in the first two meetings. Below mostly the original papers are mentioned. Often the covered material has better or alternative descriptions in later papers. There may also be presentation materials available online. You are encouraged to use all of these to improve your understanding and your presentation.

Advanced Seminar Schedule