Principal Investigators
J.F.
Biasse
Jean-Francois Biasse is a Professor of Mathematics. His research interest is in the mathematical aspects of cryptography. At the USF, he has taught MAD 4471 (Introduction to Cryptography & Coding Theory) as well as the online course MAT 5932 (Applied Cryptography). He is the recipient of the CAREER award of the National Science Foundation. His research is supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute for Standards and Technology, The Florida Center for Cybersecurity (CyberFlorida) and the Simons Foundation.
Xiang-Dong
Hou
Dr. Xiang-dong Hou is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics of the University of South Florida. He received his PhD in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1990. His research areas include Combinatorics, Finite Fields and Application, Algebraic Number Theory, Representation Theory and Knot Invariants. He is the author over 120 papers and one book. He is an associate editor of the journal Finite Fields and Their Applications.
Giacomo Micheli
Giacomo Micheli is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at USF. His research interests spans from pure number theory to applied algebra, with particular emphasis on applications to cryptography and coding theory.
Before coming to USF, Dr. Micheli has been conducting his research at MIT as postdoctoral fellow, at the University of Oxford as a lecturer and research fellow, and at EPFL as a research fellow of the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Dmytro
Savchuk
Dr. Savchuk is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Deparmtent of Mathematics and Statistics. His research focuses on computational group theory, and its applications to cryptography. His work also includes the development of packages for the GAP algebra system. He is the Co-PI of the NSF grant that funds the REU Site program on Cryptography and Coding Theory organized by the Center. He is also an associate editor for the Journal of Mathematical Cryptology.
Razvan
Teodorescu
Razvan Teodorescu is a Professor of Mathematics and Director of the USF STEM Education Center and an affiliate member of the T-4 group in the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He is the recipient of the J. Krivanek Distinguished Teacher Award and a member of the London Mathematical Society. His research interests include representation theory of quantum-integrable systems such as quantum Gaudin magnets and anyonic states of FQHE, and topologically protected quantum information devices.
RTG Postdoctoral Fellows
Open
Position
This postdoctoral fellow will work on cryptography under the guidance of Dr. Biasse, Micheli and Savchuk.
To apply, use the following link: Application
Open
Position
This postdoctoral fellow will work on coding theory under the guidance of Dr. Biasse, Micheli and Hou.
To apply, use the following link: Application
Open
Position
This postdoctoral fellow will work on quantum computing under the guidance of Dr. Biasse, Savchuk, and Teodorescu.
To apply, use the following link: Application
RTG Graduate Students
Open
Position
This graduate student will work on cryptography under the guidance of Dr. Biasse, Micheli and Savchuk.
To apply, use the following link: Application
Open
Position
This graduate student will work on coding theory under the guidance of Dr. Biasse, Micheli and Hou.
To apply, use the following link: Application
Open
Position
This graduate student will work on quantum computing under the guidance of Dr. Biasse, Savchuk, and Teodorescu.
To apply, use the following link: Application
RTG Undergraduate Students
Other Senior Personnel
Kwang-Cheng
Chen
Kwang-Cheng Chen is a Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida, an IEEE Fellow, and an AAIA Fellow. He serves as a Section Editor in Quantum Engineering for Nature Scientific Reports, and GITC Chair, IEEE Communications Society. Dr. Chen is a member of US National Committee for ISO/IEC JTC-3 Quantum Technologies. His research interests include quantum communications and sensing, quantum computing and processors, quantum cryptographic systems, multi-agent systems and AI, and wireless networks.
Lukas
kÖlsch
Lukas Kölsch is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics. He graduated from the University of Rostock in 2020, and joined the USF as a postdoctoral scholar in 2021. He joined the faculty in 2023. Dr. Kölsch specializes in tools of algebra, combinatorics and number theory that can be used to solve specific problems that are related to applications in coding theory or cryptography. Recently, Recently, he has been working on semifields, rank-metric codes and non-linear Boolean functions like APN functions.
Mehran
Kermani
Mehran Mozaffari Kermani is an Associate Professor with the Computer Science and Engineering Department (College of Engineering) at University of South Florida, where he is the PI for the Cryptographic Engineering and Hardware Security Lab. Currently, he is serving as an Associate Editor for the IEEE TVLSI (2016-present), the IEEE TCAS I (2016-present), and the ACM TECS (2015-present). He has been Guest Editing (Cryptographic Engineering and Hardware Security) special issues for the IEEE TCBB.
Ruthmae
Sears
Dr. Sears, Ph.D., is a Professor of secondary mathematics education, the Associate Director of Coalition for Science Literacy with a focus on Inclusive Excellence, and the lead faculty facilitator for the university’s newly created Inclusive and Equitable Pedagogy program. Her research includes curriculum issues, systemic change initiatives in K-20 STEM settings, , and the integration of technology in mathematics. The is the K-12 Pedagogical Expert of the CodeBreakHERs summer camp run by the Center.
Lilia
Woods
Lilia M. Woods, Ph.D. is Professor in the Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Woods’ research spans theoretical condensed matter physics, materials theory and simulations and real practical devices. Her work focuses on quantum materials and their ubiquitous electromagnetic phenomena for fundamental understanding of novel light-matter effects and interactions. In 2019, she was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Attila
Yavuz
Attila Yavuz is an Associate Professor of Computer Science. His research interests are the practical applications of cryptography. At USF, he has taught COP4931 (Information Privacy and Trustworthy Systems) and CIS4930 (Privacy-Preserving and Trustworthy Cyber-Infrastructures). He is the recipient of the CAREER award of the National Science Foundation. His research is supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and Bosch.
Other RTG Personel
Janet
Gordon
Janet Gordon serves as the Program Evaluator. She graduated from the College of Engineering at ASU and worked for the Department of Defense in R&D. Dr. Gordon also worked as a Research Scientist for the Department of Energy. She now dedicates her time to providing high-quality evaluation for post-secondary STEM-focused programs.
Edoardo
Persichetti
Edoardo Persichetti is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). His research interests focus on post-quantum cryptography, with a particular emphasis on primitives based on coding theory, as well as other topics in cryptography such as provable security, and cryptographic designs.
Affiliated Researchers
Tefjol
Pllaha
Dr. Pllaha is an Assistant Professor of mathematics whose research is at the intersection of quantum computing, coding theory and cryptography.
Maksym
Chaudkhari
Dr. Chaudkhari is a postdoctoral fellow in the department of Mathematics & Statistics mentored by Dmytro Savchuk.
Luca
Bastioni
Mr. Bastioni is a graduate student in mathematics doing research on algebraic coding theory under the supervision of Giacomo Micheli.
Anuvrat
Jaindungarwal
Mr. Jaindungarwal is a graduate student in mathematics working on algorithmic number theory under the supervision of Jean-François Biasse.
Arsalan
Malik
Mr. Malik is graduate student in mathematics working on computational group theory under the supervision of Dmytro Savchuk.
Mohamed
Osama
Mr. Osama is graduate student in mathematics working on algebraic coding theory under the supervision of Giacomo Micheli.
Philip
Waitkevitch
Mr. Waitkewitch is graduate student in mathematics working on linear codes under the supervision of Giacomo Micheli.
Shujun
Zhao
Mrs. Zhao is graduate student in mathematics working on combinatorics and algebra under the supervision of Xiang-Dong Hou.