Prashant Nalini Vasudevan

My research is centered around the theoretical foundations of cryptography and its connections to other areas of theoretical computer science. I am particularly interested in the nature of hardness that is useful for cryptography, and in identifying useful hard problems. I spend a lot of time trying to come up with new constructions of fundamental cryptographic primitives and studying the connections between them.

I am also interested in various aspects of information-theoretic cryptography and data protection. A concise account of my motivations, past work and approach to research may be found in my (outdated) research statement.

Advising

I am looking for researchers at various levels to come work with me. NUS is a great environment, and substantial funding is available for fundamental research. A number of amazing researchers are either already here or just a short flight away.

Postdocs
I am looking for postdoctoral researchers who work on the foundations of cryptography, information-theoretic cryptography, and related areas of complexity theory and theoretical computer science. See here for more details and application instructions.
PhD Students
I am looking for motivated students interested in the theory of cryptography. You will need some background in theoretical computer science – ideally some advanced courses and research experience. You will also need to be admitted to the PhD program in Computer Science at NUS. Send me an email if you are applying for the program (or if you are already a student at NUS) and would like to work with me.
Interns
I might take on a small number of undergraduate research interns each year. If you are interested, send me an email with your CV, your transcript, and a description of your interests. Please note that, due to the large volume of applications, I might not be able to respond to every such email.
Funding
Source Title Start End
NUS Presidential Young Professorship Computational Hardness Assumptions and the Foundations of Cryptography Aug 2021 July 2026
NRF Fellowship Fine-Grained Cryptography Aug 2022 July 2027