CryptoWorks21 alumnus recognized for outstanding thesis

CryptoWorks21 alumnus Anqi Huang has been awarded the first RBC Outstanding Thesis Award in Cybersecurity in the Quantum Era for her PhD thesis.

The award is given annually to recognize an outstanding thesis on quantum-resistant cybersecurity from graduates of the CryptoWorks21 program. Huang completed her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a specialization in Quantum Information in March 2018. Her thesis, Quantum Hacking after Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Cryptography, investigated the security loopholes of real quantum key distribution (QKD) implementations. By exploring these imperfections, Huang hopes to improve future QKD implementations.

Huang credits her time at CryptoWorks21 for giving her a balance of technical and professional knowledge, from cryptography to intellectual property and commercialization.

Now, Huang is using the knowledge and skills she obtained through CryptoWorks21 to collaborate with QKD manufacturers to systematically analyze the practical security of their products. She would eventually like to extend her security analysis from QKD to other quantum cryptography systems in order to help improve the widest range of technologies possible.