Kristin Lauter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kristin Estella Lauter
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Kristin Lauter in 2019
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| Born | December 8, 1969 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago |
| Known for | Elliptic curve cryptography |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics, Cryptography |
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| Thesis | Ray class field constructions of curves over finite fields with many rational points (1996) |
| Doctoral advisor | Niels Ovesen Nygaard |
Kristin Estella Lauter (born 1969) is an American mathematician and cryptographer. A cryptographer is someone who creates and studies ways to keep information secret and secure. Kristin Lauter is famous for her work in cryptography, especially with something called elliptic curve cryptography. This is a special way to protect data using advanced math.
She used to be a researcher at Microsoft Research for many years. There, she led a group that created a tool called Microsoft SEAL. This tool helps keep data private while it's being used. In 2021, she moved to Facebook AI Research (FAIR). Now, she leads research science teams on the West Coast. Kristin Lauter also helps support women in math. She was the president of the Association for Women in Mathematics from 2015 to 2017.
Contents
Kristin Lauter's Journey in Math
Kristin Lauter studied mathematics at the University of Chicago. She earned her Bachelor's degree in 1990. She then got her Master's degree in 1991. Finally, she completed her Ph.D. in mathematics in 1996.
Early Career and Research
Before joining Microsoft, Kristin Lauter worked in different places. She was a visiting scholar in Germany in 1997. She also taught at the University of Michigan from 1996 to 1999. In 1999, she was a visiting researcher in France.
Later in 1999, she started working at Microsoft. Her main goal was to research and improve cryptography. She worked on making new ways to encrypt information. She also looked for weaknesses in existing systems. Plus, she researched "post-quantum systems." These are new types of encryption that can stand up to future quantum computers.
Developing New Encryption Methods
In 2005, Kristin Lauter and her team at Microsoft created a new way to encrypt data. They used complex math to make a special "hash function." A hash function turns data into a short code. This code helps check if data has been changed. She showed this new method at a big competition for hash functions.
Kristin Lauter is also well-known for her work in homomorphic encryption. This is a very cool type of encryption. It lets people do calculations on encrypted data without ever decrypting it. Imagine you have a secret number, and someone can add to it without knowing what your number is! This technology is useful in many areas. It helps with machine learning, building mathematical models, and private AI. It also helps collect genomic data while keeping it secret. She has taught many people about homomorphic encryption. She even explained her techniques to organizers of a project called iDASH.
Leading Research at Facebook AI
In April 2021, Kristin Lauter started a new role. She became the West Coast Head of Research Science at Facebook AI Research. She now leads teams in Seattle and Menlo Park. These teams work on exciting topics like core machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing.
Helping the Math Community
Kristin Lauter is a co-founder of the Women in Numbers Network. This group helps women mathematicians work together on research. Their first conference was in 2008. Since then, the groups have published about 50 research papers.
She has also served on important boards and councils. These include the Banff International Research Station and the American Mathematical Society. She was the president of the Association for Women in Mathematics from 2015 to 2017. She also serves on the board of trustees for the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI).
Awards and Honors
Kristin Lauter has received many awards for her important work.
- In 2008, she and her co-authors won the Selfridge Prize. They won it for their paper about "Hilbert Class Polynomials."
- In 2015, she was chosen as a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. This honor recognized her contributions to math and cryptography. It also recognized her service to the math community.
- In 2017, she became a Fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics. She was part of the very first group to receive this honor.
- From 2018 to 2020, she was chosen as a Pólya Lecturer for the Mathematical Association of America. This means she gave special talks about math.
- In 2020, she became a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). This was for her work in practical cryptography and her leadership.
- Also in 2020, she was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
- In 2021, she became an honorary member of the Royal Spanish Mathematical Society. This is the oldest math society in Spain.
- In 2022, she was selected as the SIAM Block Community Lecturer.
See also
In Spanish: Kristin Lauter para niños
