Dr Thomas Zacharias
- Lecturer in Cybersecurity (School of Computing Science)
telephone:
0141 330 0264
email:
Thomas.Zacharias@glasgow.ac.uk
Room 405, 1 Lilybank Gardens, Hillhead, Glasgow, Glasgow City, G12 8RZ
Biography
I am a Lecturer in Cybersecurity at the School of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow. Previously, I worked as a Senior Researcher at the University of Edinburgh. I hold a PhD in Cryptography from the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications at the University of Athens. My academic background includes Theoretical Computer Science (MSc), Pure Mathematics (BSc), and Electrical and Computer Engineering (BEng).
My research focuses on problems of Cybersecurity and Privacy examined from a cryptographic perspective, which comprises formal modelling, design and analysis of provably secure constructions that build upon state-of-the-art cryptographic tools. My main research areas are: 1) electronic voting (e-voting), 2) privacy-preserving communications, 3) blockchain protocols, 4) multi-party computation, and 5) foundations of Cryptography.
Besides its pure academic contribution, my work aims at designing and analysing usable cryptographic systems that can find real-world applications. I am a leading member of the Pebble project team with the goal of designing, implementing, and commercialising decentralised e-voting solutions.
Currently, I explore the problem of decentralisation as it manifests in several interesting classes of distributed protocols (e.g. e-voting systems, blockchain protocols, and contact tracing schemes).
Research interests
- Electronic voting (e-voting)
- Blockchain protocols
- Privacy-preserving communication protocols
- Formal modelling of security
- Secure multi-party computation
Grants
- Pebble: Building the first decentralized and transparent voting solution on Tezos
- Description: Implementation and testing of the Pebble decentralised e-voting system.
- Total funds: $250,000. Funded by the Tezos Foundation (November 2019 - October 2020 & October 2022 - January 2023).
- Role: Co-I.
Supervision
- Nikolaos Lamprou: Electronic voting in the classical and quantum settings - modelling, design and analysis (September 2018 - August 2021).
Teaching
Academic year 2023 - 2024
- Cybersecurity Fundamentals (H) COMPSCI4062: an introductory course in the fundamental concepts of Cybersecurity.
Additional information
Professional Service
- Programme Committees:
- 44th International Cryptology Conference (CRYPTO 2024)
- 27th International Conference on Practice and Theory of Public-Key Cryptography (PKC 2024)
- 23rd International Conference on Practice and Theory of Public-Key Cryptography (PKC 2020)
- 20th Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS 2020)
- 19th Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS 2019)
- 7th International Conference on e-Democracy (e-Democracy 2017)
- Member of IET’s e-voting working group.
Professional Bodies
- Member of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR).