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Shafrira (Shafi) And The Nobel Prize of Computer Science

10 min readJun 26, 2025

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I have interviewed some of the greats in cryptography, and many mention the time that they listened to Shafi Goldwasser, and in how she inspired them in their career. In 2012, she won the Turing Prize (the Nobel Prize of Computer Science) [here]:

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Among the many things she invented was the co-invention of probabilistic encryption [here][1]:

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and the co-inventor of zero-knowledge proofs [2]:

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She is currently the RSA Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT [here]. Over her career, Shafi was awarded many prizes, including, in 2012, the Turing Award, and, in 2019, an Honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of Oxford. Shafi obtained her degree in 1979 (Carnegie Mellon University) and was thenawarded a PhD in 1984 (from the University of California) [here]:

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Prof Bill Buchanan OBE FRSE
Prof Bill Buchanan OBE FRSE

Written by Prof Bill Buchanan OBE FRSE

Professor of Cryptography. Serial innovator. Believer in fairness, justice & freedom. Based in Edinburgh. Old World Breaker. New World Creator. Building trust.