Prof. Eli Biham - Short Bio

Prof. Eli Biham received his B.Sc. in Mathematics and Computer Science at the Tel Aviv University (cum laude), 1982, and his Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute, 1991. His Ph.D. thesis developed Differential Cryptanalysis, the first cryptanalysis method that could break the Data Encryption standard (DES), and the first general cryptanalysis method that was applicable to a large family of block ciphers. Since 1991 he is a faculty member at the Technion's faculty of Computer Science. He (together with his students and colleagues) developed various methods for analysis of various kinds of ciphers. The most known of them are DES, and the cipher of the GSM cellular phone system (A5) - which proved that it is easy to listen in to any GSM (voice or data) conversation, and even to fake such calls as if originated from somebody else's phone. He also developed new ciphers, the most known of them is Serpent, which was a leading candidate to become the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) - the successor of DES. Eli Biham served in dozens of program committees, as the program and general chair of the FSE 1997 workshop, and as program chair of EUROCRYPT 2003 and SAC 2006. He was also an editor of the journal of cryptology and a director in the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR). Since 2008 he is the dean of the faculty of computer science. Since 2012 he is an IACR fellow. He received the RSA award 2012, and will hold the position of IACR distinguished lecturer 2013.

Prof. Eli Biham - A Less Technical Bio

Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Professor Eli Biham is world renowned as an expert in cryptography and cryptanalysis, the invention and breaking of computer codes. These codes guard the billions of daily transactions, from the privacy of our email, cellular phones, and on-line banking to the security of nations.

Professor Biham is best known for breaking the Data Encryption Standard, the leading US and international encryption standard of the time, and for breaking the GSM cellular phones system, used around the world to secure calls on mobile phones, forcing cell-phone providers to strengthen encryption standards. He has also designed encryption codes that are being implemented in a variety of applications.

Educated at Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute of Science, he has authored numerous professional papers and lectured at many professional conferences, has edited the "Journal of Cryptology," served as a director in the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR), and has served on numerous professional committees including Israel national cyber initiative and standardization committees. Since 2012 he is an IACR fellow. He received the RSA award 2012, and will hold the position of IACR distinguished lecturer 2013.

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