Slides are now available.
Abstract
In this informal talk, I’ll give a guided tour of the mathematics underlying cryptography. No prior knowledge will be assumed: the goal of the talk is to demonstrate how simple mathematical concepts from algebra and number theory are used to build a wide range of cryptographic algorithms, from the familiar (encryption) to the exotic (zero knowledge proofs).
Bio
Joe Hurd is a Formal Methods Engineer at Galois, Inc. He completed a Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge on the formal verification of probabilistic programs, and his work since has included: developing a package management system for higher order logic theories; applying automatic proof techniques for first order logic; and creating the world’s first formally verified chess endgame database.