Speaker:Alex Block

Title

Efficient and Secure SNARKs: Bridging Theory and Practice

Abstract

This talk explores a middle ground in cryptographic protocol design: combining theoretical rigor with practical efficiency. I will discuss two key contributions. First, the development of publicly verifiable, space-efficient SNARKs, essential for large-scale computations and data management. Second, a formal security analysis of widely-used SNARKs, revealing the discrepancy between heuristic and provable security. The talk will conclude with future research directions, including error-correcting codes for cryptographic applications, potentially paving the way for more efficient, quantum-resistant cryptography and innovations in error-correcting code design.

About Alex Block

Alex Block is a joint Postdoctoral Researcher at Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, under the guidance of Prof. Justin Thaler and Prof. Jonathan Katz. Prior to that, he received his Ph.D. from Purdue University, advised by Prof. Jeremiah Blocki. Alex's research interests lie at the intersection of cryptography and coding theory and how tools and techniques from each area can be used together to yield new insights and results in both areas. More recently, his focus has turned towards constructing practically efficient codes for cryptographic applications. His work spans several areas, including SNARKs, concrete security, secure multi-party computation, and locally decodable codes.