Rafail Ostrovsky holds Norman E. Friedman Chair in Knowledge Sciences at UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. He is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at UCLA. He is a Fellow of multiple organizations, including the National Academy of Inventors, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR). Additionally, he is a foreign member of Academia Europaea, with over 360 refereed publications and 16 issued USPTO patents. He was chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Mathematical Foundations of Computing from 2015 to 2018 and was chair of the IEEE Annual Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS) 2011 Program Committee (PC). He also served on over 40 other international conference PC's and is currently serving on the editorial boards of the Journal of ACM and the Algorithmica Journal. He is the recipient of multiple awards and honors including 1993 Henry Taub Prize; the 2017 IEEE Computer Society Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award; the 2018 RSA Award for Excellence in Mathematics (also known as the RSA Prize); and the 2022 W. Wallace McDowell Award, the highest award given by the IEEE Computer Society.

    Fall 2025:
    Recent courses taught at UCLA:
    • CS183 Introduction to Cryptogaphy;
    • CS282A/M209A Foundatoions of Cryptography;
    • CS282B/M209B Cryptographic Protocols;
    • CS289A Current Topics in Computer Science Theory;
    • CS289A Seminar on Probabilistically Checkable Proofs;
    • CS289A Seminar on Byzantine Agreement;
    • CS180 Introduction to Algorithms and Complexity;

Interested in working with me, or becoming my postdoc or visiting? (Please read this BEFORE EMAILING ME).


I am interested in all aspects of theory of computation, especially in cryptography, network algorithms, and search and classification of large-scale, high-dimensional data. I find these topics fascinating to work on, not only due to their philosophical and theoretical centrality in computer science, but also due to their practical significance. Below, is a more detailed list of topics, with links to papers written on each topic. (You can also search Publications by Year or Google Scholar or DBLP.)
    The papers below are also available in a chronological list or organized by topics. More information can be found at DBLP.
    For additions in 2017-2018, look for the signs.
  • Cryptography:
  • Search and Analysis of Large-scale, High-Dimensional Data:
  • Distributed Control Theory, Network Algorithms and Combinatorial Algorithms:

Publications: Cryptography
  • Yuval Isahi, Eyal Kushilevitz, Rafail Ostrovsky, Amit Sahai Cryptography from Anonymity, In Proceedings of 47st Annual IEEE Symposium on the Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS-2006).
  • Shlomi Dolev, Rafail Ostrovsky Efficient Anonymous Multicast and Reception ,
    Preliminary version in proceedings of advances in cryptology, (CRYPTO-97) Springer-Verlag Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Journal version in ACM Trans. Inf. Syst. Secur. 3(2): 63-84 (2000)

Publications: Search and Analysis of High-Dimensional Data

Publications: Distributed Control Theory, Network Algorithms and Combinatorial Algorithms





Rafail Ostrovsky is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at UCLA. Prof. Ostrovsky joined UCLA in 2003 as a full tenured professor, coming from Bell Communications Research where he was a Senior Research Scientist. Prof. Ostrovsky graduated 28 Doctoral Students and hosted 7 Postdoctoral Fellows. He is currently advising three Ph.D. students. Prior to beginning his career at Bellcore, he was an NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellow at UC Berkeley. Dr. Ostrovsky received his Ph.D. in computer science from MIT in 1992, (advisor: Silvio Micali, thesis: Software Protection and Simulation on Oblivious RAM), supported by IBM Graduate Fellowship. Prof. Ostrovsky is a Fellow of ACM; Fellow of IEEE; Fellow of IACR; and a foreign member of Academia Europaea. He has 15 U.S. patents issued and over 300 papers published in refereed journals and conferences. Dr. Ostrovsky has served as a Chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Mathematical Foundations of Computing from 2015-2018 and has served on over 40 international conference Program Committees including serving as PC chair of FOCS 2011. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Journal of ACM; Editorial Board of Algorithmica; and the Editorial Board of Journal of Cryptology and is the recipient of multiple awards and honors including the 2017 IEEE Computer Society Technical Achievement Award and the 2018 RSA Excellence in the Field of Mathematics Award. At UCLA, Prof. Ostrovsky heads the Center of Information and Computation Security (CICS) a multi-disciplinary Research Center (http://www.cs.ucla.edu/security/) at Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Dr. Ostrovsky's awards include:
  • JP Morgan Chase Faculty Award, 2021 ;
  • Google Faculty Award, 2020;
  • JP Morgan Chase Faculty Award, 2020 ;
  • Elevated to the title of "Distinguished Rrofessor" at UCLA (by Chancellor Gene D. Block), 2020;
  • JP Morgan Chase Faculty Award, 2019;
  • Foreign Member of Academia Europaea, inducted in 2019;
  • 2018 RSA Conference Excellence in the field of mathematics lifetime achievement award;
  • 2017 IEEE Fellow;
  • 2017 IEEE Computer Society Technical Achievement Award;
  • 2014 Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Research Award;
  • 2013 IACR Fellow,
  • 2012 Pazy Memorial Research Award;
  • 2008 Best Paper Award of International Conference on Computing and Combinatorics (COCOON-2008);
  • 2006 and 2005 Xerox Corporate Innovation Faculty Awards;
  • 2006 IBM Faculty Award;
  • 2006 Xerox Corporation Distinguished Lecture Series;
  • 2005 Teradata Faculty Research Award;
  • 2005 Distinguished Cryptographer of the Year Lecture Series NTT Labs, Japan;
  • 2004 OKAWA Foundation Research Award;
  • 1999-2002: three SAIC Awards for the best published work of the year (1999, 2001, 2002) in computer science and mathematics;
  • 1996 Bellcore Prize for excellence in research;
  • 1993 Henry Taub Prize; and
  • multiple papers solicited to journal special issues dedicated to highest PC-ranked STOC/FOCS articles.




Current:Past:







Current Ph.D. Students:
  • Akash Shah (CS)
  • Ankit Kumar Mishra (CS)
  • Wyatt Howe (CS)
  • Turan Vural (CS)
Doctoral Students (listed by graduation year):
  • Eli Jaffe (CS Ph.D. 2024, researcher at Stealth Software Technologies, Inc.)
  • Kevin Garbe (CS Ph.D. 2023, researcher at Google)
  • Saikrishna Badrinarayanan (CS Ph.D. 2020, now researcher at LinkedIn.)
  • Arman Yousefi (CS Ph.D. 2018, now researcher at Google)
  • Dakshita Khurana (CS Ph.D. 2018, now tenure track faculty at UIUC CS Depatment)
  • Prabhanjan Ananth (CS Ph.D. 2017, now assistant professor at USCB CS Departmnet))
  • Will Rosenbaum (MATH Ph.D. 2016, now tenure-track faculty at Amherst Colledge CS Departmnet)
  • Wutichai Chongchitmate (MATH Ph.D. 2016, (now tenure-track faculty at Mathematics Departmnet Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.)
  • David Felber (CS Ph.D. 2015, now researcher at Google.)
  • Alan Roytman (CS Ph.D. 2014, now postdoctoral researcher at Tel-Aviv University Computer Science)
  • Ran Gelles (CS Ph.D. 2014, now tenure-track faculty at Bar-Ilan University CS Departmnet.)
  • Silas Richelson (MATH Ph.D. 2014, now tenure-track faculty at UC Reiverside CS Departmnet.)
  • Akshay Wadia (CS Ph.D. 2014, now researcher at Silicon-Valley Startup)
  • Chongwon Cho (CS Ph.D. 2013, now researcher at Stealth Software Technologies, Inc.)
  • Sanjam Garg (CS Ph.D. 2012), now a assosiate professor at U.C. Berkely EECS.) (As my student, Sanjam won 2013 ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award)
  • Cheng-Keui Lee (CS Ph.D. 2012, now Security Researcher, LinkedIn)
  • Abhishek Jain (CS Ph.D., 2012, now assosiate professor at Johns Hopkins University CS Departmnet.)
  • Hakan Seyalioglu (Math Ph.D., 2012, now researcher at Google.)
  • Joshua Baron (Math Ph.D., 2012, now DARPA Program Manager.)
  • Clint Givens (Math Ph.D., 2012, now tenure track Math faculty at University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma)
  • Vladimir Braverman (C.S. Ph.D. 2011, C.S. tenured faculty at Johns Hopkins University.)
  • Nishanth Chandran (C.S. Ph.D. 2011, now a researcher at MSR India)
  • Omkant Pandey (CS Ph.D., 2010, nowa tenure track faculty at Stony Brook Computer Sccience Department.)
  • Brett Hemenway (Math Ph.D., 2010, now a tenure-track research faculty at U. Penn.)
  • Paul Bunn (Math Ph.D., 2010, researcher at Google.)
  • Ryan Moriarty (CS Ph.D., 2010, entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. Startups: apprats, flotate.)
  • Vipul Goyal (CS Ph.D., 2009, now a tenure-track associate professor at CMU.)
  • Steve Lu (Math Ph.D., 2009, researcher at Stealth Software Technologies, Inc.)
  • William Skeith (Math Ph.D., 2007; CS tenured associated professor at City College of NY).
  • Jonathan Katz (CS Ph.D. 2002, Full Professor of CS at U. of Marylandm, head of their cyber-security center.)
Hosted Postdoctoral Researchers:
  • Varun Naranyan (postdoctoral researcher 2024-- present)
  • Wutichai Chongchitmate (postdoctoral researcher 2016 -- 2017; now tenure-track faculty at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.)
  • Silas Richelson (postdoc 2014 -- 2015; now assistant professor at UC Riverside Computer Science)
  • Anat Paskin (postdoc 2012 -- 2015; now a tenure-track faculty at Ariel University, Israel)
  • Vassilis Zikas (postdoc 2012 -- 2015; now associated professor at Perdue)
  • Alessandra Scafuro (postdoc 2012 -- 2015; now tenure-track faculty at North Carolina State University. )
  • Bhavana Kanukurthi (postodc 2011 -- 2014; now a tenured faculty at Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bangalore, India)
  • Jens Groth (2005-2007): Now full professor at University College of London.
Visitors:
  • Prof. Vassilis Zikas (short term visits 2016 -- present)
  • Michele Ciampi (Decemmber 2015 -- December 2016)
  • Luisa Siniscalchi (December 2016 -- December 2016)
  • Dr. Juan Garay (short term visits 2010 -- ppresent)
  • Prof. Ivan Vinsconti (several short, medium and long term visits from 2009 -- present, including spending several sabbaticals))
  • Prof. Yuval Ishai (Several sabbaticals, short and long term visits 2009 -- present)
  • Prof. Giuseppe (a.k.a. Pino) Persiano (short term visit 2012-- present)
  • Prof. Yuval Rabani (short term visits 2009 -- present)
  • Prof. Eyal Kushulevitz (sabbatical, short term visits, 2011 -- present)
  • Dr. Serge Fehr (short term visit, 2011)
  • Prof. Alon Rosen (summer visit 2010)
  • Claudio Orlandi (6-month visit from Aaharus, 2010)


Useful: Fun:



Professor Rafail Ostrovsky
University of California, Los Angeles
Department of Computer Science
Office 475, Engineering VI
Los Angeles CA 90095-1596
(310) 206-5283 (office)
(310) 825-7578 (department fax, include cover page)


Email: my first name (at) cs.ucla.edu
Please read this before emailing me.

Administrative assistant: Ms. Osanna Kazarian;
Phone: (310) 825-1322;
Email: osannak (at) cs.ucla.edu