Gabriel Kaptchuk to Join University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science

Gabriel Kaptchuk will join the University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science as an assistant professor in August 2024. One of eight new tenure-track faculty members, Kaptchuk's research focuses on cryptography and privacy.

“I’m thrilled to be joining UMD’s Computer Science department,” Kaptchuk said. I couldn’t imagine a better place to pursue my research agenda. In particular, joining an amazing group of colleagues in the nation’s capital is a unique combination.”

Kaptchuk will also be affiliated with the Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2) and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS).

He previously served as part of the research faculty at Boston University. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University, focusing on the development and implementation of privacy-preserving systems. His work addresses the growing need for secure and private digital interactions.

“I am motivated by the desire to proliferate the number of privacy-preserving systems available to end users,” Kaptchuk said. “I believe strongly that privacy is a human right and that the technical systems with which we interact every day should uphold that right.” 

His research spans cryptography, security, human-centered computing and public policy. His future research at Maryland will continue to explore these intersections, aiming to develop robust systems that protect user privacy.

“My work sits at the intersection of cryptography, security, human-centered computing and public policy,” Kaptchuk shared. “I anticipate that Maryland will be an unparalleled place to further study this intersection.”

Kaptchuk has received multiple awards for his contributions to the field. These include the NSF Convergence Accelerator Track G award for "Secure Censor-resistant Overlay Resilient Networks" (2022–2023), the DARPA Young Faculty Award for "Guarding Against User Misperceptions of Differential Privacy" (2021–2024) and the NSF & CRA Computing Innovation Fellowship (2020–2023).

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications