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Alexander “Sasha” Frolov – Patsy Mote Memorial Scholar
1st Year Scholar, PhD candidate

Cybersecurity
University of Maryland

Research: 
I work in cryptography, which is the mathematical study of secure communication and computation. My research focuses on making cryptographic systems faster and more capable. I currently work with zero-knowledge proofs, which, at a high level, let users show that statements like “I have a valid Social Security Number” or “I am in Washington, DC” are true without actually revealing private data like their Social Security Number or location.

How Will Your Research Benefit Society?
Faster and more capable cryptographic systems are more likely to be used in practice, where they can keep people’s data private. For instance, while I worked at Meta, I helped build a system for monitoring usage of cryptography at the company. The system found many ways to improve the company’s security, and has helped improve the security of billions of users. My current work is more forward-looking. Better zero-knowledge proofs can help keep people’s data private in novel ways, and give people more control over their own data.

How Will an ARCS Award Benefit Your Research?
Besides my having to teach less, an ARCS award would be beneficial by helping me pay for computer resources. For example, I have some project ideas that involve AI that require making thousands of requests to AI services. I’m also interested in projects that involve cluster computing (running code on hundreds of computers at once). These types of projects get expensive quickly and I would not normally be able to afford them.

Career Objectives:
 I hope to return to industry research and help deploy advanced cryptographic technologies to billions of users.

Community Service, Contributions to DEI, Volunteer Work: 
While at Meta, I participated in the Disability® resource group. One of the most meaningful things I did was talking to people with similar disabilities to mine about working at the company and helping them navigate starting a new job. In both Seattle and Washington, DC, I participated in their YIMBY organizations, which are groups that advocate for affordable housing and better transit. I have recently been participating in communities like ZK Hack, and PSE, which are communities where mostly non-academic people come to learn about my research area (zero knowledge proofs). Answering people’s questions and participating in discussions has been a fun way to grow our community and disseminate research.