Scott Vanstone
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Contents |
Introduction
Dr. Scott Vanstone (born in Chatham, Ontario, Sept. 14, 1947) is a Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Waterloo and one of the founders of Certicom, a cryptography company founded in 1985. He is currently the Executive Vice-President Strategic Technology at Certicom and oversees all research, which has generated over 350 patents for the company. He also sits on Certicom's Board of Directors.
Scott recieve his Bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1970, his master's degree in mathematics in 1970 and his PhD in mathematics in 1974, all from the University of Waterloo, in Toronto.
Areas of research
Dr. Vanstone's research interests include elliptic curve cryptography, finite fields and combinatorial design theory. Today, he is largely focused on the efficient implementation of the elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) for the provision of information security services in handheld computers, smart cards, wireless devices, and integrated circuits. Due in part to his work, ECC is now in almost every major security standard in the world and was last year licensed by the National Security Agency (NSA) as the standard used to protect U.S. government communications.
Scott has published more than 250 research papers and several books on topics such as cryptography, coding theory, finite fields, finite geometry, and combinatorial designs. He is a co-author of the Handbook of Applied Cryptography and the upcoming Guide to Elliptic Curve Cryptography. Dr. Vanstone also holds the NSERC/Pitney Bowes Senior Chair of Cryptography at the University of Waterloo, where he is also Executive Director of the Centre for Applied Cryptographic Research. In 1998, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Vanstone received the University of Waterloo's prestigious award for Excellence in Research in 2004. Upon receiving the award, Dr. Vanstone said, "I'm fortunate that I can practice leading-edge mathematics that has practical applications. Not every mathematician has that opportunity. I'm honored to receive this award and to work with dedicated teams on a technology that is expanding the parameters of how sensitive and valuable information can be secured."
He is the former editor in chief of Design, Codes & Cryptography and he is a member of the International Association for Cryptographic Research and Institute for Combinatorics and Applications.
Awards and accolades
- NSERC/Pitney Bowes Industrial Research Chair
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Sciences.
- 2004 University of Waterloo Award for Excellence in Research
- 2001 RSA Award in Mathematics
External links
- Certicom's website - http://www.certicom.com/
- Dr. Vanstone's website - http://www.cacr.math.uwaterloo.ca/people/faculty/vanstone.html
- Handbook of Applied Cryptography (Free download)
- Guide to Elliptic Curve Crytography (Excerpts)
- Interview with Dr. Vanstone
