International Association for Cryptologic Research

International Association
for Cryptologic Research

IACR 2025 Election

The 2025 election is being held to fill four Officer positions and three of nine Director positions and to approve a small modification to the Bylaws.

Election of Officers and Directors

The positions of the election are as follows.

Position Incumbent
Director Shai Halevi
Director Bart Preneel
Director Peter Schwabe
President Michel Abdalla
Vice President Allison Bishop
Treasurer Brian LaMacchia
Secretary Benjamin Wesolowski

The election is conducted electronically from October 17 through November 16 using the Helios cryptographically-verifiable election system. If you are interested, see an overview of how the Helios system works .

Nominations were due by Oct. 1st, 2025 and are now closed . If you have any questions regarding the nominations, please contact the Election Committee at email address hidden .

Candidates for Election in 2025

The four officers of the IACR for the period 2026 to 2028 are to be elected in the 2025 election. The candidates are listed in randomized order each time this page is loaded.

President

Allison Bishop

Statement: There are many things I love about the IACR community: our authentic curiosity, our insistent cultivation of clarity in the midst of complexity, our collaborative spirit, and of course, our rump sessions. We are a community who comes together to solve problems, and at the moment, we have several good problems to solve!

First we need to embrace the fact that our community is growing, and that publication and conference formats that have gotten us this far are reaching their limits and in need of evolution. The IACR’s operational reliance on volunteer labor is also quickly reaching a breaking point. The next few years represent a precious opportunity for us to put in place more scalable structures that can support our community for the decades to come.
I believe we’ll navigate this period most successfully by focusing on two things: 1) broad community involvement and 2) prioritizing the needs of students and young researchers. Evolution of our operations, publications, and events is not something that should be dictated top-down, but rather something that should be driven by the feedback of the community. This is why I have been involved in the membership survey we recently put out, and am excited to analyze and share the results. If elected President, I also plan to hold monthly online office hours to enable direct feedback from our membership, at rotating times to accommodate differing time zones.
I also believe that we should view potential changes and initiatives through the lens of our community’s long-term future, which is best served by supporting students and young researchers. If elected, I will work on securing more sources of funding to make it easier for students to attend our conferences when they want to, and finding more ways to showcase young researchers that don’t require travel.
I have been serving on the IACR board now for the past 5 years, first as a general chair of Crypto and then as Vice President. I am also the creator and recurring general chair of CFAIL. I am currently the co-founder and President of Proof Trading, a finance startup that does public-facing scientific research, and a part-time visiting professor of computer science at City College, CUNY. I was formerly an assistant professor of computer science at Columbia University, and a quantitative researcher at a US stock exchange. I believe my combination of industry and academic experience, as well as my continuing service to the IACR community, qualifies me for the office of President, though I recognize that it is a challenging and humbling position. I love our community, and I want to see it continue to grow. In many ways, I think we can do better than we’ve done. I also think we have a lot to be proud of and to preserve. I would be honored to serve as IACR President, and would do so with my whole heart.
Longer statement: none supplied
Home page: https://www.thecomputersciencecomedian.com/

Vice-President

Mayank Varia

Statement: I joined IACR in 2008 and I currently serve on the IACR Board as CRYPTO 2026 general chair. My goals if elected: improve research openness and visibility, strengthen the culture of our interdisciplinary field, keep our close-knit community as conferences grow, and ensure that events are accessible and safe for all.
Longer statement: https://www.mvaria.com/#iacr
Home page: https://www.mvaria.com/

Francois-Xavier Standaert

Statement: Having been a member of the IACR for more than 20 years, I’ve benefitted from all the services the association offers to its researchers and had the opportunity to collaborate with members of its different subcommunities. I also had experience as board member (director) for 6 years. Despite challenges (e.g., due to the growing size of our venues), I believe the IACR remains an exemplary organization in many respects, especially for the opportunities it offers to younger researchers worldwide. I’d be happy to further contribute to this goal.
Longer statement: https://perso.uclouvain.be/fstandae/IACR/
Home page: https://perso.uclouvain.be/fstandae/

Britta Hale

Statement: Having previously served the IACR as General Chair for CRYPTO (2023), with an associated two years as a member of the Board of Directors, further years on the IACR Ethics Committee, and on multiple PCs, I have a solid understanding of core logistical needs of the IACR as well as challenges it faces to support a research community with increasing growth and activity. Within those roles I have witnessed the substantial growth in publications and need to support wider diversity of thought, exploring the breadth of present-day directions in cryptography, especially where there are real-world implications. At the same time, I recognize the practical and logistical challenges of ensuring sufficient publication options and conference presentation opportunities to support that growth. One consideration of mine is how to sustain and support ways for students to build connections and create a sense of personal impact in the community even during such changes and natural expansion. Furthermore, I support broader representation of the real-world side of cryptographic applications and industry challenges; a cryptographic community whose research spans from fully theoretical work to fully applied, without gaps, and where cross-pollination of ideas within that breadth are encouraged. As VP, I will contribute my experience to the development and strengthening of the IACR in these areas and furthering the interests of the wide and vibrant community.
Longer statement: none supplied
Home page: none supplied

Treasurer

Brian LaMacchia

Statement: Dear fellow members of the IACR,

I have served as the IACR’s Treasurer since January 2017, and I seek your vote to continue in this role for another three-year term.
During the past three years, IACR Treasury has implemented two significant improvements/changes to IACR procedures:
1. Centralization of student travel stipend processing & payments
2. Direct payment of local expenses for many IACR events (depending on location)
Beginning with TCC 2023, IACR Treasury began centrally processing student travel stipend grants (awards) for all IACR events. Previously, General Chairs were responsible for directly reimbursing students for their claimed expenses, and the reimbursement processes varied by host institution, were often cumbersome, and in some cases required students to submit personal information beyond what was strictly necessary to process the reimbursement. Under the new system, General Chairs provide lists of students receiving awards and the amount of those awards to IACR Treasury, and students email copies of their receipts to stipends@iacr.org after they attend their event. Treasury then verifies the receipts and issues reimbursements to the students, and reimbursements are almost always issued in the student’s choice of local currency.
The second significant change that’s happened over the past three years has been IACR Treasury taking on the role of “local banker” for an increasing number of IACR events, which has been driven by two factors. First, in many countries it is getting increasingly difficult to open a local bank account for a transient event, especially when that event is organized by a “foreign” entity. Second, recent improvements in online foreign exchange services have made it much easier, quicker, and cheaper for IACR Treasury to directly pay non-US vendors in their local currency.
For the next three-year term, the two projects I have planned for IACR Treasury are (1) to enable the IACR to charge some conference registration fees in non-USD currencies (in particular, EUR), and (2) to enable the IACR to receive SEPA payments for EUR-denominated charges. These two projects are related and will require work from both IACR Treasury and Membership (the Membership Secretary owns the registration platform that we use for our events). Today, all IACR events are ultimately budgeted in USD and registration fees are set in USD, which introduces some foreign exchange inefficiencies and currency fluctuation risk for non-USD events. For eurozone events in particular, if we had the ability to budget and charge in EUR, we could avoid extraneous currency conversions (especially for attendees from euro-using countries). Further, by enabling SEPA payments, we would be able to accept direct bank transfers for EUR-denominated charges from EUR accounts, avoiding credit card processing (and the associated 3–4% fees) entirely.
We have greatly improved the efficiency of the IACR’s financial systems over the past nine years, but there is more modernization work to do. I am running for another term as Treasurer to continue improving our financial infrastructure and administering the IACR’s assets in a fiscally sound and prudent manner.
Longer statement: http://www.brianlamacchia.net/iacr.html
Home page: http://www.brianlamacchia.net/

Secretary

Benjamin Wesolowski

Statement: After serving a first term as IACR Secretary, I hope to continue in this role for a second term. My priority as Secretary is to preserve the transparency and openness of the IACR. As our community grows, so does the activity of the Board of Directors, and I will strive for efficient communication between the Board and the community.

As a member of the Board, I wish to continue addressing the challenges posed by the growth of our community in light of this summer’s Member Survey on IACR Publishing and Conferences. My priorities for the IACR are:
- Open and effective dissemination of high-quality research in cryptology;
- A supportive and engaging environment for students and early-career researchers, as well as for researchers across all regions of the globe; and
- Fostering connections across sub-communities, and with neighboring research communities.
Longer statement: https://bweso.com/
Home page: https://bweso.com/

Director

Three will be elected from the candidates listed below.

Shai Halevi

Statement: I have been an active member of the IACR since my first CRYPTO in 1995. I am an IACR fellow, and over the years I served the IACR as membership secretary, director, vice president, the chair of the TCC steering committee, and a program chair of TCC and CRYPTO. I also contributed in other ways to the services that IACR provided to its members (such as my websubrev system that the IACR was using until a few years ago).

The IACR must keep serving our research community and supporting the work that we do in the advancement of science, even in today's uncertain world. We need to find creative ways of using our resources to support collaboration of researchers when budgets are cut and global travel becomes more restricted. It is upon us to maintain a sense of community among scientists in a world full of strife and divisions, and stand for the pursuit of truth even when so many embrace falsehoods.
But perhaps our largest challenge is adjusting to the AI revolution, where the very meaning of creativity and discovery seems to be shifting. With the rest of the scientific world, we must navigate the new reality in which machines can express ideas. In the next few years we would need to re-establish what it means to be a human scientist, and what rules should apply to our interactions with these expressive machines in pursuit of our craft.
As a director I will use my experience to help strike a balance between changes we need and the spirit that we want to maintain, with our unique blend of mathematics, computer science, and engineering. My first priority as a director will be setting policies to help maintain the high quality of our research, even as we explore new directions. I will also work to enhance the services that the IACR offers to the cryptology research community, protect our ability to support open research in cryptology, and stand for civility of discourse and mutual respect.
Longer statement: https://shaih.github.io/iacr-statement-2025.html
Home page: https://shaih.github.io

Bart Preneel

Statement: The IACR is a community with a rich history and a bright future. I joined the IACR in 1989 and have had the privilege of serving on the Board since 1997 in various roles—including Director, Vice-President, and President. Over the past 28 years, I have attended every full-day Board of Directors meeting (held before Crypto and Eurocrypt) and nearly all monthly meetings. I currently serve as Program Chair Liaison and as a member of the Ethics Committee.

Based on this track record, I kindly ask for your support to continue serving the IACR and our community as Director.
My priorities remain:
1. Upholding the highest scientific quality in our conferences and publications
2. Advancing open-access publishing initiatives
3. Strengthening international and student participation
4. Safeguarding the freedom of research in cryptology
5. Fostering strong collaboration between academia and industry
Scientific contributions
I have published extensively in IACR venues and served as Program (Co-)Chair for FSE, CHES, and Eurocrypt, as well as on numerous program committees. I have supervised PhD students who are now active IACR members across 10 countries. I am a co-founder of FSE and have served on the steering committees of both FSE and CHES.
I helped introduce the hybrid journal/conference model for ToSC/FSE, which has since been adopted by CHES; I also served as Co-Editor-in-Chief in ToSC’s inaugural year. This model has proven highly successful for both events. Additionally, I coordinated several large collaborative projects (under the “ECRYPT” banner), which contributed to building a strong European cryptographic community through Summer Schools and exchange programs. This model has since been embraced by IACR to support high-quality Summer Schools worldwide.
Longer statement: https://homes.esat.kuleuven.be/~preneel/iacr25.html
Home page: https://www.esat.kuleuven.be/cosic/people/person/?u=u0003308

Adeline Roux-Langlois

Statement: As an IACR member for over a dozen years, I appreciate our community and the opportunities it provides to connect with other researchers. I believe that a supportive and inclusive environment is important for moving our field forward and enhancing the excellent research our community is already known for.

My goal as a director will be to promote more diversity and support women and underrepresented minorities in research, and to contribute to creating a kind and respectful community where everyone feels comfortable.
Longer statement: none supplied
Home page: https://langloi227.users.greyc.fr/

Nadim Kobeissi

Statement: I am seeking election to the IACR Board of Directors to champion transparency, global inclusion, and meaningful reform within our institution. As a researcher and practitioner with extensive experience across academia and industry, I bring a unique perspective that can help bridge the divides currently limiting our collective impact.

The IACR membership deserves clear visibility into organizational decision-making and resource allocation. I will advocate for enhanced transparency measures including timely publication of meeting minutes, comprehensive financial reporting, and establishment of robust accountability frameworks. Strong governance structures build member confidence and ensure we operate with the highest standards of integrity.
As a Lebanese IACR member, I understand firsthand the challenges facing researchers from developing regions. I will serve as a dedicated advocate for members from underrepresented areas, particularly Latin America, the Middle East, and other regions often excluded from our activities. True inclusion requires more than rhetoric. It demands active outreach, sustained engagement, and structural change. I will push for decentralizing IACR activities away from US-centric focus, advocating for events in countries with lower financial barriers and fewer visa restrictions, while exploring options to relocate our legal structure to more neutral, globally representative locations.
The IACR must remain permanently focused on cryptologic research and education. I am committed to ensuring we avoid political entanglements unrelated to our core mission. Our strength lies in scientific excellence and international collaboration, not political positioning.
I will also work to strengthen relationships between the IACR and industry, fostering collaboration opportunities and sponsorships that benefit both academic research and practical cryptographic applications.
If elected, I pledge to work constructively with all members, even when we disagree. Effective governance requires respectful dialogue and finding common ground while advancing our shared mission. The cryptographic research community deserves leadership that reflects its diversity, understands its challenges, and can advocate effectively on the global stage.
I am ready to provide that leadership with energy, fresh perspectives, and evidence-based governance.
For additional information on my platform and personal qualifications, please review my longer candidate statement.
Longer statement: https://nadim.computer/res/pdf/campaign-statement.pdf
Home page: https://nadim.computer/

Peter Schwabe

Statement: # Candidacy for a position as Director (IACR elections 2025)

I am a scientific director at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy in Bochum, Germany, and a professor at Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. I have been an IACR member since 2009 and serve on the IACR Board of Directors since 2020. In 2018 I organized CHES in Amsterdam together with Ileana Buhan; in 2021 I was CHES program co-chair together with Elke De Mulder; and in 2022 I organized RWC in Amsterdam together with Lejla Batina and Joan Daemen (both Radboud University). I am currently a member of the Steering Committees of CHES and RWC.
## The engineering side of crypto
Probably most IACR members would see me as a crypto engineer and given that most of my IACR publications are at CHES this is a pretty adequate characterisation. My motivation for working on cryptography comes from real-world challenges and therefore my goal as Director is to represent the real-world or engineering side of crypto on the Board.
## Supporting regional conferences
While the IACR general conferences and area conferences are certainly the most important venues for our community to meet, we should also keep in mind the importance of the regional conferences like SAC, Indocrypt, Latincrypt, and Africacrypt. I have served on many of the program committees of these conferences, and was program chair of Latincrypt 2019. One of my goals as Director of the IACR is to find ways to further support these events.
## Scaling of IACR events
One of the biggest challenges that the IACR currently faces results from the increasing number of submissions to our conferences. I am a member of the working group within the Board that aims at finding solutions to those challenges. What is important to me in these discussions is that our conferences remain venues for the community to meet and *confer* rather than rush through shorter and shorter talks in more and more sessions. Regarding publications, I am in favor of some sort of journal/conference hybrid model for the general conferences, following the positive experience we have made at ToSC/FSE and at TCHES/CHES.
## Availability and reproducibility of results
With the ePrint archive, three gold open-access journals, and a general culture of open-sourcing software, our community is doing a pretty good job at making our results available and reproducible for other researchers and the general public. However, this should not be a reason to not try to improve further in this regard. In my role as program chair of CHES 2021, and with the massive support of Elke De Mulder, Douglas Stebila, and Kevin McCurley, we established a process for artifact evaluation at CHES and a repository for artifacts within the IACR. This approach to artifact evaluation has now been adopted to some extent also by other IACR venues and I would like to continue working on making artifact evaluation and publication a more standard feature of the IACR publication culture.
Longer statement: https://cryptojedi.org/peter/iacrbod.shtml
Home page: https://cryptojedi.org/peter/index.shtml

Modification of the Bylaws (Yes/No Question)

The Board proposes a set of modifications to the Bylaws. These changes pursue three main objectives:

The document Changes between current and proposed Bylaws exhaustively presents these modifications, highlighting all new text in blue and removed text in red. Green annotations provide additional explanations which will not appear in the final Bylaws. The revised Bylaws (without highlighting or comments) are available in the document Proposed New Bylaws.

How To Vote

The election will be conducted electronically from October 17th to November 16th using the Helios cryptographically-verifiable election system. Please see this overview of how the Helios system works and information on the IACR decision to adopt Helios.

2025 members of the IACR (generally people who attended an IACR conference in 2024) should have received a customized invitation to vote from system@heliosvoting.org with a subject line "Vote: IACR 2025 Election" sent to their email address of record with the IACR. (Members may update their email addresses and other information by visiting this page .)

That email message contains the Election URL: https://vote.heliosvoting.org/helios/e/IACR2025 , and in addition a username and password for voting in the elections. (Please notice that the system will only ask for your username and password at the end of the voting process, after you entered all your choices. )

The IACR uses an approval voting system, which means you can vote for as many candidates, for each role, who you approve of.

Election Committee