Shafi Goldwasser: Mastering Computer Science and Data Security

Computer Science - Laureate for North America

Professor Shafi Goldwasser is awarded for her pioneering work in theoretical computer science and cryptography, a rapidly expanding field exploring the myriad ways to protect digital information. Her outstanding contribution to ensuring the integrity, authenticity and confidentially of digital information is of fundamental importance at a time of profound and growing concerns over cyberattacks and data privacy.

As a child growing up in Israel, Prof. Goldwasser was interested in becoming a fiction writer, but soon transitioned to science, inspired by her dynamic and encouraging physics and mathematics teachers, and the lure of scientific reasoning. Her passion for cryptography began during her years as a graduate student, when she was fascinated by the ability to leverage basic number theory to emulate fundamental paradigms - such as secrecy, simultaneity, unpredictability and fairness - in a digital context. Both the United States and her native Israel have helped shape her scientific development, and she recognizes the positive, galvanizing effect of international collaborators and encouraging, supportive colleagues.

As a woman in science, Professor Goldwasser notes the difficulty of being taken seriously or perceived as equal at times, early in her career, but even later too. She made it clear to her peers and colleagues that she was “someone to be listened to and reckoned with”. She credits the leading women scientists of today with both tenacity and brilliance, praising their ability to rise above derogatory, discriminatory attitudes and harness intuition, integrity and collaboration to prevail in their fields.

"We must keep raising this disparity throughout our scientific community to emphasize the need for change, supported by evidence. Achieving gender equality in science will lead to better science, a better workforce, and better educated children in future generations.”