Research Projects

Digital technology has revolutionized various domains, including payments, medical research, and weather prediction. Cryptography plays a crucial role in enabling efficiency, transparency, and collaboration among organizations. Traditional cryptography views all malicious players as machines, while Game-theory considers rational parties who maximize their utility. This approach is more realistic than traditional cryptography, which views all players as machines. Blockchains allow for digital smart contracts that can impose penalties on deviating parties. Researchers aim to explore two directions: making cryptographic protocols more efficient when parties are rational and not malicious, and designing them with a nuanced approach towards privacy. The goal is to identify and explore the deep connections between Game Theory and Cryptography, developing solutions for real-life situations. Using behavioral sciences, researchers aim to understand users' choices regarding privacy. No work has considered the utilities assigned to privacy concerns, and a rigorous study would provide fascinating insights. The project aims to study Cryptography for the Mind and not the Machine, collaborating with behavioural science experts to study the psychological dimensions of rational choice-making. The PI and co-PIs are highly qualified in Cryptography, Game-theory, and Blockchains, and they plan to collaborate with behavioral science experts to study the psychological dimensions of rational choice-making.