Project Grant 2154705

This $200,000 National Science Foundation project grant will support research at the University of Maryland, College Park to develop foundational theories for quantum-secure cryptography and train students in a quantum perspective on the field. Funded through NSF's Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049), the three-year award period runs from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2025. Key research areas include security of symmetric-key primitives against quantum attackers, investigating the power of the quantum random-oracle model, and seeking to overcome existing impossibility results by exploring cryptosystems where honest parties use quantum computation but classical communication or classical constructions proven secure via quantum reductions. The University of Maryland will leverage its expertise in classical and post-quantum cryptography alongside quantum cryptography to address challenges in securing information in a post-quantum future with imminent quantum computers. Findings from this work will help establish standards for cryptography resilient against future quantum threats.