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nadim@infosec.exchange ("Nadim Kobeissi") wrote:
After a journey that took me from Lebanon at age 17 to earning my PhD in France and working across the global cryptography landscape, I'm thrilled to announce I'll be returning for four months to present a new Applied Cryptography course at the American University of Beirut for the Fall 2025 semester.
This opportunity to contribute to cryptography education in Lebanon represents a deeply personal mission for me. In today's digital world, cryptographic expertise opens doors to innovation, research opportunities, and solutions to complex security challenges, in addition to being an intellectually stimulating field on its own merits. Lebanese students have just as much potential, and can contribute just as much as those from countries with leading educational institutions in cryptography, and I plan to prove that through my course's results and the performance of its graduating class.
The curriculum bridges theory and practice, covering:
- Foundational cryptographic principles and mathematical frameworks, including the provable security mindset, taught using state-separable proofs.
- Practical implementation of stream ciphers, hash functions, and authenticated encryption.
- Real-world applications in secure messaging, zero-knowledge systems and post-quantum cryptography.
- Hands-on labs where students will learn cutting-edge techniques, including on high-assurance cryptography and automated verification tools such as Tamarin.My students will develop both rigorous theoretical understanding and practical skills to evaluate, design, and implement cryptographic solutions for tomorrow's security challenges.
I'm excited to share knowledge and experiences from my career with Lebanese students who are already part of a rich academic tradition, helping to further strengthen connections between Lebanon and the global cryptographic community.
My course's comprehensive website includes all the information you could possibly want out of the course, and will host all course materials in an open access format: https://appliedcryptography.page
I'll be attending Eurocrypt this week in Madrid and would welcome conversations with colleagues about curriculum development, research collaborations, or simply sharing experiences in cryptography education. Feel free to reach out!