About

The “official statement”

I was born and raised in Pitești, a small city in Romania, and moved to the US in 2008. I was always fascinated with computers: playing on them, fixing them & programming them. I like to read and write. In fact, you can see some of my writing on this website and on Decentralized Thoughts.

I am currently the Head of Cryptography at Aptos Labs.

Before Aptos Labs, I was a Postdoctoral Researcher and then a Research Scientist at VMware Research.

Before VMware, I was a cryptography PhD student at MIT, advised by Srini Devadas.

Before MIT, I was building tamper-proof clouds and end-to-end encrypted outsourced file storage at Private Machines.

Research

My cryptography research interests are best reflected in my papers, some of my posts and talks, my “cryptomat” and this Call for Research.

I’ve led and thoroughly enjoyed research on:

keyless blockchain accounts
anonymous cryptocurrencies
tree-based vector commitments: AMTs and Hyperproofs
constant-sized vector commitments
fast threshold BLS signatures
Verkle trees
transparency logs
append-only logs on top of Bitcoin

I’ve also helped with, although not led, research on

The truth

Alin is a prolific slav-squatter. In his free time, he likes to play piano, ride motorcycles, and lift things up and put them back down again. Slowly. He also enjoys travelling, but only to destinations with total solar eclipses. Naturally, he dislikes clouds. (Please join him ~~in Antarctica, in 2021; or, in Winnemucca, Nevada on October 14th, 2023; or, in Austin, Texas, on April 8th, 2024~~ in Spain, on August 12th, 2026.)

The motorcycle(s)

~~Alin might buy a motorcycle and risk the few, still-functioning limbs in his body. Someone should convince him not to do this.~~

Update (July 2020): Alin purchased a 2017 Honda Rebel 500. He has never been more happy and frightened at the same time. Even after taking basic, intermediate and advanced riding clinics, he remains terrified. This is probably for the best. Wish him luck.

Update (October 2021 and March 2022): Since July 2020, Alin continues to have all his limbs. Encouraged by these developments, Alin has bought a 2019 BMW R1250GS. Soon after, he traded-in his Rebel 500 for a brand new 2022 Honda Rebel 1100 DCT. He is clearly disturbed. Someone please help him.

Update (April 2024): Alin is visiting Romania. He just finished a 2-week, cross-country motorcycling adventure, from California to Texas (and back). He is experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. His spirit is weak and he impulsively buys a CFMOTO 700 CL-X Sport. This bike is a walking contradiction: it has cool features like Brembo brakes, GPS tracking and bar-end mirrors but rides like s***, may have clutch issues, and sounds-and-feels like a coffee grinder.

Update (June 2024): Alin remains in one piece. Inspired by this turn of events, Alin has bought a 2024 Ducati Panigale V4S. At the time, the main thought going through his head was: “A good death is its own reward.” Please pray for him. (The Rebel 1100 and R1250GS have since been sold.)

Some fond memories below: