Our researchers are driving innovation across the entire hardware, software and network stack to make computer systems more reliable, efficient and secure.
From internet-scale networks, to next-generation chip designs, to deep learning frameworks and more, we build and refine the devices and applications that individuals, industries and, indeed, entire economies depend upon every day.
Research Groups & Labs
Security and Privacy Research Lab
The Security and Privacy Research Lab works on a variety of topics, ranging from studying and addressing security and privacy risks in existing technologies, to anticipating future risks in emerging technologies.
Cryptography Research Group
The Cryptography Group advances the foundations and applications of cryptography, including public-key and symmetric cryptography, obfuscation, attribute-based and functional encryption, secure multi-party computation, quantum cryptography and more.
Faculty Members
Centers & Initiatives
Molecular Engineering Materials Center (UW-MEMC)
MEM-C is a NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center that integrates materials innovations with theory and computation to advance spin-photonic nanostructures and elastic layered quantum materials, aided by an “AI Core” that integrates artificial intelligence-driven materials discovery.
Institute for Foundations of Data Science (IFDS)
IFDS organizes its research around four core themes: complexity, robustness, closed-loop data science, and ethics and algorithms. By making concerted progress on these fundamental fronts, IFDS aims to lower several of the barriers to better understanding of data science methodology and to its improved effectiveness and wider relevance to application areas.
Highlights
Allen School News
A team of Allen School researchers introduced computational illusion knitting — a design framework that helps automate the process, making illusion knitting more accessible and allowing for more complex and multi-view patterns like hidden Mona Lisas that were previously believed to be impossible.
Agents of Tech
Nivala, co-director of the Molecular Information Systems Lab (MISL), discusses the groundbreaking potential of DNA-based data storage and its role in the future of AI.
GeekWire
OctoAI, a UW startup that sells tools to help build and run generative AI models more efficiently, has been acquired by chip giant Nvidia. Allen School professor and OctoAI co-founder Luis Ceze joined Nvidia following the deal, which is the latest AI-related acquisition for the chipmaker.