Katz Named UMD Distinguished Scholar-Teacher

Jonathan Katz, a professor of computer science and director of the Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2), has been named a University of Maryland Distinguished Scholar-Teacher for 2017–2018.

Since 1978, the Distinguished Scholar-Teacher program has honored a select group of UMD faculty who excel in research and scholarship.

The research interests of Katz—who has an appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS)—lie broadly in the areas of cryptography, computer and network security, and the science of security.

A recent example of Katz’s innovative approach to cyber education is a three-day workshop he co-organized for students, researchers, developers and professionals interested in learning about cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies. The Winter School, which was held Jan. 15–17, 2017 at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, featured a series of lectures addressing the underlying blockchain technology—an unalterable public ledger—that holds significant promise to change the future of financial transactions.

Katz is the sixth member of UMIACS to receive the Distinguished Scholar-Teacher recognition, joining Jack Minker (1997–1998), Rama Chellappa (2003–2004), Samir Khuller (2007–2008), Min Wu (2013-2014) and Mike Hicks (2015–2016).

As part of the award, Katz will give a campus-wide talk on a topic of his choosing later this year.