Workshop on Algebraic Statistics and the Study of Multistate Models
26. February 2025
This workshop will bring together experts in algebraic statistics and survival and event history analysis. The primary goal is to introduce participants to the fundamental concepts of both fields. The program includes introductory mini-courses on April 2–3, while April 1 and 4 will focus on discussions aimed at fostering connections between the two areas. This workshop is open to researchers at all levels who are interested in exploring the intersection of algebraic statistics and survival and event history analysis.
Invited speakers:
• Marina Garrote-López (KTH Royal Institute of Technology)
• Hakon K. Gjessing (University of Bergen)
• Carlotta Langer (Hamburg University of Technology)
• Aida Maraj (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics)
You can find more information about the workshop here:
https://www.kaiekubjas.com/algstatmsm/We look forward to welcoming you in the Helsinki capital region.
The organizers
Kaie Kubjas (Aalto University)
Sangita Kulathinal (University of Helsinki)
Fatemeh Mohammadi (KU Leuven)
Public defence in the field of Mathematics and Statistics, M.Sc. David Adame Carrillo 25.2.2025
31. January 2025
Title of the thesis: Lattice models and conformal field theory
Doctoral student: David Adame Carrillo
Opponent: Professor Alessandro Giuliani, Universita degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy
Custos: Professor Kalle Kytölä, Aalto University School of Science, Department of Mathematics and Systems Analysis
Statistical mechanics is the classical branch of Physics and Mathematics that studies ensembles of a large number of microscopic entities. The purpose of statistical mechanics is the inference of macroscopic properties of a model from its microscopic degrees of freedom by conceiving the system probabilistically.
Since the 1980s, it has been known to physicists that the macroscopic properties of statistical models at a critical point can be described by quantum field theories with conformal symmetries, nowadays known as conformal field theories.
The object of this thesis is the mathematical description of the connection between statistical mechanics and conformal field theories in two dimensions. The key insight underpinning the results of this thesis is that, by carving the appropriate discrete complex analysis tools, one can conceive a critical lattice model as a discrete version of a conformal field theory.
Keywords: mathematical physics, statistical mechanics, conformal field theory
Thesis available for public display 10 days prior to the defence at:
https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/doc_public/eonly/riiputus/Doctoral theses at the School of Science:
https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/52
Summer internships at the department in 2025
10. January 2025
The summer internship application period has started and you will find the job ad
here.
The deadline is on 26 January at 23:59 EET (UTC+2).
Public defence in Mathematics, M.Sc. (Tech) Pihla Karanko Sept. 19, 2024
9. September 2024
Doctoral student: Pihla Karanko
Opponent: Assistant Professor Pavel Hubáček, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
Custos: Associate Professor Chris Brzuska, Aalto University School of Science, Department of Mathematics and Systems Analysis
Cryptography uses mathematical models to simulate real-world scenarios involving secrecy. Since we cannot know what an adversary might do (e.g. use supercomputers to break encryption), researchers try to model worst-case scenarios. Security is defined through "games" where a powerful unspecified adversarial algorithm attempts to break the system under controlled conditions. For example, in studying pseudorandom functions (PRFs), the adversary tries to distinguish between true PRF outputs and random bitstrings. If the adversary cannot guess correctly more than 50 % of the time, the PRF in question is considered secure.
Currently, no algorithm is proven to satisfy the rigorous security definitions for PRFs or other cryptographic tools. Instead, real-life systems rely on plausible candidates that have withstood extensive scrutiny. This reliance on unproven assumptions motivates efforts to reduce and better understand them. E.g. a PRF can be built from a one-way function (OWF), a tool with a simpler security definition.
Main Results:
- The thesis studies ways to get a OWF from a weaker (i.e. easier to break) OWF. We show that the existing methods are likely optimal in efficiency, highlighting the importance of the input distribution in such security amplification techniques. - We transform a weak PRF into a strong one using a special technique. This approach has practical applications in secure password handling, allowing more efficient authentication, where the user does not need to reveal the password to the server it is authenticating to.
- We propose a modification to a popular public key encryption mechanism, Fujisaki-Okamoto (FO) Transform, used in post-quantum secure encryption schemes. Our modification provides a more robust security proof.
- We propose a new security definition for garbling which is a method that allows outsourcing computations to untrusted servers without revealing the function or data. Our definition ensures strong security and efficient input encoding, overcoming current limitations when garbling cryptographic functions, useful for maintaining security when multiple servers encrypt a message jointly and one server becomes corrupted.
Key words: theoretical cryptography, one-way function, pseudorandom function
Thesis available for public display 10 days prior to the defence at: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/doc_public/eonly/riiputus/
Contact information:
Email pihla.karanko@aalto.fi
Doctoral theses at the School of Science: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/52
Armaan Hooda spent one day as a math professor in Aalto
30. August 2024
Here you can read the whole article with Armaan's interview on Aalto's website.
Page content by: webmaster-math [at] list [dot] aalto [dot] fi
