Dennis Hofheinz, Full Professor at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, has been awarded the Test of Time Award for his 2017 paper, co-authored with Professor Eike Kiltz (Ruhr-University Bochum) and Professor Kathrin Hövelmanns (Eindhoven University of Technology). The paper, “A Modular Analysis of the Fujisaki-Okamoto Transformation”, proved influential in the development of secure key encapsulation mechanisms and played a key role in the NIST postquantum cryptography competition.
The award was presented on 4 December 2025 in Aarhus, Denmark. The committee cited the work “for modular designs of secure key encapsulation mechanisms with tight bounds in both classical and quantum settings, enabling the KEM constructions used in the NIST PQC standard.” The researchers introduced a modular framework that converts weakly secure public-key encryption schemes into strongly secure ones, including in post quantum scenarios.
The TCC Test of Time Award recognises outstanding papers published at least eight years ago that have made a lasting impact on theoretical cryptography and influenced other areas of research. The award is presented annually at the Theory of Cryptography Conference (TCC), which has been held worldwide since 2004. TCC 2025, the 23rd edition of the conference, is organised by the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR).