I'm a graduate student studying algebraic number theory with the ultimate goal of working on cryptographic problems, although I'm not sure in what capacity: private, public, or academic. Great to see some successful people in the field! I have a couple of logistical questions regarding your time working for the NSA and generally in encryption.
I'm not sure you can answer this one, but I figure it's worth a shot. I have a friend (a fellow mathematician) who worked at the NSA as an intern a while back and mentioned that in his experience there is far less intrusion in civilian data than people make out to be in the news. Do you think the NSA is unfairly represented in the media? To that end, what are your opinions on Edward Snowden's actions?
Could you talk a little bit about your experience in private industry encryption? The thing I love about cryptography is its immediate applications of pure math to something so relevant today, but when I look for encryption work that doesn't require a doctorate in mathematics, I generally see very little pure math in the job description. What kind of math do you use in your work? Similarly, what kind of math did you use in the NSA?
polks1326 karma
Hey guys, thanks for doing the AMA!
I'm a graduate student studying algebraic number theory with the ultimate goal of working on cryptographic problems, although I'm not sure in what capacity: private, public, or academic. Great to see some successful people in the field! I have a couple of logistical questions regarding your time working for the NSA and generally in encryption.
I'm not sure you can answer this one, but I figure it's worth a shot. I have a friend (a fellow mathematician) who worked at the NSA as an intern a while back and mentioned that in his experience there is far less intrusion in civilian data than people make out to be in the news. Do you think the NSA is unfairly represented in the media? To that end, what are your opinions on Edward Snowden's actions?
Could you talk a little bit about your experience in private industry encryption? The thing I love about cryptography is its immediate applications of pure math to something so relevant today, but when I look for encryption work that doesn't require a doctorate in mathematics, I generally see very little pure math in the job description. What kind of math do you use in your work? Similarly, what kind of math did you use in the NSA?
What's your favorite prime number and why?
Thanks again guys!
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