Don Coppersmith

A cryptographer and mathematician, Don Coppersmith was one of the world's leading researchers in cryptography. He was part of the IBM team that developed the Data Encryption Standard (DES). Used in financial and Internet applications since 1977, DES is an established U.S. government standard for commercial encryption. Coppersmith was involved in the design of the DES block cipher at IBM, particularly the design of the S-boxes, strengthening them against differential cryptanalysis.

One of his most significant breakthroughs in cryptanalysis was his ultra-fast algorithm for computing discrete logarithms, as well as the cryptanalysis of RSA, methods for rapid matrix multiplication (Coppersmith–Winograd algorithm), and IBM's MARS cipher. He was also a co-designer of the SEAL and Scream ciphers.

In 1972, he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Coppersmith earned his Master's degree and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Mathematics in 1975 and 1977 respectively. He was a Putnam Fellow each year from 1968–1971, becoming the first four-time Putnam Fellow in history.

In 1998, he started Ponder This, an online monthly column on mathematical puzzles and problems. In October 2005, the column was taken over by James Shearer. In 2002, Coppersmith won the RSA Security Award for Mathematics for his work in the field of cryptography. His work in the area of block cipher cryptology contributed to the Data Encryption Standard (DES), which served as the cryptographic standard for over twenty-five years and enabled secure communications and commerce.

As one of the industry's most prestigious awards, the RSA Security Award for Mathematics recognizes innovation and ongoing contributions to the field of cryptography. RSA Security also presented awards for Industry and Public Policy contributions. The selection committee, which included members of the industry, academic community, and public sector, identified nominees who were pioneers in their field and whose work had applied value. Along with being an IEEE Fellow, Coppersmith was a four-time winner of the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition and a recipient of an IBM Outstanding Innovation Award.