A breakthrough in randomness extraction has earned recognition through the 2025 Gödel Prize. The research focuses on generating reliable randomness from weak sources—an essential advancement for secure computing, cryptography, and algorithm design. This fundamental work marks a significant step forward in the field of theoretical computer science.
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Eshan Chattopadhyay, an Indian-origin computer scientist and associate professor at Cornell University, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Gödel Prize—one of the top honors in theoretical computer science. He shares the prize with David Zuckerman from the University of Texas at Austin for their groundbreaking work on randomness extraction, which plays a key role in encryption, cybersecurity, and algorithm development.
Eshan Chattopadhyay was raised in India and completed his undergraduate studies at IIT Kanpur, one of the country’s premier engineering institutes. He pursued his PhD at the University of Texas at Austin, where David Zuckerman mentored him. After that, he held research positions at institutions such as UC Berkeley, Microsoft Research, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
He received the award for his groundbreaking research paper titled “Explicit Two-Source Extractors and Resilient Functions.” The paper tackles a major challenge in computer science—creating high-quality randomness from unreliable sources—which is essential for secure computing and cryptographic systems.
In addition to the Gödel Prize, Eshan Chattopadhyay has been honored with the Sloan Research Fellowship and the NSF CAREER Award. He is also an active contributor to leading computer science conferences such as FOCS, STOC, and SODA. His work consistently advances the frontiers of theoretical computer science.
At a time when the spotlight is on Artificial Intelligence, Eshan’s accomplishment serves as a reminder that core scientific principles continue to drive the technology we depend on daily. His success is a moment of pride for the entire nation.
The Gödel Prize, named in honor of renowned logician Kurt Gödel, is jointly presented by ACM SIGACT and the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science. It recognizes research papers that have made significant and lasting contributions to the field of theoretical computer science.
The research focuses on randomness extraction—a core concept in computer science and cryptography. It aims to generate dependable randomness using two weak or imperfect random sources, addressing a long-standing challenge with wide-reaching impact on encryption, cybersecurity, and algorithm development.
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