Oded Goldreich (Hebrew: עודד גולדרייך; born 1957) is a professor of computer science at the faculty of mathematics and computer science at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. His research focuses on the theory of computation, including how randomness and computation work together, the basic ideas behind cryptography, and how difficult problems are to solve with computers. He received the Knuth Prize in 2017 and was chosen in 2021 to receive the Israel Prize in mathematics. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Biography

Goldreich earned a Doctor of Science degree in computer science from Technion in 1983 with Shimon Even as his advisor.

He has helped develop areas such as pseudorandomness, zero knowledge proofs, secure function evaluation, property testing, and other topics in cryptography and computational complexity.

He has also written several books, including: Foundations of Cryptography (two volumes, published in 2001 and 2004), Computational Complexity: A Conceptual Perspective (2008), and Modern Cryptography, Probabilistic Proofs and Pseudorandomness (1998).

Awards

Goldreich received the Knuth Prize in 2017 for important and long-lasting work in theoretical computer science. His research has influenced many areas, such as cryptography, randomness, probabilistically checkable proofs, inapproximability, property testing, and complexity theory. In addition to his research, Goldreich has written many survey articles and high-quality textbooks that have helped advance these fields. He has made key discoveries, introduced new ideas, and guided future research. Goldreich has been a major influence on the theoretical computer science community for 30 years.

In 2021, Goldreich was chosen by a committee to receive the Israel Prize in mathematics. However, Education Minister Yoav Gallant blocked his selection, citing Goldreich’s alleged support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. One reason for the decision was a letter Goldreich signed, urging the German parliament not to compare BDS with anti-Semitism. Goldreich explained that he did not support BDS but had signed a petition to stop EU funding for an Israeli university located in the occupied West Bank. The prize committee asked the Supreme Court of Israel to ensure Goldreich would receive the prize.

On April 8, 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gallant’s request, allowing him additional time to review the issue. On April 11, 2021, David Harel, a 2004 Israel Prize winner, shared his award with Goldreich in protest of the government’s decision not to give Goldreich the 2021 prize. In August 2021, the Supreme Court stated that the Education Minister should consider new information he had received about a petition Goldreich signed, which had been made public two weeks earlier. This meant the issue would be handled by the new Education Minister, Yifat Shasha-Biton.

In November 2021, Shasha-Biton announced she would block Goldreich from receiving the prize. In December 2021, Attorney General Mandelblit told the High Court that Goldreich should be given the Israel Prize in Mathematics, despite Shasha-Biton’s decision.

In an editorial, the Jerusalem Post wrote that Goldreich’s “calling for the boycott of professional colleagues … is a red line that shouldn’t be crossed.” A Haaretz editorial stated that Shasha-Biton’s decision meant “the most prestigious prize awarded by Israel will not be the mark of scientific excellence but of loyalty to the government.” In March 2022, the High Court of Israel ruled that the 2021 prize must be awarded to Goldreich.

Personal life

He is married to Dana Ron, a computer scientist at Tel Aviv University. He has worked with Ron on approximation algorithms.