About

Juan Garay is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at Texas A&M University. His research interests include cryptography and information security, cryptographic protocols and schemes, secure multiparty computation, cryptocurrencies and blockchain protocols, cryptography and game theory, network security, distributed computing, consensus problems, and algorithms. He serves as the Associate Director of the Global Cyber Research Institute at Texas A&M University. Garay has been recognized as a Fellow of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR) in 2018. His work has contributed significantly to the fields of cryptography and security, with notable publications analyzing blockchain protocols, resource-restricted cryptography, and cryptographic protocols against incentive-driven adversaries.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Computer Security
• Artificial Intelligence
• Mathematics
• Distributed computing
• Theoretical computer science
• Database
• Computer network
• Medicine
• Data science

Selected publications

• Universally Composable Almost-Everywhere Secure Computation

  Journal of Cryptology · 2026-01-01 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Utilização da Teoria das Potências Instantâneas no Controle Desacopladodos Braços Superiores e Inferiores de um Conversor Multinível Modular

  2026-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Modular multilevel converters (MMC) have been established as the main topology for VSC-HVDC transmission systems. However, MMC operation presents challenges such as submodule voltage balancing and circulating current compensation. Thus, this work investigates the performance of an alternative MMC control method based on the instantaneous power theory, aiming to mitigate internal currents without compromising the converter’s operational performance. The proposed method treats the MMC as two independent converters, correspond- ing to the upper and lower arms. The proposed strategy is evaluated through digital simulations of an MMC with 18 SM per arm, and the results obtained from simulations in PSCAD/EMTDC are used to validate the theoretical analyses.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• State Machine Replication

  2025-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Robust and Verifiable MPC with Applications to Linear Machine Learning Inference

  ArXiv.org · 2025-05-31

  preprintOpen access

  In this work, we present an efficient secure multi-party computation MPC protocol that provides strong security guarantees in settings with dishonest majority of participants who may behave arbitrarily. Unlike the popular MPC implementation known as SPDZ [Crypto '12], which only ensures security with abort, our protocol achieves both complete identifiability and robustness. With complete identifiability, honest parties can detect and unanimously agree on the identity of any malicious party. Robustness allows the protocol to continue with the computation without requiring a restart, even when malicious behavior is detected. Additionally, our approach addresses the performance limitations observed in the protocol by Cunningham et al. [ICITS '17], which, while achieving complete identifiability, is hindered by the costly exponentiation operations required by the choice of commitment scheme. Our protocol is based on the approach by Rivinius et al. [S&P '22], utilizing lattice-based commitment for better efficiency. We achieved robustness with the help of a semi-honest trusted third party. We benchmark our robust protocol, showing the efficient recovery from parties' malicious behavior. Finally, we benchmark our protocol on a ML-as-a-service scenario, wherein clients off-load the desired computation to the servers, and verify the computation result. We benchmark on linear ML inference, running on various datasets. While our efficiency is slightly lower compared to SPDZ's, we offer stronger security properties that provide distinct advantages.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Strategy to Compensate Internal Currents of Modular Multilevel Converters Based on Independent Control of the Upper and Lower Arms

  2025-10-05

  article

  This paper presents a novel control strategy for a modular multilevel converter, in which the upper and lower arms are regulated as independent converters. The proposed method employs instantaneous power theory, adapted for three-phase four-wire systems, to derive the reference currents of the upper and lower arms in order to achieve the accurate power distribution. A sorting algorithm ranks the submodules according to their DC capacitor voltages, ensuring the voltage balancing among them. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is validated through PSCAD/EMTDC digital simulations. The results confirm the controller's capability to supply both active and reactive power at the converter terminals while significantly suppressing circulating currents in the modular multilevel converter's arms. Furthermore, the decoupled control strategy is benchmarked against a conventional direct control method designed in the synchronous reference frame.

  PublisherDOI

• Robust and Verifiable MPC with Applications to Linear Machine Learning Inference

  Lecture notes in computer science · 2025-11-23

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• State Machine Replication Among Strangers, Fast and Self-sufficient

  Lecture notes in computer science · 2025-01-01

  book-chapterOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• NISQ Security and Complexity via Simple Classical Reasoning

  ArXiv.org · 2025-09-11

  preprintOpen access

  We give novel lifting theorems for security games in the quantum random oracle model (QROM) in Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) settings such as the hybrid query model, the noisy oracle and the bounded-depth models. We provide, for the first time, a hybrid lifting theorem for hybrid algorithms that can perform both quantum and classical queries, as well as a lifting theorem for quantum algorithms with access to noisy oracles or bounded quantum depth. At the core of our results lies a novel measure-and-reprogram framework, called hybrid coherent measure-and-reprogramming, tailored specifically for hybrid algorithms. Equipped with the lifting theorem, we are able to prove directly NISQ security and complexity results by calculating a single combinatorial quantity, relying solely on classical reasoning. As applications, we derive the first direct product theorems in the average case, in the hybrid setting-i.e., an enabling tool to determine the hybrid hardness of solving multi-instance security games. This allows us to derive in a straightforward manner the NISQ hardness of various security games, such as (i) the non-uniform hardness of salted games, (ii) the hardness of specific cryptographic tasks such as the multiple instance version of one-wayness and collision-resistance, and (iii) uniform or non-uniform hardness of many other games.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Byzantine Agreement

  2025-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Abstract 3873: Uncovering key regulators of OSCC invasion: A pathway to novel therapeutic strategies

  Cancer Research · 2025-04-21

  article

  Abstract Recurrence and metastasis are the primary drivers of poor prognosis in patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC), even after aggressive surgical interventions. To uncover the genetic regulators of OSCC invasion and migration, we conducted a first-of-its-kind genome-wide CRISPR screen. This screen identified several key players involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a critical process in tumor progression and metastasis. Among the top hits was EDIL3, a gene that codes for a secreted protein that promotes EMT and chemotherapy resistance by interacting with integrin receptors in the extracellular matrix. Though previously implicated in other cancers, EDIL3’s role in OSCC has not been described. Additionally, our screen highlighted NISCH as the top anti-invasion hit, a gene whose expression is positively correlated with survival in head and neck cancers, including OSCC. NISCH appears to inhibit EDIL3-driven invasion by interfering with integrin-mediated signaling, potentially via a FAK and WNT5a-dependent mechanism. Current work is focused on characterizing EDIL3 and NISCH knockouts to validate their roles in OSCC migration and invasion. Functional assays such as spheroid formation and wound healing experiments are being performed to assess the impact of these knockouts on tumor cell behavior. Additionally, we are investigating FDA-approved drugs targeting these pathways to explore immediate translational potential. This research represents a novel approach to identifying genetic drivers of cancer metastasis and offers promising avenues for the development of targeted therapies for OSCC to reduce recurrence and improve patient outcomes. Citation Format: Guillermo Flores, Slyn Uaroon, Juan A. Raygoza Garay, Marisa R. Buchakjian. Uncovering key regulators of OSCC invasion: A pathway to novel therapeutic strategies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 3873.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Aggelos Kiayias

  University of Edinburgh

  38 shared

• Rafail Ostrovsky

  33 shared

• Vassilis Zikas

  Purdue University System

  30 shared

• Moti Yung

  Columbia University

  17 shared

• Piotr Berman

  15 shared

• Vladimir Kolesnikov

  13 shared

• Philip MacKenzie

  Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg

  12 shared

• Shlomi Dolev

  11 shared

Labs

• Juan A. GarayPI

Awards & honors

• IACR (International Association for Cryptologic Research) Fe…