Landau's algorithm, introduced in 1989, provided the first method for deciding which nested radicals can be denested. This technical contribution remains a staple in her research career, which spans mathematics, engineering, and cybersecurity policy. As an academic and analyst, she has navigated the intersection of government surveillance, data privacy, and the practical security of digital communications.
Academic Foundation
Born in New York City in 1954, Susan Landau attended the Bronx High School of Science. Her undergraduate degree, an A.B. in mathematics, was completed at Princeton University in 1976. Her senior thesis, titled Simple algebras, was supervised by John Coleman Moore. She continued her education with a master’s degree from Cornell University in 1979. By 1983, she earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where her doctoral dissertation focused on computing Galois groups and its application to solvability by radicals under the supervision of Gary L. Miller.
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Landau served at Sun Microsystems from 1999 until 2010, focusing on internet security. She later worked as a Senior Staff Privacy Analyst at Google and held positions at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where she serves as a Bridge Professor in Cybersecurity and Policy. Her research includes the 2012 book Surveillance or Security? The Risks Posed by New Wiretapping Technologies, which earned a Surveillance Studies Network Book Prize. She has also advocated for women in science, maintaining a community list dedicated to researchers in computing.
Encryption and Advocacy
Between 2015 and 2016, Landau provided testimony during the FBI-Apple encryption dispute. She co-authored the report Keys Under Doormats: Mandating Insecurity by Requiring Government Access to All Data and Communications. The work earned the 2015 J. D. Falk Award and influenced the Obama administration's decision regarding government access to phone data. Landau argued that compelling companies to weaken encryption would decrease overall security without preventing criminal activity.
Fast facts
- Born: 1954, New York City
- Ph.D.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1983
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science: 1999
- ACM Distinguished Member: 2006
- Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Award: 2008
- ACM Fellow: 2011
- Guggenheim Fellowship: 2012
Questions readers ask
What is Landau's algorithm?
It is an algorithm introduced in 1989 for deciding which nested radicals can be denested.
What was her role in the FBI-Apple dispute?
She testified on the risks of weakening encryption and co-authored a report arguing that mandated government access to communications would mandate insecurity.
Achievements
- Held posts at Google, Sun Microsystems and Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Fields: engineering
