Despite immersing in a slew of achievements, cryptographer and theoretical computer scientist Yael Tauman Kalai sees her three children as her greatest triumph.

Kalai, one of the few female scientists in cryptography, earned a Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2006.

She told the writer of the article on the sidelines of the Heidelberg Laureate Forum 2024 held in Germany in late September that she felt so lucky to have a husband who enthusiastically stands by her, and was happy to spend time with her children.

For her, the children are the most beautiful thing and the most valuable and meaningful achievement, she shared.

Research can make scientists forget the passing of time, but it does not mean they are allowed to forget their children, she said.

“It is a pity that some women opt to delay motherhood in order to focus on their career,” she stated.

The cryptographer shared that she had sacrificed many things for her children and spent more time with them as she realized that they will not live with her forever.

“I am not a traditional woman who can cook, do the laundry and clean the house everyday. Therefore, with my high income, I hire a housekeeper to do the housework, while I have more time to do research and play with my children,” she said.

In spite of being a successful woman, Kalai always puts her children first.

“I always give my full attention to each task to obtain the best outcome in the shortest time so as to have more time for my children,” she revealed.

Mentioning her education process, she said that she was often complained by her high-school teachers due to her regular school absences.

She was tired of schooling as she realized that she could study by herself. Instead, she preferred traveling and waterskiing, but her family did not let her go out.

“I got my dad to give me a math riddle that could be as hard as he wanted. He agreed to allow me to venture out if I solved it.”

As a result, she usually succeeded.

Cryptographer and theoretical computer scientist Yael Tauman Kalai. Photo: QTM

Her love for math awakened when she was in university.

“I recognized the beauty of the subject at Hebrew University of Jerusalem,” she said.

She knew that she loved and was good at math, but the school curriculum was not challenging and interesting enough to attract her.

“I discovered that the school and teachers play a key role in making students like a subject,” she shared.

Lessons and knowledge about math at university inspired her strongly.

“Math helped me change myself. I became more humble as through math, I learned that intuition is subjective and is not always right.”

Kalai pursued computer science as she believed that the field would contribute to changing the future and life of people.

“I am really interested in cryptography and computer science as my mind is filled with thoughts whether the messages we receive every day are original versions, and whether we are receiving messages from our acquaintances,” she said.

The complication of the field beguiles her. 

Maintaining strict discipline in all tasks has helped her succeed, according to her.

Professor Yael Tauman Kalai shares that she always follows strict discipline to complete all the tasks for the best results. Photo: QTM

Kalai is currently a principal senior researcher at Microsoft Research New England and an adjunct professor at MIT.

She has always been named as one of the world’s leading influential women in technology.

She was awarded the 2022 ACM Prize in Computing for breakthroughs in verifiable delegation of computation and fundamental contributions to cryptography.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on X to get the latest news about Vietnam!