Dr. Mahmoud Sayed Received the Senate Medal for Outstanding Graduate Work
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Mahmoud Sayed supervised by Prof. Mostafa Taha has been awarded the prestigious Senate Medal for Outstanding Graduate Work (Doctoral) at Carleton University for the Fall 2025 semester graduates!
This highly competitive, merit-based medal is awarded to only one PhD graduate per semester within each faculty. It serves as a testament to exceptional academic achievement, rigorous research excellence, and profound scholarly impact.
The award specifically recognizes the outstanding quality of Mahmoud’s doctoral thesis, “Homomorphic Encryption Based Obfuscated Complex Queries System,” under supervision of Dr. Mostafa Taha, which he successfully defended on June 2, 2025. His research tackles a critical challenge in modern cloud computing and cybersecurity: simultaneously protecting sensitive user data and proprietary algorithmic IP. By leveraging advanced Torus Fully Homomorphic Encryption (TFHE) and novel oblivious logic gates, his work allows complex queries and functions to be executed on untrusted servers without ever revealing the underlying data or the logic of the algorithm itself.
Officially receiving this honor on October 31, 2025, Mahmoud’s selection was driven by his innovative thesis, a strong portfolio of publications and presentations, and the highest recommendation of his PhD defence committee.
Currently continuing his research journey as a Postdoctoral Fellow for the 2025/2026 academic year, Mahmoud is perfectly positioned to keep pushing the boundaries of quantum-safe cryptography and privacy-preserving technologies.
Please join us in congratulating Mahmoud on this incredible milestone, and in wishing him a phenomenal and highly successful career ahead!