Training

Program requirements

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows enrolled in the CryptoWorks21 program are expected to fulfill the following requirements:

  • Demonstrate novice understanding in each professional and technical skill area
  • Demonstrate advanced understanding in at least one professional and technical skill area
  • Interact with industry and interdisciplinary mentors by attending the Industry Day event, and meeting with an industry mentor

Graduate students are allowed 3 years to fulfill these requirements. Postdoctoral fellows are allowed 2 years to fulfill these requirements.

Professional skills

  • Novice level
    • Standards and certification
    • Intellectual property protection and management
    • Commercialization and entrepreneurship
    • Management
    • Communications
  • Advanced level
    • Integration of professional skills

professional skills

Professional skills training

Participants in the CryptoWorks21 program are expected to fulfill the following requirements for professional skills:

  • Demonstrate novice understanding in each professional skill area
  • Demonstrate advanced understanding in at least one professional skill area

Novice level

Standards and certification

Learning outcome:ÌýDevelop an understanding of standards, their relevance and importance for deployability, competitiveness, large-scale adoption, the standards and compliance organizations, and compliance development.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýStandards and Certification Workshop, offered in spring term in odd years.

Next offering: TBD

Intellectual property protection and management

Learning outcome:ÌýDemonstrate an understanding of IP, its importance, main strategies, protection and management possibilities.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýBE 606 Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Students may enrol any semester in which BE 606 is offered

Commercialization and entrepreneurship

Learning outcome:ÌýDemonstrate an understanding of how to take innovations to commercial applications.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýBE 606 Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Students may enrol any semester in which BE 606 is offered

Management

Learning outcome:ÌýDemonstrate an understanding of the different methods and paradigms for managing people, projects, scope, time, and risk.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýBE 600 Management and Leadership

Students may enrol any semester in which BE 606 is offered

Communications

Learning outcome:ÌýDemonstrate an understanding of the art of communication, such as communicating science to non-specialists, communicating a business plan, interpersonal and team communication.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýBE 600 Management and Leadership

Students may enrol any semester in which BE 606 is offered

Advanced level

Integration of professional skills

Learning outcome:ÌýIdentify and apply core concepts in entrepreneurship to a new venture or to their academic research.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýAdvanced Lean Canvas and Entrepreneurship Workshop, offered in spring term.

Pre-requisite:ÌýCompletion of BE 606.

Next offering: TBD

Technical skills

  • Novice level
    • Fundamentals of cryptography
    • Information and network security
    • Post-quantum cryptography
    • Quantum cryptography tools
    • Quantum communication devices
  • Advanced level
    • Novel research in any of the five technical skill areas

Technical skills

Participants in the CryptoWorks21 program are expected to fulfill the following requirements for technical skills:

  • Demonstrate novice understanding in each technical skill area
  • Demonstrate advanced understanding in at least one technical skill area

Most novice technical skill areas can be fulfilled either by taking a CryptoWorks21 module, completing a standard course, or attending an appropriate winter/summer school as indicated below.

Novice level

Information and network security

Learning outcome:ÌýDemonstrate an understanding of how cryptography tools are used to achieve information security.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýCryptoWorks21 module on "Fundamentals of network security", or completion of eitherÌýCS 658ÌýorÌýECE 628.

2022-2023Ìýoffering:Ìý

Fundamentals of cryptography

Learning outcome:ÌýDemonstrate an understanding of core cryptography tools.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýCryptoWorks21 module on "Fundamentals of cryptography", or completion of eitherÌýCO 685ÌýorÌýCO 687, or part ofÌýQKD summer school, or theÌý.

2022-2023 offering: not offered

Post-quantum cryptography

Learning outcome:ÌýDemonstrate an understanding of which classical cryptography tools are believed to be quantum-resistant.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýCryptoWorks21 module on "Post-quantum cryptography".

2022-2023Ìýoffering: not offered

Quantum cryptography tools

Learning outcome:ÌýDemonstrate an understanding of new cryptographic primitives that can be achieved with quantum information and their advantages.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýCryptoWorks21 modules on "Quantum cryptography tools" part 1 and 2, or completion of eitherÌýQIC 890 topic 2Ìý(fulfills part 1 only) orÌýQKD summer schoolÌý(fulfills part 1 only)

2022-2023Ìýoffering: to be announced

Quantum communication devices

Learning outcome:ÌýDemonstrate an understanding of the technological requirements and state-of-the-art implementation and deployment of quantum cryptography systems and the required components.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýCryptoWorks21 modules on "Quantum communication devices", or completion of eitherÌýQIC 890 topic 2,ÌýQIC 890 topic 3, orÌýQKD summer school.

2022-2023Ìýoffering: not offered

Advanced level

Advanced research

Learning outcome:ÌýAdvanced understanding of research in any of the five technical skill areas.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýCompletion of a research thesis. (Postdocs will have already completed this.)

Tutorial

Quantum computing for cryptography students

Learning outcome:ÌýDemonstrate a basic understanding of quantum computing and its application to cryptography.

Delivery mechanism:ÌýWorkshop on "Quantum computing for cryptography students".

2022-2023:Ìý

NoteÌýthat this topic does not count towards completion of the CryptoWorks21 program, and is made available for your interest.

Schedule

  • TheÌýIP Lunch & Learn SeriesÌýis offered annually during the fall and winter terms
  • Workshops for the professional and technical skill areas are offered annual in the spring term. See the links above for the 2019 schedules in the professional and technical skill areas.

List of previous training opportunities.

Mentorship program

CryptoWorks21 participants have the opportunity to be paired with a mentor from industry or government. Please contact the Director for more information.