Susan Landau, Sun Labs Distinguished Engineer

Awarded an Anita Borg Institute 2008 Women of Vision Award winner in the Social Impact category.

February 27, 2008 - The Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Awards recognize women contributing significantly to technology, through Innovation, Social Impact or Leadership. Susan Landau is the Women of Vision Award winner in the Social Impact category.

Landau's focus is on the interplay between security and public policy. She has profound impact in at least three areas of computer science: as an extensive commentator and advisor on U.S. wiretapping and encryption policy; as a world renowned expert in computational algebra and number theory (mathematics intimately related to cryptography), and in developing numerous programs to benefit women in computer science. A Sun Microsystems Distinguished Engineer, Landau is a leading scholar in all three areas and publishes widely. Her book, co-authored with Whitfield Diffie, Privacy on the Line: the Politics of Wiretapping and Encryption, attracted immediate international attention and played a significant role in the 2000 loosening of U.S. cryptographic export-control regulations, stimulating the global technology economy and offering protection to consumers in all non-embargoed countries. Her unusual blend of technical expertise, policy insight, industry connections and drive, along with her dedication to the advancement of Women in Computing, make Landau a true Woman of Vision.