About

Ricardo Custódio

I am a professor and researcher in computer science, working primarily in information security and cryptography. My research spans digital signatures, public key infrastructure, digital identity, electronic documents, cryptographic protocols, post-quantum cryptography, finite-field arithmetic, and artificial intelligence applied to security.

I am a Full Professor at the Department of Informatics and Statistics of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), in Florianópolis, Brazil, and supervisor of the Computer Security Laboratory (LabSEC).

Throughout my academic career, I have combined fundamental and applied research with the development of technologies and infrastructures for real-world digital trust systems.

Academic trajectory

I received my Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), followed by a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering at the same university.

I received my PhD in Computer Science from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) in 1999.

I joined UFSC as a faculty member in 1994. Over the following decades, my academic activities have included teaching, research, technology development, graduate supervision, and collaboration with public and private institutions.

Research

My work is centered on the security and trust mechanisms required for digital systems.

My main research interests include:

information security;
cryptography and cryptographic protocols;
digital signatures and electronic signatures;
public key infrastructure (PKI);
digital identity and authentication;
electronic documents and long-term preservation;
cryptographic key management;
arithmetic over finite fields;
post-quantum cryptography;
artificial intelligence applied to security and digital trust.

A recurring theme in my research is the connection between cryptographic foundations and deployable systems: how mathematical, cryptographic and security mechanisms can be transformed into infrastructures and applications that operate in real institutional environments.

LabSEC

I supervise the Computer Security Laboratory (LabSEC) at UFSC.

LabSEC conducts research and technology development in information security and cryptography, bringing together undergraduate, Master’s and PhD students and collaborating with universities, government institutions and organizations involved in digital infrastructures.

Over the years, the laboratory has worked on topics including public key infrastructure, digital certification, digital signatures, electronic documents, digital identity, cryptographic protocols, blockchain technologies and post-quantum cryptography.

Students and supervision

An important part of my academic work has been the education and supervision of researchers.

I supervise undergraduate research, Master’s dissertations and PhD theses, particularly in information security, cryptography, digital identity and trustworthy digital infrastructures.

Many of the research projects developed with students combine theoretical investigation with the design, implementation and experimental evaluation of security technologies.

Students and supervision →

Beyond the university

My work also involves research, development and innovation projects with institutions outside the university.

These collaborations have provided opportunities to apply research in areas such as digital certification, electronic documents, civil registration, digital identity, financial infrastructures and post-quantum security.

Projects →