Thomas Berson

Dr. Tom Berson is a cryptographer who views cryptography broadly as the deep study of trust and betrayal, alternatively, as the use and abuse of secrets. He has spent his career working both the defensive and offensive sides of the information security battle. He is attracted most strongly to security issues raised in the intersection of technology, business, and world events. He is a student of Sun Tzu’s Art of War and its applicability to modern information conflict. He has lectured on that topic in Washington, Beijing, and Stanford.

In his role as Advisor to the CEO and Board of Directors at Salesforce, Inc. Dr. Berson’s portfolio includes cybersecurity, national security, and geopolitical matters. His information security consultancy, Anagram Laboratories, celebrated its 38th anniversary in 2024. 

Dr. Berson was the first person to be named a Fellow of the International Association for Cryptologic Research. He was an editor of the Journal of Cryptology for fourteen years. He is a Past-Chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Security and Privacy, and a Past-President of the International Association for Cryptologic Research.

Dr. Berson is an elected Member of the US National Academy of Engineering. His citation reads, “For contributions to cybersecurity in the commercial and intelligence communities.” His National Research Council committee memberships include the Forum on Cybersecurity Resilience, the Committee on Computer Security in the Department of Energy, the Committee to Review DoD C4I Plans and Programs, and the Committee on Offensive Information Warfare.

Dr. Berson earned a B.S. in physics from the State University of New York and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of London. He was a Visiting Fellow in Mathematics in the University of Cambridge, and is a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge.

Dr. Berson’s Erdös Number is 2; his amateur radio call sign is ND2T.