Gopal Pandurangan, Moores Professor of Computer Science at the University of Houston,
has received the Best Paper Award at the 44th Annual ACM Symposium on Principles
of Distributed Computing (PODC 2025). The conference, held June 16–20 in Santa Maria
Huatulco, Mexico, is one of the premier global gatherings in the field of distributed
computing.
Pandurangan’s coauthored paper, “Improved Byzantine Agreement under an Adaptive Adversary,” addresses a fundamental challenge in distributed computing: achieving reliable consensus in a network even when some participants behave maliciously. The research improves on a result that stood for 40 years and provides a more efficient solution to Byzantine agreement—a core mechanism used in blockchain technology, financial transaction systems, and other security-critical applications.
“This is the first time one of my papers has earned an award at PODC after more than two decades of contributing to the conference,” Pandurangan said. “It’s a milestone for me and my collaborators, and I’m thrilled our work is being recognized at this level.”
The eight-page paper—remarkably concise in a field where research articles often exceed 30 pages—was coauthored with Fabien Dufoulon, a former UH postdoctoral researcher who collaborated with Pandurangan from 2021 to 2023. Together, they developed an improved algorithm for solving Byzantine agreement, a fundamental problem that underlies the security and reliability of distributed networks.
“This problem is foundational not only to blockchain but also to banking and other
applications where trust, consistency, and correctness are essential even under malicious
behavior,” Pandurangan said. “We revisited and enhanced a classic algorithm, improving
its efficiency and opening new avenues for research.”
The work builds on influential contributions to distributed computing by pioneering
scientists, including world-renowned computer scientist and mathematician Leslie Lamport,
and has sparked new research directions for Pandurangan and his students.
While artificial intelligence and quantum computing often dominate headlines, Pandurangan sees enduring importance in solving foundational computing challenges. “The fundamentals will always be there,” he said. “Progress in these areas underpins everything else.”
Pandurangan encourages aspiring computer scientists to aim for excellence in research publishing. “In computer science, publishing in elite conferences like PODC is critical,” he said. “Even if you start small, build your way up. Each step strengthens your ability to compete for grants, postdoctoral and faculty positions, and leadership roles in research.”
- Kristoffer Smith, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics