Yan Shvartzshnaider is an Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow in the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at NYU, where he is affiliated with Analysis of Computer Systems (ACSys) and Open Networks and Big Data Lab groups. He is also a Visiting Researcher at Digital Life Initiative in Cornell Tech. Previously, he was a visiting research associate at the Center for Information Technology Policy, as well as a postdoctoral researcher in Princeton (Edge lab) and Cambridge University (OCaml lab).

Yan received his Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Sydney, Australia and is currently working on architectures and algorithms for privacy-preserving information systems. His research interests are focused on people-centered privacy design which calls for the adoption of a socially meaningful conception of privacy, namely, one that meets people's expectations of privacy. Specifically, his work aims to address the fundamental mismatch between programmable privacy frameworks and the ever-shifting privacy expectations of computer system users.

In general, Yan is passionate about solving fundamental problems that have real-world impact as well as fascinated by the commercial side of transferring ideas into viable business propositions.