A research paper from AMU’s Department of Mathematics has been picked as the best paper of 2025 by Applicable Algebra in Engineering, Communication and Computing (AAECC), a Springer Nature journal. The prize comes with €4,000, roughly ₹4.30 lakh.
The paper is by Prof. Shakir Ali, his PhD scholar Atif Ahmad Khan, and Dr Bhupendra Singh, Senior Scientist at DRDO’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) in Bengaluru. The award is formally called the AAECC Best Paper Award in Memory of Professor Jacques Calmet.
What the paper is about
The title is “On Circulant Involutory and Orthogonal MDS Matrices over Finite Commutative Rings”. It was published in Volume 36 (2025), Issue 6, pages 1151 to 1165.
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MDS (Maximum Distance Separable) matrices sit inside the diffusion layers of modern block ciphers and hash functions, the part of an encryption scheme that spreads a small change in input across the whole output. The paper works out the properties of three kinds of these matrices (circulant, involutory and orthogonal) over finite commutative rings. In short, it is abstract algebra put to work for information security, with uses in coding theory and cryptography.
Who picked it
The choice was made by a committee set up by the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Grégoire Lecerf, and Springer Nature. Along with members of the AAECC Managing Board, it had:
- Prof. Michela Ceria (Italy)
- Prof. Iiro Honkala (Finland)
- Prof. Alev Topuzoğlu (Türkiye)
Key facts
- Award: 2025 AAECC Best Paper Award in Memory of Professor Jacques Calmet
- Prize: €4,000 (about ₹4.30 lakh)
- Authors: Prof. Shakir Ali (AMU), Atif Ahmad Khan (PhD scholar, AMU), Dr Bhupendra Singh (CAIR, DRDO)
- Journal: AAECC, Springer Nature, Vol. 36 (2025), Issue 6
A busy year for Prof. Shakir Ali
The award follows another recent recognition. Prof. Shakir Ali has been given a Visiting Professorship at Grade UDV for 2026 to 2027 by the Institute for Mathematical Research (INSPEM) at Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Prof. Asma Ali, Chairperson of the Department of Mathematics, congratulated him and his co-authors and called it a significant achievement for the department and the university.
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Frequently asked questions
Which AMU teacher won the AAECC Best Paper Award 2025?
Prof. Shakir Ali of the Department of Mathematics, AMU, along with his PhD scholar Atif Ahmad Khan and Dr Bhupendra Singh of DRDO’s CAIR, Bengaluru.
How much is the AAECC Best Paper Award worth?
It carries a cash prize of €4,000, about ₹4.30 lakh.
What is AAECC?
Applicable Algebra in Engineering, Communication and Computing, an international journal published by Springer Nature.
Source: AMU Public Relations Office, 31 October 2026.
