Globally renowned computing expert and IBM Fellow, Dr. C. Mohan, is to visit Qatar to deliver a lecture, “State of Public and Private Blockchains: Myths and Reality,” later this month.

His visit will form part of a blockchain workshop hosted by Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

For decades, Dr. Mohan has been a major influencer in the field of computer science. He is a well-known inventor of ARIES, a database of algorithms, and a distributed commit protocol called Presumed Abort.

Dr. Mohan received his IBM fellowship in 1997 and is currently an IBM Fellow at the IBM Almaden Research Center in Silicon Valley, and was elected to the US and Indian National Academies of Engineering in 2009 and named an IBM Master Inventor in 1999. He is also an ACM and IEEE Fellow, a member of the US National Academy of Engineering and the first IBM India Chief Scientist.

QCRI’s Executive Director Dr. Ahmed Elmagarmid said it would be a rare privilege for people in Qatar to hear a scientist of Dr. Mohan’s eminence speak.

“I have known Dr. Mohan for about 35 years – he is a seasoned researcher and has made significant contributions to the database industry since the early 1980s,” Dr. Elmagarmid said.

“His is one of the few minds behind the database systems we know today. If you have ever used a database system, you have probably used a piece of his work.”

In his lecture, Dr. Mohan, who now describes himself as an “evangelist for private blockchains” will discuss some of the private blockchain systems being developed by the world’s biggest computer companies including IBM, Intel, Oracle and Baidu. He will also bust some of the myths associated with public blockchains such as Ethereum.

Also participating in the workshop are Professor Khaled Bugrara of Northeastern University in Boston, Qatar University’s Husam Al Jawaheri, and QCRI’s Dr. Yazan Boshmaf and Dr. Mashael Al Sabah.

The QCRI Blockchain Workshop will be held at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s Researchery Building (formerly HBKU Research Complex) on Tuesday, January 29 from 8:30am to 1:00pm. To register, visit qcri.org.qa