Ophir Gaathon

Bio: Ophir Gaathon, PhD, is the Co-Founder and CEO of DUST Identity. Dr. Gaathon has over a decade of experience in diamond materials and holds several patents in this area. He received his PhD in Applied Physics from Columbia University and held research positions at Columbia and MIT. Gaathon has led DUST Identity from inception, through the first DARPA contracts, and into commercial success.

Abstract: Diamond Unclonable Security Tag (DUST) prevents non-genuine parts from entering the supply chain and provides full lifecycle visibility for genuine components. When applied to a surface the DUST marking creates a unique, physically unclonable ‘fingerprint’ based on the configuration of hundreds of quantum engineered nano-diamonds. DUST’s anti-tamper capability validates that the design created is the one manufactured and that it has not been altered. DUST’s nano-diamond material can be widely distributed without fear of compromise and there exists multiple scanner types depending on an organization’s specific security requirements. DUST’s unique security architecture provides an elastic deployment capability allowing its introduction, not only at the manufacturer, but at any point within the supply chain. DUST provides the physical-digital binding that ensures a secure chain of custody, enables association of digital records (e.g., test data) with a specific item and allows global traceability. Physical-digital binding is a requirement of future distributed ledger technologies like blockchain. DUST Identity, Inc. is a spin-off of MIT with support from DARPA. The company is backed by Kleiner Perkins and is a member of the MIT Startup Exchange STEX25 and SAP PartnerEdge