Okko Makkonen

About

I am a quantum algorithm researcher at QMill, a Finnish quantum algorithm startup. In 2025, I graduated with a doctoral degree in Mathematics from Aalto University, Finland, under the supervision of Professor Camilla Hollanti. My doctoral research includes applications of coding theory in information-theoretically secure distributed computing, especially the applications of algebraic geometry codes and coset codes. My master's thesis on the same topic was awarded the 2023 Ernst Lindelöf prize for the best master's thesis in mathematics by the Finnish Mathematical Society. For 2023—2025 I was supported by the Vilho, Yrjö and Kalle Väisälä Foundation of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.

Publications

Journal Articles

1. O. Makkonen, E. Saçıkara, and C. Hollanti, “Algebraic Geometry Codes for Secure Distributed Matrix Multiplication,” IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 71, 2025.
2. O. Makkonen and C. Hollanti, “General Framework for Linear Secure Distributed Matrix Multiplication with Byzantine Servers,” IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 70, 2024.
3. J. Li, O. Makkonen, C. Hollanti, and O. W. Gnilke, “Efficient Recovery of a Shared Secret via Cooperation: Applications to SDMM and PIR,” IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, vol. 40, 2022.

Conference Proceedings

1. S. Dang, J. Lieb, O. Makkonen, P. Soto, and A. Sprintson, “A Matrix Completion Approach for the Construction of MDP Convolutional Codes,” 2025 IEEE Information Theory Workshop (ITW), 2025.
2. O. Makkonen, S. Niemelä, C. Hollanti, and S. Kas Hanna, “Approximate Gradient Coding for Privacy-Flexible Federated Learning with Non-IID Data,” 2024 32nd European Signal Processing Conference (EUSIPCO), 2024.
3. O. Makkonen, D. A. Karpuk, and C. Hollanti, “Algebraic Geometry Codes for Cross-Subspace Alignment in Private Information Retrieval,” 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT), 2024.
4. O. Makkonen, “Flexible Field Sizes in Secure Distributed Matrix Multiplication via Efficient Interference Cancellation,” 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT), 2024.
5. O. Makkonen and C. Hollanti, “Secure Distributed Gram Matrix Multiplication,” 2023 IEEE Information Theory Workshop (ITW), 2023.
6. O. Makkonen and C. Hollanti, “General Framework for Linear Secure Distributed Matrix Multiplication with Byzantine Servers,” 2022 IEEE Information Theory Workshop (ITW), 2022.
7. O. Makkonen and C. Hollanti, “Analog Secure Distributed Matrix Multiplication over Complex Numbers,” 2022 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT), 2022.

Preprints

1. O. Makkonen and C. Hollanti, “Analog Secure Distributed Matrix Multiplication,” 2025.
2. O. Makkonen, D. A. Karpuk, and C. Hollanti, “Secret Sharing for Secure and Private Information Retrieval: A Construction Using Algebraic Geometry Codes,” 2024.

Theses

• “Algebraic Methods for Secure Coded Computing,” Doctoral thesis in Mathematics, Aalto University, 2025.

• “New Schemes for Secure Distributed Matrix Multiplication: Cooperative and Analog SDMM,” Master's thesis in Mathematics, Aalto University, 2022.