CAISS is one of the research centers of The Grove School of Engineering at The City College of New York. Founded by Gilbert Baumslag, its original scope was research at the intersection of Group Theory and Theoretical Computer Science. The Center is now a leading research institution in Theoretical Computer Science, Cryptography and Network Security. CAISS members do research and publish academic papers in a variety of areas, from computational complexity, to the theoretical foundations of cryptography, to the design and implementation of cryptographic protocols.

CAISS also manages the New York Group Theory Cooperative, which organizes the New York Group Theory Seminar at the Graduate Center, and mentors mathematics and computer science students.