About Us

Mission & People

The HGI, Research Department of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), is one of the largest and oldest institutes in the field of IT security in Europe. The institute was founded in 2002 at RUB to address the Europe-wide deficits in public research on IT security.

Currently, around 160 scientists from computer science, electrical engineering, information technology and mathematics as well as the humanities and social sciences are conducting research at the Research Department IT Security.

Our research is driven by these goals and values:

Our Mission Statement

At HGI, we aim

to conduct pioneering and cutting-edge research and lay the foundations for future cyber security
to provide excellent teaching and job opportunities for young cyber security researchers
to protect the general public, developers and users of cyber security alike
to make results available to the general public and maximize societal benefit of research
to be an important mediator in communication and in creating awareness for cyber security
to be a leader in the transfer of knowledge and in creating startups
to be an orchestrator of IT security and business for Bochum.

What the HGI stands for:

We are unconventional, innovative, creative and interdisciplinary
We are fair and supportive in working together as a team
We are open-minded and invite a diverse, liberal and cosmopolitan corporate culture
We promote professional discussion and welcome open scientific discourse.

Our Working Groups and Members

The interdisciplinary environment of our institute covers nearly all aspects of IT security, from basic research in cryptography to internet security, security for the Internet of Things, usability and data protection:

Computer Science

Prof. Dr. Kevin Borgolte

Software Security Group

Prof. Dr. Maike Buchin

Chair for Theoretical Computer Science

Prof. Dr. Asja Fischer

Chair for Machine Learning

Prof. Dr. Nils Fleischhacker

Chair for Theoretical Cryptography

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tim Güneysu

Chair for Security Engineering

Prof. Dr. Ghassan Karame

Chair for Information Security

Prof. Dr. Eike Kiltz

Chair for Cryptography

Prof. Dr. Katharina Kohls

Chair for System Security

Prof. Dr. Gregor Leander

Chair for Symmetric Cryptography

Prof. Dr. Karola Marky

Workgroup Digital Sovereignty

Prof. Dr. Alexander May

Chair of Cryptology and IT Security

Prof. Dr. Veelasha Moonsamy

Chair for System Security

Prof. Dr. Alena Naiakshina

Chair for Developer-Centred Security

Prof. Dr. Christof Paar

Chair for Embedded Security

Prof. Dr. Martina Angela Sasse

Chair for Human-Centred Security

Prof. Dr. Jörg Schwenk

Chair for Network and Data Security

Prof. Dr. Michael Walter

Chair for Quantum Information

Prof. Dr. Yuval Yarom

Chair for Computer Security

Prof. Dr. Bilal Zafar

Chair for Computing and Society

Electrical and Information Technology

Prof. Dr. -Ing. Aydin Sezgin

Chair for Digital Communication Systems

Prof. Dr. Christian Zenger

Secure Mobile Networking

Linguistics and Philosophy

Dr. Kerstin Kucharczik

Institute of German Studies

Prof. Dr. Karin Pittner

German Linguistics

Prof. Dr. Sebastian Weydner-Volkmann

Chair for Ethics of Digital Methods and Techniques

Mathematics

Prof. Dr. Holger Dette

Chair for Stochastics

Media Studies

Prof. Dr. Anna Tuschling

MRG Spaces of Anthropological Knowledge

Psychology and Educational Sciences

Prof. Dr. Dipl.-Psych. Annette Kluge

Chair for Business Psychology

Prof. Dr. Nikol Rummel

Chair of Educational Psychology and Educational Technology

Social Sciences

Prof. Dr. Estrid Sørensen

Cultural Psychology and Anthropology of Knowledge

Economics

Prof. Dr. Brigitte Werners

Chair for Business Administration

Associated Members of the HGI

Prof. Dr. Gilles Barthe

Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

Dr.-Ing. Asia Biega

Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

Prof. Dr. Holger Boche

Chair of Theoretical Information Technology, TU Munich

Dr. Marcel Böhme

Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

Prof. Dr. Georg Borges

Chair for Civil Law and Legal Informatics, Saarland University

Meeyoung Cha

Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lucas Davi

Chair for Computer Science, University Duisburg-Essen

Prof. Dr. Markus Dürmuth

Institute for IT Security / Department of Usable Security and Privacy

Prof. Dr. Sascha Fahl

Chair for Computer Science, University Hannover

Prof. Dr. Tobias Gostomzyk

Chair for Media Law, TU Dortmund

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Holz

CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security

Dr. habil. Cătălin Hrițcu

Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

Prof. Dr. Martin Johns

Chair for Application Security, TU Braunschweig

Prof. Dr. Dorothea Kolossa

Electronic Systems of Medical Engineering

Prof. Dr. Tanja Lange

Chair for Coding Theory and Cryptology, TU Eindhoven

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Lemke-Rust

Institute for Cyber Security & Privacy, Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg

Dr. Giulio Malavolta

Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

Prof. Dr. Amir Moradi

Implementation Security, TU Darmstadt

Prof. Dr. Dipl.-Ing. Norbert Pohlmann

Institute for Internet Security, Westfälische Hochschule

Prof. Dr. Konrad Rieck

Chair of Machine Learning and Security, TU Berlin & BIFOLD

Dr. Clara Schneidewind

Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

Prof. Dr. Peter Schwabe

Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

Dr. Yixin Zou

Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

Working Group SicherDigi

SicherDigi (Security Production in the Digital Age) is an interdisciplinary research group that explores the topic of IT security from the perspective of the humanities and social sciences in close exchange with the technical sciences. SicherDigi investigates dynamics and processes of change at the intersection of the analog and the digital with a view to the question of how a need for IT security arises and what desired and unintended effects result from guaranteeing it. One focus is on empirical examples with a regional reference to the Ruhr region, which are used to concretize global developments. Both producers and consumers of IT security are taken into account. SicherDigi currently brings together RUB researchers from media science (Tuschling), philosophy (Weydner-Volkmann), law and criminology (Golla), social science (Sørensen, Galanova) and contemporary history (Goschler, Böick, Kirchberg).

SFB 1567

The Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 1567 "Virtual Lifeworlds" is an interdisciplinary network that researches the increase of virtuality in everyday life and the social and cultural transformation processes it sets in motion. It is dedicated to the virtual infusion of social subsystems and asks for consequences of individual subjects and their constitution, of lifeworld and aesthetic practices as well as social organizations and operations. The SFB gathers researchers from educational studies, German studies, history, art history, media studies and social sciences.

To the Website

HGI Board of Trustees

At the HGI, we are advised by the HGI Board of Trustees, especially regarding questions of research orientation and strategy. We are grateful that high-ranking representatives from business, politics, administration and science support us in this way and regularly provide important impulses.

Dr. Rainer Baumgart
Chief Executive Officer (until 2019)

secunet Security Networks AG

Ralf Benzmüller
Executive Speaker SecurityLabs

G DATA CyberDefense AG

Christian Bohne
Management Board

Horst Görtz Stiftung

Susanne Dehmel
Member of the Executive Board

Bitkom e.V.

Thomas Eiskirch
Lord Mayor

City of Bochum

Prof. Bernhard Esslinger
Professor for Cryptology and IT Security

Universiy of Siegen

Andreas Könen
Former Head of Department Cyber and IT Security

Federal Ministry of the Interior

Dr. Gerhard Schabhüser
Vice President

Federal Office for Information Security

Prof. Dr. Axel Schölmerich
Rector (until 2021)

Ruhr University Bochum

Prof. Martin Stratmann
Former President of the Max Planck Society (until 2023)

Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH

Dr. Thomas Wollinger
CEO

Bochum Economic Development

Rubin Special Edition IT Security

In June 2016, the first Rubin Special Edition IT Security was published. The science magazine of the Ruhr-University presents the multifaceted research interests of our scientists in a way that is easy to understand and thus provides exciting insights into the work at our institute. You can download the digital version of the complete magazine here (only in German).

The new special issue of Rubin on IT security was published in July 2023 - the issue can be found here as a download and flipbook.

Rules of Procedure

The Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security is located as Research Department HGI (RD HGI) at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB). The rules of procedure of the RD HGI are available here:

Rules of Procedure RD ITS