DTU makes Cybersecurity a top priority with new professors and faculty expansion

The new professors, Emmanouil Vasilomanolakis and Sebastian Alexander Mödersheim, will significantly strengthen the department’s research, innovation, and educational activities in cybersecurity, while deepening engagement with society and public authorities.

"These appointments reinforce DTU’s position as a national and international leader in cybersecurity and contribute to establishing one of the largest and most comprehensive cybersecurity research environments in Denmark. At a time when cyber threats are rapidly evolving in scale and sophistication, and increasingly intertwined with geopolitical dynamics, DTU is making cybersecurity a top priority," says Head of Section and Deputy Director at DTU Compute Nicola Dragoni.

Against this strategic backdrop, the two newly appointed professors will each contribute distinct and specialised research profiles that both complement and expand DTU’s cybersecurity portfolio – from critical infrastructure and cyber-deception to formal methods and security by design.

“With this professorship, I look forward to further advancing my research in cyber-deception and critical infrastructure Internet measurements, strengthening collaboration with industry and public authorities, contributing to the education of future cybersecurity specialists, and pursuing new national and international funding opportunities,” says Emmanouil Vasilomanolakis.

Professor Sebastian Alexander Mödersheim adds: “My research as a professor aims to advance formal languages for specifying systems and their security goals, and to develop tools for discovering attacks or proving their absence. I like to work in collaboration with industry to support practitioners in finding flaws early in the development of their systems and thereby enable security by design. I like to bring this mix of theoretical and practical work into the classroom as well, so that students see the full spectrum of what formal methods can do for security.”

In an era where society depends critically on secure and resilient digital infrastructures – spanning energy, healthcare, finance, and critical infrastructures, says Nicola Dragoni: "These appointments underscore DTU’s commitment to advancing cybersecurity as a cornerstone of sustainable digital transformation, public trust, and national security." 

To further support the strategic investment in cybersecurity as a top priority for DTU, DTU Compute is currently recruiting additional faculty in cybersecurity, with the aim of expanding capacity, fostering new research directions, and sustaining long-term growth in this critical field.

The deadline is 30 April .

In parallel with these strategic appointments, the department has renewed and expanded its educational offerings in cybersecurity and cryptography, including a brand-new specialization in cybersecurity as part of the MSc in Computer Science and Engineering, and a new Cybersecurity course for the Bachelor of Engineering.