University of Paderborn

Paderborn, Germany

Paderborn University (UPB) is one of Germany’s medium-sized universities with a strong focus on research and knowledge transfer. The university has established itself in key profile areas, with internationally recognized excellence in research. Developing sustainable solutions to the pressing challenges of our time is a defining characteristic of research at the university. Cooperation with other universities, companies, and research networks—both nationally and internationally—ensures excellent connectivity and a strong research ecosystem.

The SICP – Software Innovation Campus Paderborn is an interdisciplinary research and innovation campus. Through close cooperation between industry and academia, digital solutions for the future are created here.

More than 40 member companies and over 30 professors from Paderborn University contribute their expertise and vision. SICP brings together different worlds and ensures the perfect match when assembling project teams. The campus combines competencies in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, IoT, digital security, and software engineering to explore entirely new approaches and develop intelligent solutions for innovative fields such as smart energy, advanced computing, and seamless mobility.

In addition to its technological focus, SICP addresses cross-cutting topics such as technology acceptance and human–machine interaction. SICP believes that true innovation emerges from the intelligent combination of established technologies.

The university The SICP

Our Team

Juraj Somorovsky

WP1 Leader

Juraj Somorovsky is a Professor of Computer Science at Paderborn University.

He is a co-author of several high-impact attacks on TLS, including DROWN, ROBOT, and RACCOON, and a co-developer of TLS-Attacker, a flexible and widely used framework for analyzing TLS implementations. Beyond his work on TLS, he explores vulnerabilities in web technologies and cryptographic systems, and investigates techniques for circumventing internet censorship.

His research has been recognized with Distinguished Paper Awards at IEEE Security & Privacy and ACM CCS, as well as Second Prize in the ACSAC Artifacts Competition and the 2024 ACSAC Impact Award for TLS-Attacker.

Yasemin Acar

WP5 Leader

Yasemin Acar is a Professor of Computer Science at Paderborn University. She focuses on human factors in computer security.

Her research centers on humans, their comprehension, behaviors, wishes, and needs. She aims to better understand how software can enhance users’ lives without putting their data at risk. Her recent work has concentrated on human factors in secure development, investigating how to help software developers implement secure software development practices.

Her research has shown that working with developers on these issues can resolve problems before they ever affect end users. Her research has won distinguished paper awards at IEEE Security and Privacy and USENIX Security, and the NSA best cyber security paper competition.