News
Prof. Mira Mezini elected as a member of the Leopoldina
ATHENE Directorate member Prof. Mira Mezini from TU Darmstadt has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences by the Presidium of the Leopoldina. This is one of the highest scientific honours that a German institution can bestow. The Leopoldina is the oldest natural sciences academy in the world, and only brings together researchers with outstanding scientific achievements. With around 1.600 members, it provides independent, science-based policy advice on future social issues and represents German science abroad. New members undergo a rigorous, multi-stage selection process.
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New at ATHENE: Dr. Alina Stöver
Dr. Alina Stöver has also been working in ATHENE since the beginning of the year with the project "AddressIng Detective Designs with a tech-assisted citizen science Approach (AIDA)", which she is coordinating. Her research focuses on the human factor in the context of privacy and security. She is a member of the Industrial and Engineering Psychology research group at the Institute of Psychology at TU Darmstadt. She is also co-director of the PIPS - Psychological Insights into Privacy and Security Labs. Together with her colleagues Dr. Nina Gerber and Dr. Ephraim Zimmer - also from TU Darmstadt - she is working on the ATHENE project on detective designs, i.e. manipulative design patterns that often lead users to perform undesirable actions. We spoke to her about her research in general and ATHENE in particular.
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ATHENE and GSI cooperate on high-performance AI infrastructure for secure data analysis
ATHENE and the GSI Helmholtzzenturm für Schwerionenforschung have initiated a strategic cooperation in the field of scientific data processing and cyber security. The common goal is to establish a real-world laboratory with high-performance AI computers in the Green IT Cube, one of the most energy-efficient data centres in the world.
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ATHENE-Paper accepted at the NDSS Symposium
ATHENE researchers, led by Prof Matthias Hollick's team, have conducted a comprehensive security analysis of Apple's satellite protocol and uncovered several vulnerabilities. Their findings are summarised in their paper 'Starshields for iOS: Navigating the Security Cosmos in Satellite Communication'. In a few days, they will present it at the prestigious Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium 2025.
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New at ATHENE: Prof. Gerd Griepentrog
Prof. Gerd Griepentrog has also been involved in ATHENE research since the beginning of the year. He is Head of the Department of Power Electronics and Drive Control at the TU Darmstadt, where he specialises in the interaction of power electronic converters with the electrical grid and the control of electrical machines. Together with his colleagues Prof. Florian Steinke and Prof. Björn Scheuermann, he is analysing the security of power converters in the new ATHENE project 'TrustedPowerCon', with the aim of developing improved protection mechanisms to ensure the resilience of the grid against cyber threats. We spoke to Professor Griepentrog about his research.
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New at ATHENE: Prof. Florian Steinke
Prof Florian Steinke is head of the Department of Energy Information Networks and Systems at TU Darmstadt. His research focuses on the applying algorithms and tools from machine learning, optimization, and control to energy management. He has also been involved in the ATHENE project since the beginning of 2025. In this interview, he talks about his (ATHENE) research and what he particularly appreciates about his work.
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New professorship for ATHENE scientist Naser Damer at TU Darmstadt
On 1 January 2025, Professor Dr Naser Damer took up the newly created chair of 'Biometrics, Human Analysis and Behaviour Understanding (BHABU)' at Darmstadt Technical University. He will focus on the important question of how biometrics can improve the usability of digital applications while enhancing IT security. Naser Damer has been a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics IGD for many years; the professorship is a joint appointment between TU Darmstadt and Fraunhofer IGD.
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IT security in outpatient care: ATHENE researchers launch study on the security of digital care documentation systems
With over 15,000 outpatient care services in Germany, more than half of which are privately owned, an immense amount of sensitive health data is processed digitally every day. The care services work with different software systems. And these must not only be efficient, but above all secure - an aspect that deserves particular attention in view of the increasing cyber threats in the healthcare sector. In order to test how secure the various care documentation systems are, ATHENE researchers at Fraunhofer SIT are launching a comprehensive study on the security of digital care documentation systems on behalf of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
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New Edition: Standard Reference Work on IT in Peace and Security Research Released
Rapid technological developments in information technology and artificial intelligence are increasingly shaping the international peace and security architecture. The newly published standard work 'Information Technology for Peace and Security' provides a comprehensive analysis of these developments. The second edition, edited by ATHENE researcher Prof. Christian Reuter and his research team at the Technical University of Darmstadt, has been thoroughly revised and expanded. It examines the role of modern technologies - especially information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) - in current conflicts, such as the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the Israeli-Hamas conflict. Special attention is given to the growing importance of ICT infrastructures and social media in crisis areas.
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New center for applied cyber security research in Heilbronn
On 1 January 2025, Fraunhofer, in cooperation with the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, will open a total of eight research and innovation centers on the Heilbronn education campus. Among them is the Fraunhofer SIT and thus also ATHENE: We are responsible for the new Fraunhofer Heilbronn Research and Innovation Center for Cybersecurity as one of the eight new research and innovation centers and as a new research department within Fraunhofer SIT.
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