Digital access control forms a central pillar of digitalisation: it governs who is permitted to access data, digital identities or critical infrastructure, and is of great importance for, amongst other things, smart energy grids, industrial automation, digital identities such as the EUDI Wallet, cloud applications, the Internet of Things and health data.

“The Emmy Noether grant gives me and my early-career research group the opportunity to conduct long-term research into fundamental questions of digital access control. Secure access systems are a key technology for digitalisation,” says Dr Marloes Venema. “I look forward to further developing this field of research together with my team at the University of Wuppertal.”

Research with a global impact

The results of Venema’s research are already being incorporated into technologies used worldwide. Methods in the development of which she played a key role are used, amongst others, by Cloudflare, one of the world’s largest providers of internet infrastructure. This means that people around the world benefit indirectly from her research when they use digital services and websites.

“Dr Marloes Venema is one of the outstanding young researchers in the field of international cryptography. The fact that she is establishing her Emmy Noether Junior Research Group at the University of Wuppertal is a great honour for her personally and, at the same time, strengthens our research focus on IT security,” says Prof. Dr Tibor Jager, holder of the Chair of IT Security and Cryptography. “This funding demonstrates that the University of Wuppertal offers an attractive environment for cutting-edge research in computer science. The new early-career research group will provide important impetus for our research profile and future collaborative networks.”

Specialists for the digital transformation

The funding also underlines the successful development of computer science at the University of Wuppertal. The computer science degree programmes were only established in 2018. Within just a few years, they have become one of the university’s largest individual disciplines. As the challenges of digitalisation grow, so does the need for specialists who can develop, secure and responsibly shape digital technologies. With its computer science degree programmes and research, the University of Wuppertal is making an important contribution to this.

Prof. Dr Stefan Kirsch, vice-rector for Research and Digital Affairs, offers his congratulations: “The funding awarded to Dr Marloes Venema is an outstanding success for the University of Wuppertal. It demonstrates how successfully we are holding our own in the competition for excellent researchers. At the same time, the Junior Research Group strengthens a field of research that is of central importance to the digital transformation of our society.”

Academic excellence, international visibility and new impetus

The Emmy Noether Junior Research Group also lays further groundwork for the expansion of the DFG’s coordinated research programmes in the fields of IT security and civil security. Researchers such as Dr Venema contribute scientific excellence, international visibility and fresh impetus to this endeavour.

The success of this Dutch-born researcher also sends an important signal: women remain significantly under-represented in computer science. As an internationally successful researcher, she demonstrates that cutting-edge research in this field is not a question of gender. Her career path can encourage young women to study computer science or pursue a research career.