Univ.-Prof. Dr. Florian Alt

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Florian Alt

Florian Alt is head of the Usable Security and Privacy Group. He is interested in how secure systems can be designed that blend with the way in which users interact with computing devices. In particular, his research focuses on understanding users' behavior in security critical contexts, in building security mechanisms based on users' behavior (behavioral biometrics), in leveraging users' physiology to both enhance existing security mechanisms as well as build novel security mechanisms (physiological security) and in understanding and investigating threats that emerge from novel ubiquitous technologies (ubiquitous security). Specific application areas of his research are usable security in smart homes, social engineering and authentication.

Florian regularly serves as associate chair, associate editor, and program committee member of leading conferences and journals in the field of human-computer interaction and ubiquitous computing (e.g., CHI, IMWUT / Ubicomp, IEEE Pervasive Computing, DIS, NordiCHI, MUM, PerDis). He is a Co-Chair of the CHI 2020 UX subcommittee and Program Co-Chair of Mensch und Computer 2019 and 2020. Furthermore, he was Program Co-Chair of MUM 2016, and Program Co-Chair of PerDis 2015.

Florian also engages in the organization of scientific events. He was a general chair of MUM 2018, organizer of the UIST School 2018, and Workshop Chair of MobileHCI 2013. He organized the AlpenDC in 2014.

Together with his team he has won best paper and honorable mention awards at CHI, MobileHCI, IDC, and AmI. His research and supervision has been funded by the DFG, the ZD.B / Bavarian State Ministry for Education and Science, BMW, the Humboldt Foundation, the DAAD, Google, and the Telekom Innovation Labs.

Prior to his appointment at the Bundeswehr University, Florian was an Assistant Professor in Human-Computer Interaction at the LMU München as well as a guest lecturer at the JKU Linz and the University of Duisburg-Essen. Apart from his academic appointment, Florian worked as web developer (Pinnacle Systems) and IT specialist (Schreiner Group) in the US. Florian holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Stuttgart and a diploma in Media Informatics from the LMU Munich.