Christoph Striecks

I am a senior scientist specializing in the design and analysis of secure communication systems, with a focus on cryptographic protocols – particularly key exchange, encryption, data access control, and authentication. My work centers on advancing quantum-safe hybrid cryptography, ensuring long-term security for next-generation communication infrastructures.
I actively contribute to standardization efforts, including my past role in ETSI STF 529 (standardizing Attribute-Based Encryption) and my current involvement in ETSI STF 684 (standardizing Quantum-Safe Hybrid Authenticated Key Exchange). My research and collaborations are detailed in my publications, talks, and ongoing projects below.
Academic & professional background
Since 2016, I have been a (senior) scientist at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Austria’s largest research and technology organization. Prior to this, I held a postdoctoral position at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany.
I earned my PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) in Cryptography from KIT in 2015, under the supervision of Prof. Dennis Hofheinz (now at ETH Zurich). My doctoral research focused on advanced cryptographic building blocks with an emphasis on security proofs. During my time at KIT, I also contributed to teaching, including Algorithms I (lab, 2015) and IT Security (lab, 2013), alongside organizing seminars and additional lab sessions.
In 2010, I completed my Diploma in Computer Science at the Technical University of Braunschweig, specializing in cryptography and software engineering. Earlier in my career, I gained practical experience as a software development intern at Siemens USA in Princeton, New Jersey (2008).
News & activities
- Sep. 2025: Accepted paper on efficient authenticated key exchange in the EPJ Quantum Technolgies journal. A preprint is available here.
- June 2025:
- I gave an invited presentation on the transition to quantum-safe networks at the World of Quantum Application Panel "Quantum-Safe Communication".
- We are happy to announce that the Workshop on Quantum-Safe Hybrid Cryptography concluded successfully.
- Accepted paper on versatile quantum-safe hybrid cryptography in the EPJ Quantum Technolgies journal. A preprint is available here.
- I gave a presentation on quantum-safe hybrid authenticated key exchanges at the ETSI/IQC Quantum Safe Cryptography Conference 2025.
- May 2025: I gave a presentation on quantum-safe hybrid key establishment at the Workshop on Quantum-Resistant Cryptography – an EUROCRYPT 2025 affiliated event.
- Apr. 2025: Accepted talk on hybrid authenticated key establishment at ETSI/IQC Quantum Safe Cryptography Conference 2025 in Madrid in June.
- Jan. 2025: Accepted paper on malleable SNARKs and their applications at Eurocrypt 2025.
- Jan. 2025: I am currently co-organizing a workshop on Quantum-Safe Hybrid Cryptography (under the umbrella of ACNS'25).
- Dec. 2024: I gave an invited talk on hybrid cryptography in the Quantum Technologies for Cryptography workshop at the Institut Henri Poincaré.
- Nov. 2024: Had a successful senior-promotion hearing at AIT; the new position will be held from 1st December 2024 onwards.
- Oct. 2024: Presentation of an invited webinar (with Ludovic Perret) on hybrid key exchanges for the European Commission under the umbrella of the QSNP project. The slides of the technical part are available here.
- Jul. 2024: Happy to serve as a program committee member of the Security Standardisation Research Conference 2024.
- May 2024: Attended the SKECH Workshop 2024.
- Bloom Filter Encryption and Applications to Efficient Forward-Secret 0-RTT Key ExchangeAdvances in Cryptology - EUROCRYPT 2018 - 37th Annual International Conference on the Theory and Applications of Cryptographic Techniques, Tel Aviv, Israel, April 29 - May 3, 2018 Proceedings, Part III
Organizing activities:
- Quantum-Safe Hybrid Cryptography 2025 (co-organizing)
Current projects:
- QSCS (ETSI 2025-2027)
- QSNP (HORIZON-RIA 2023-2026)
- QCI-CAT (Digital European Program, 2022-2025)
- PETRUS (Digital European Program, 2022-2025)
- EDOCC (European Defence Fund, 2022-2025)
Completed projects:
- TeamAware (EU HORIZON 2020, 2021-2024)
- PROFET (FWF, netidee SCIENCE, 2019-2023)
- COMP4DRONES (EU HORIZON 2020, ECSEL, 2019-2023)
- SECREDAS (EU HORIZON 2020, ECSEL, 2018-2021)
- IoT4CPS (FFG and BMK, ICT of the Future, 2017-2020)
- PRISMACLOUD (EU HORIZON 2020, 2015-2018)
- CREDENTIAL (EU HORIZON 2020, 2015-2018)
Research visits:
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Prof. Dominique Schröder, now at TU Vienna, 12/2022)
- ETH Zurich (Prof. Dennis Hofheinz, 09/2022)
- Royal Holloway, University of London (Prof. Martin R. Albrecht, now at King's College London and SandboxAQ, 10/2018)
- Paderborn University (Prof. Tibor Jager, now at Bergische Universität Wuppertal, 03/2017)
Teaching & supervision:
- Teaching: Advanced Public-Key Encryption (invited lecture, WT 2020, TU Vienna), Advanced Public-Key Encryption (invited lecture, WT 2019, TU Vienna), Algorithms I (TA, ST 2015, KIT), Gems of Theoretical Computer Science (ST 2014, KIT), IT security (TA, ST 2013, KIT), Software Development (WTs 2010-2012, KIT), Traitor Tracing (WT 2011, KIT), Identity-Based Encryption (ST 2011, KIT), Practical Cryptography (ST 2011, KIT), Lattice-Based Cryptography (WT 2010, KIT), TA programming and cryptography/IT security (until WT 09, Braunschweig University of Technology)
- PhD visitor: Jaime S. Buruaga (Technical University of Madrid, Jul.-Oct. 2024)
- Students & interns: Augustine Bugler (University of Vienna, Mar. 2025-), Augustine Bugler (University of Vienna, Jul.-Sep. 2024), Kevin Verhaeghe (ETH Zurich, Jul.-Sep. 2024), Alexander Zikulnig (TU Vienna, Aug.-Sep. 2022), Denis Jahic (TU Vienna, Jul.-Sep. 2021), Christian Matt (KIT, 2011), Alexander Mai (KIT, 2014)
Program committees:
- QCNC 2025, 2024
- CANS 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022
- Security Standardisation Research Conference 2024, 2023
- IMA International Conference on Cryptography and Coding 2019
- ICISSP 2025, 2024
- GI SICHERHEIT 2024, 2022 & 2020
- ARES Workshops 2023, 2022 & 2020
- IFIP Summer School on Privacy and Identity Management 2019 & 2018
Selected external reviewing activities: