Professors about themselves: Ueli Maurer
Professor Ueli Maurer leads the Information Security and Cryptography group. His research areas include cryptography, information security and information theory.
Professor Maurer, what are your interests and hobbies outside of science?
I like the mountains (hiking and hanggliding), I play the violin, and I enjoy excellent food and wines.
What's your favourite inspirational quote?
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." — Albert Einstein
What would you do if you had one year of paid leave?
I do not need a paid leave to do what I want; I simply love my research.
If you weren't a scientist, what would you be?
A musician or a cook.
What is your guiding philosophy for running your lab and doing research?
Whatever we do, we try to do it "right once and for all" to create something useful for the long term rather than a short-lived artefact or result. I support people in insisting on asking (and answering) the right questions.
Name a fun fact about your field or your research.
Cryptography can be seen as a science of paradoxes; it's like magic. Think of public-key cryptography, zero-knowledge proofs, or anonynous digital money.
What does diversity in computer science mean to you and why is it important?
The whole range from deep theory to cool applications.
What's the impact of your research on the society?
We lay the foundations for designing provably secure cryptographic protocols which is desperately needed in view of the enormous vulnerabilities of the IT infrastructure.