About Me

Senior Research Scientist at RISE and cybersecurity professional with over a decade of experience securing critical infrastructure and leading teams within complex, multi-stakeholder environments. Expert in coordinating technical and regulatory teams to bridge the gap between engineering execution and strategic governance, ensuring robust alignment with ISO/IEC 27001, GDPR, and emerging EU regulations. Proven ability to translate regulatory frameworks into practical, engineering-driven solutions for cross-domain environments. Recognized for orchestrating secure architecture design, cyber resilience, and governance by aligning cross-functional stakeholders to drive informed, risk-based decision-making. Collaborative team player and communicator, dedicated to fostering a security-first culture and empowering teams to navigate the evolving cybersecurity landscape.

Expertise Highlights - Technical and Leadership Skills

Roles: Security Architect, Working Group/Work Package/Task Leader, Principal Security Engineer, Research Scientist

Focus domains: IT/OT manufacturing, 5G/6G and NGWN, EV/SDV security, cloud-edge-IoT, Data spaces, Digital twins

Core strengths: Cyber Resilience & Security hardening, Secure-by-design architectures, Threat modeling & AI/ML, Applied cryptography, Privacy engineering, Secure data lifecycles, identity & access control

Governance & policy: Regulatory alignment and compliance engineering (NIS2, AI Act, ISO/IEC 27001), security roadmaps, requirements, and governance for large-scale pilots and testbeds

Leadership & collaboration: Cybersecurity architectural guidance, Cross-functional coordination, Technical guidance and mentoring, EU working groups and projects (Horizon, Digital Europe, COST); team-first, stakeholder-driven, cross-functional coordination

Funding: Co-secured research funding (≈ SEK 10M) for EU and national R&I initiatives

Certification: ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor

Media: Featured in Wired, NBC News, and The Atlantic

Location: Stockholm, Sweden (EU/remote collaboration)

Professional Experience, Flagship Projects & Impact

  1. 2022 - Current · Senior Cybersecurity Architect and Senior Research Scientist - RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

    Provide cybersecurity architectural guidance across automotive, cloud-edge, and data-space initiatives, ensuring security-by-design alignment with ISO/IEC 27001, GDPR, and emerging EU cybersecurity and digital regulations.

    Role focus:

    • Secure architectures for critical infrastructure
    • Cybersecurity governance and risk mitigation
    • DevSecOps and secure-by-design engineering
    • Cross-functional collaboration across research, industry, and public-sector initiatives

    Flagship Projects

  2. – Current

    2025 - Current · TWINLOOP - Secure Digital Twin Framework & TwinOps for Software-Defined EVs [Horizon Europe 🇪🇺]

    Area: Automotive

    Role: Secure Architecture Lead & Task Leader

    Impact: Designed the secure reference architecture for the Digital Twin / TwinOps lifecycle in Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), integrating Zero Trust principles, DevSecOps pipelines, and secure edge-cloud data exchange across automotive ecosystems.

    Consortium: 13 partners across 8 EU member states (industry & research)

    Funding & call: Horizon Europe (2ZERO Partnership) - Advanced digital development tools for SDVs - HORIZON-CL5-2024-D5-01-05

    Budget: 5.5 M SEK

    Learn more: twin-loop.eu ·

  3. – Current

    2025 - Current · NexusForum Research & Innovation Roadmap, Cognitive Computing Continuum [Horizon Europe 🇪🇺]

    Area: Cloud-Edge-IoT, AI/ML, HPC

    Role: Working Group Co-Leader & R&I Roadmap Lead

    Impact: Co-led the cybersecurity architecture roadmap for the European cloud-edge-IoT computing continuum, defining resilience principles, secure data processing models, and post-quantum readiness strategies for distributed digital infrastructures.

    Consortium: 7 partners (EU-South Korea collaboration)

    Funding & call: Horizon Europe (HORIZON) - Coordination and Support of Cognitive Computing Continuum research and policy (CSA) - HORIZON-CL4-2023-DATA-01

    Budget: 7 M SEK

    Learn more: NexusForum.eu · NexusForum R&I Roadmap (first draft, Mar 2025)

  4. – Current

    2023 - Current · CitCom.ai (AI TEF SCC) - Digital Europe 🇪🇺 & Vinnova 🇸🇪

    Area: Smart Cities, Edge/IoT Platforms

    Role: Cybersecurity Architectures, Cyber Resilience & Procurement/Governance

    Impact: Architected security frameworks for smart-city data spaces, enabling trusted cross-organizational data sharing and AI-enabled services across public-sector platforms while strengthening threat modeling and secure-by-design interoperability (MIM6).

    Consortium: 32 partners across 11 EU member states (public sector & research)

    Sweden Budget: 18 M SEK

    Learn more: CitComTEF · RISE project page · Vinnova

  5. – Current

    2023 - Current · Behavioral Next Generation in Wireless Networks for Cyber Security (BEiNG-WISE) [COST Action 🇪🇺]

    Area: 6G and Next-Generation Wireless Networks

    Role: Cybersecurity in Emerging Wireless Networks & Working Group Co-Leader

    Impact: Led cybersecurity architectural collaboration on next-generation wireless (5G/6G) trust and resilience models, contributing security frameworks and standards-oriented guidance for future wireless infrastructures.

    Consortium: Coordinating 120+ participants across 57 countries (COST Action network)

    Funding Agency: COST Action (CA22104)

    Learn more: beingwise.eu · COST Action CA22104

  6. –

    2022 - 2024 · Datadelning i en digitaliserad köttkedja [FORMAS 🇸🇪]

    Area: Supply Chain Security

    Role: Secure Data Architecture

    Impact: Designed security architecture for trusted digital food supply-chain data ecosystems, enabling privacy-preserving data sharing and secure analytics across industrial partners.

    Consortium: Swedish research and industry collaboration

    Funding agency: Formas - Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development

    Learn more: Project page · YouTube video

  7. 2020 - 2022 · Scientist, Secure Communications and Cybersecurity - KTH Royal Institute of Technology

    As a Postdoctoral Researcher in Cybersecurity, I contributed to the development of secure architectures for smart mobility and trustworthy information-sharing systems. My work focused on analyzing, designing, and evaluating privacy-preserving V2X communication to ensure robust and resilient system architectures in connected and autonomous mobility.

    Key contributions and responsibilities:

    • Conducted research on secure vehicular architectures and networking protocols.
    • Designed privacy-preserving communication systems and protocols for secure V2X data exchange.
    • Authored a top-tier IEEE IoT journal publication, contributing to advancements in cybersecurity for smart mobility.
    • Developed teaching materials for cybersecurity courses and delivered training on applied cryptography and secure networking.
    • Supervised and mentored MSc and BSc students.

  8. 2018 - 2020 · Scientist, Secure Communications and Architectures - University of Luxembourg

    As a Postdoctoral Researcher at SnT, I focused on end-to-end encryption protocols, threat analysis, and cryptographic solution design for secure communication applications. My role involved analyzing security threats, evaluating cryptographic mechanisms for data protection and compliance, and contributing to the design and assessment of security solutions for enterprise applications.

    Key contributions and responsibilities:

    • Conducted security evaluations for enterprise applications, ensuring robust end-to-end encrypted communication.
    • Analyzed and assessed cryptographic mechanisms to enhance security, privacy, and regulatory compliance.
    • Designed and implemented threat models to evaluate vulnerabilities in encrypted communication systems.
    • Managed project deliverables, ensuring alignment with security requirements and research objectives.
    • Led research dissemination efforts, presenting findings at international conferences and contributing to cybersecurity standards.
    • Organized and coordinated CPDP conference events, fostering discussions on emerging privacy and security challenges.

    Key outcomes and collaborations:

    • Contributed an Internet-Draft to the IETF PEARG group.
    • Collaborated with research institutions including COSIC@KU Leuven and DCS@University of Manchester.
    • Completed a EUR 300K-funded research project with SnT@University of Luxembourg and pEp.

    This role reinforced my expertise in secure communication systems, cryptographic protocols, and cybersecurity research, advancing privacy-preserving technologies for the digital ecosystem.

  9. 2012 - 2018 · Scientist, Secure Systems Architectures - KU Leuven (COSIC)

    I was a PhD candidate at COSIC (Computer Security and Industrial Cryptography) at KU Leuven, Belgium, advised by Prof. Bart Preneel.

    Key research projects and contributions:

    • Third-party application security risks and privacy violations (Facebook-Cambridge Analytica): Investigated privacy risks in Facebook's third-party app ecosystem, focusing on APIs and permission systems. Published multiple research papers in top-tier conferences and journals, with media attention related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Collaborations: CrySyS Lab @ BME, CITIP @ KU Leuven.
    • Privacy-preserving protocols for physical asset-sharing (V2X): Designed secure and privacy-preserving V2X communication protocols. Integrated access control with financial operations to ensure accountability in mobility applications. Resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications.
    • Industrial project - identity management and SSO security: Designed and developed revocation mechanisms for long-lived assertions in Single Sign-On systems. Delivered a proof-of-concept software solution as part of the iMinds@COSIC research initiative.

    Key responsibilities and outcomes:

    • Led research on third-party application security risks, including the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica case.
    • Designed privacy-preserving data-sharing protocols for secure and accountable transactions.
    • Developed identity and access management frameworks to enhance authentication security.
    • Managed project deliverables, ensuring alignment with security, privacy, and compliance objectives.

    This experience strengthened my expertise in cybersecurity, privacy, and identity management, contributing to the advancement of secure digital ecosystems.

  10. 2009 - 2011 · Back-end Web Developer (Drupal + E-commerce) - Starfish Web & Art

    Back-end web developer at Starfish Web & Art, delivering Drupal and CS-Cart solutions across e-commerce, portals, blogs, and forums.

    Selected projects (development contributions):

  11. 2008 - 2009 · Technical Support Analyst - Informatica S.A.

    Supported municipal software products, handling operator requests, software updates, and ongoing maintenance.

    • Maintained MS SQL Server instances and .NET client applications.
    • Supported accounting, protocol, registration office, and vehicle management systems.

  12. 2005 - 2011 · Teacher (New Technologies & Web Programming) - Ministry of Education / General Secretariat for Lifelong Learning

    Taught primary and secondary education programs and adult lifelong learning courses using new technologies.

    • Delivered instruction in mathematics, geography, and language with technology-enabled teaching methods.
    • Taught web programming (PHP, SQL) in lifelong learning programs.

  13. 2005 · Technical Support Analyst - e-soft consulting

    Provided technical support for accounting software used by small and medium local companies.

  14. 2004 - 2005 · Military Service - Hellenic Armed Forces

    Completed national military service with a focus on telecommunications. Received hands-on training with military communication systems and operated as a member of a disciplined, collaborative team.

Education

Certifications & Training (selection)

Media Attention

Research featured in major international outlets related to privacy, security, and the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Invited Talks (selection)

Selected Publications

See also: Google Scholar · ORCID

Lead author role underlined - All of my scientific publications are published under my pen name: Iraklis Symeonidis

EFU: Enforcing Federated Unlearning via Functional Encryption (2025)

Authors: Samaneh Mohammadi, Vasileios Tsouvalas, Iraklis Symeonidis, Ali Balador, Tanir Ozcelebi, Francesco Flammini, Nirvana Meratnia

ACM CIKM 2025 Proceedings · DOI:10.1145/3746252.3761091

Towards Empowering Stakeholders Through Decentralized Trust and Secure Livestock Data Sharing (2025)

Authors: Abdul Ghafoor, Iraklis Symeonidis, Anna Rydberg, Cecilia Lindahl, Abdul Qadus Abbasi

Publisher: MDPI Cryptography Journal

Cryptography Journal · DOI:10.3390/cryptography9030052

Emerging Cybersecurity Paradigms in Wireless Networks: Physical Layer Innovation, Trust, and AI-Enhanced Defenses (2025)

Editors: Iraklis Symeonidis, Valeria Loscri (BEiNG-WISE WG1 White Paper)

Publisher: BEiNG-WISE (COST Action CA22104) - White Paper

Project page · Zenodo · DOI:10.5281/zenodo.16405222

Drowsiness and Fatigue Recognition Systems for Connected Vehicles, 6G and the EU AI Act (2025)

Authors: Ana Ferreira, Başak Ozan Özparlak, Hartmut Aden, Iraklis Symeonidis, Mehmet Çetin, Eirini Kanaki, Periklis Chatzimisios

Publisher: IEEE EuCNC/6G Summit

IEEE EuCNC/6G Summit DOI:10.1109/EuCNC/6GSummit63408.2025.11037012

HERMES: Scalable, Secure, and Privacy-Enhancing Vehicle Access System (2021)

Authors: Iraklis Symeonidis, Dragos Rotaru, Mustafa A. Mustafa, Bart Mennink, Bart Preneel, Panos Papadimitratos

Publisher: IEEE Internet of Things Journal

IEEE Internet of Things Journal · DOI:10.1109/JIOT.2021.3094930

Collateral damage of Facebook third-party applications: a comprehensive study (2018)

Authors: Iraklis Symeonidis, Gergely Biczók, Fatemeh Shirazi, Cristina Pérez-Solà, Jessica Schroers, Bart Preneel

Publisher: Elsevier Computers & Security

Computers & Security · DOI:10.1016/j.cose.2018.03.015

Academic and Other Services

Event organizer:

Program Committee Memberships & Reviews:

External Reviews:

Research Visits & Collaborations

Awards & Grants (selection)

Teaching & Supervision

  1. – Current

    PhD Supervision

    • PhD Supervisor - S. Mohammadi, Industrial PhD Student at RISE

  2. PhD External reviewer / examiner

    • 2024: Rauli Kaksonen, "Transparent and tool-driven security assessment for sustainable IoT cybersecurity", University of Oulu, Finland
    • 2025: Liu Shuaishuai, "Interdependent Privacy: Modeling, Measurement, and Mitigation", Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary
  3. –

    NSS@KTH - Teaching Assistant & MSc Thesis Supervision

    • Teaching Assistant at NSS@KTH
      • Networked Systems Security (NSS): Fundamentals of secure modern networked systems
      • Building NSS (BNSS): Implementation of secure networked systems
      • Advanced NSS (ANSS): Engineering of emerging secure networked infrastructures
    • MSc Thesis Supervision:
      • 2021–2022: A. Kotsias - “Layer 2 Smart Contracts for Secure Vehicular-Sharing Systems”
      • 2020–2021: S. Rabat - “Encrypted Documents Retrieval from the Cloud with Searchable Encryption”
      • 2021: J. Shan - “Secure Vehicular Sharing Systems Implementation”
  4. –

    COSIC@KU Leuven - MSc Thesis Supervision

    • 2019–2020: D. De Troch - “dPACE: A Decentralized Privacy-Preserving, yet Accountable Car Sharing Environment”
    • 2017–2018: A. Madhusudan - “Applying Smart Contracts to Secure Car Sharing Systems”
    • 2017–2018: D. Reardon - “Prevalence of Device Fingerprinting in Browser Extensions”
    • 2016–2017: S. Dhooghe - “Applying Multiparty Computation to Car Access Provision”
    • 2015–2016: T. Bertels - “Design of a Pairing Protocol for the AR.Drone 2.0”
    • 2015–2016: K. Domin - “Security Analysis of the Drone Communication Protocol: Fuzzing the MAVLink Protocol”
  5. –

    Educator & Instructor - Ministry of Education, Police Academy, Lifelong Learning

    • Educator & Instructor - Ministry of Education, Police Academy, Lifelong Learning
      • Web Programming: PHP, SQL, and web technologies
      • Application Development: Algorithmic logic and programming, university entrance prep
      • ICT Technologies: CS principles, mathematics, ICT-enhanced learning
      • Microsoft Office Suite: Training & certification (Police Academy & private sector)

Languages

Personal Interests

Contact

You can reach me via email at:

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