Gabriele Lenzini joined SnT exactly one year after we opened our doors, in search of new interdisciplinary challenges. Today he leads research in the APSIA Research Group’s IRiSCLab, the Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Research in Socio-technical Cybersecurity, with projects looking at security systems from both a technical and human perspective.
We sat down with him over an espresso to find out more about his life at SnT (nine years in Luxembourg have done nothing to diminish the Italian researcher’s love of coffee).
Why did you join SnT in 2010?
After seven years in research in the Netherlands, I was looking at other EU countries in search of new challenges. The newly born SnT looked like the right place, so I decided to move and invest my time here. I have no regrets!
What was your first project?
I was hired on a project in e-voting but ended up working on localisation assurance, with the European Space Agency and SnT partner, iTrust. We patented a method to protect devices from “spoofing attacks” against navigation systems, by measuring how much we can trust a device when it says it’s in a certain place. This was SnT’s very first patent.
What’s special about working here?
Working on challenges from the outside world involves tackling problems from multiple perspectives; here at SnT I have the opportunity to work with researchers from other disciplines and with different mindsets, who want to have an effect on society. It is an open environment.
Do you have any advice for someone who would like to make a career in research or working in research center like SnT?
Yes – never lose your curiosity and train your critical thinking. Always put your own and other people’s ideas to the test. This means not putting too much blind trust in what authorities in a discipline may say, and applying scientific methods in whatever you do.
What are the biggest changes you’ve seen at SnT?
At the beginning, interacting and sharing ideas was as causal as walking down the corridor or to the kitchen. Today, with SnT being so large and located on two campuses, the dynamic is different. You have to make an effort to meet and collaborate with people: you need to have a plan!
Can you describe SnT?
SnT is a highly dynamic environment to do research. It is a place where you can collaborate with others, do interdisciplinary research and tackle real world problems.
SnT is turning 10! We’ve come a long way since launching our activities in 2009. Stay tuned for a year full of celebrations, cutting-edge research, and new milestones.
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