Hi there!
I'm a postdoctoral researcher interested in usable security and privacy. While I studied computer science, I later specialized in information security and developed an interest for usability and human factors in computer security.
During my PhD, I focused on exploring the usability and security of password-based user authentication.
At the time, I was a scholar of the DFG (German Research Foundation) research training group UbiCrypt.
I worked extensively with Blase Ur from 
SUPERgroup at the University of Chicago and Adam J. Aviv from 
GWUSEC Lab at the George Washington University.
I received my PhD in 2019 from 
Ruhr University Bochum, where I was advised by Prof. Dr. Markus Dürmuth.
Since October 2019, I'm a postdoc at the 
Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy in Bochum, Germany.
The research of our group at MPI-SP focuses on computer security, privacy, and human-computer interaction (HCI). We are especially working on methods to help users make better security and privacy decisions, as well as, to make complex computer systems more usable for non-technical users.
Education
- Doctorate (Dr.-Ing.) — Summa cum laude (With highest honors)
- Usable Security and Privacy
- «On the Usability and Security of Password-Based User Authentication» — Distinguished Thesis Award
- Ruhr University Bochum
- Master of Science (M.Sc., Engineer) — Very good
- IT Security - Network & Systems
- «Graphical Fallback Authentication»
- Ruhr University Bochum
- Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng., Engineer) — Good
- Computer Science - Communication in Distributed Systems
- «Security Audit of a Web Interface for Building Automation»
- University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt
Contact
Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy
Ruhr University Bochum, ID 2/129
Universitaetsstr. 150, 44780 Bochum
maximilian.golla@rub.de ( PGP Key)