Research Interests

At the core of Bernhard’s research is the application of discrete mathematics, in particular design theory, to scientific fields. With his background in mathematics, he is especially interested in the application of theoretical results to practical problems, effectively bridging the gap between mathematics and application domains.

His research interests include combinatorial mathematics for software testing, mathematical aspects of information security as well as discrete mathematics for disaster research.

He has developed further the underlying discrete mathematical structures used in combinatorial testing for software from a theoretical perspective using combinatorial and computer algebra techniques. He has also applied combinatorial security testing to several major modern issues in information security, thereby covering different layers of the software stack. In particular, Bernhard has developed CST approaches for web security (XSS, SQLi) and the security and reliability of operating systems. In the domain of online privacy, he has demonstrated how combinatorial methods can be used for browser fingerprinting.

Bernhard is further interested in disaster research, ranging from natural,  cyber disasters in critical infrastructure to financial disasters, with the goal of strengthening preparedness and resilience.

Bio

Bernhard received a Bachelor of Science and a Diplomingineur in Technical Mathematics, as well as a Doctoral degree in technical sciences (Informatics) from TU Wien.