Since 2007, the honorary title “TUM Distinguished Affiliated Professor” has distinguished leading international scientists who have been advancing a scientific area and developing long-term collaborations with their colleagues at TUM. The honorary title is conferred by the President upon decision by the TUM Extended Board of Management and the TUM Senate. The ceremony at the TUM School of CIT began with welcoming remarks by Professor Dr. Hans-Joachim Bungartz, the Dean of the School, and Professor Dr. Thomas F. Hofmann, the President of TUM. The laudatory speech in honor of Michael Backes was given by Professor Dr. Pramod Bhatotia, Chair of Distributed Systems and Operating Systems at TUM. After a brief address, President Hofmann presented Michael Backes with the TUM Distinguished Affiliated Professorship. The ceremony concluded with a lecture by the honoree.
Michael Backes is the founding director and CEO of the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security, the 18th Helmholtz Center in the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. In his research, Backes focuses on novel methods for protecting personal data, trustworthy methods for machine learning and universal solutions for software and system security. His research results have shaped these scientific fields both nationally and internationally, as impressively evidenced by over 350 peer-reviewed and much cited publications in renowned international journals and conference proceedings.
His papers have earned Backes internationally renowned scientific awards and honors, in particular the ERC Synergy Grant, which is Europe's most highly endowed EU research award, the Karl Heinz Beckurts Prize, an ERC Starting Grant, the Caspar Bowden Privacy Award, the IEEE Fellowship, as well as various Career Awards and Best Paper Awards. His research results have been translated into highly innovative applications that have brought him widespread attention beyond the scientific community. Backes was the first German to receive the MIT TR35 Award, which recognized him as one of the top 35 researchers and innovators in the world under the age of 35 (across disciplines). Michael Backes holds an honorary doctorate from the Université de Lorraine. He is also “Zukunftsbotschafter” and honorary citizen of the city of St. Ingbert.
Receiving the TUM Distinguished Affiliated Professorship has a special significance for Michael Backes. “I am deeply honored to receive this award from one of the most prestigious technical universities in Europe. The close scientific connection between CISPA and TUM has always been of great importance to me, so I am all the more delighted to be able to continue to expand our partnership, which has also been deepened in the areas of technology transfer and startup promotion, as a TUM Distinguished Affiliated Professor. My thanks go to TUM and to all my colleagues, without whose commitment these successes would not be possible," says the CISPA director.
