SecAppDev 2026 Faculty
Bart Preneel
Full professor, COSIC - University of Leuven
Prof. Bart Preneel, a full professor at KU Leuven, leads the renowned COSIC research group. His expertise lies in applied cryptography, cybersecurity, and privacy. Prof. Preneel has delivered over 150 invited talks across 50 countries and received prestigious awards such as the RSA Award for Excellence in Mathematics (2014) and the ESORICS Outstanding Research Award (2017). He served as president of IACR (International Association for Cryptologic Research) and is also a fellow of the IACR. Prof. Preneel consults for industry and government, he founded the mobile authentication startup nextAuth and holds roles in Approach Belgium, Tioga Capital Partners, and Nym Technologies. Actively engaged in cybersecurity policy, he contributes to ENISA as an Advisory Group member for the EU.
Don't miss out on SecAppDev!
Grab your seat nowPost-Quantum Cryptography (PQC): The Risk of Being Late
Deep-dive lecture by Bart Preneel
Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) answers the threat posed by quantum computers. We discuss the emerging standards and national agencies' recommendations for migration. We conclude with performance benchmarks and crypto agility challenges.
Key takeaway: If you have not yet developed a PQC migration strategy, you should do so in the next 6 months.
The ongoing crypto wars
Introductory lecture by Bart Preneel
This talk traces crypto wars from limits on research and key escrow to Apple vs. FBI. It covers debates on scanning communications and EU plans for access to encrypted data, ending with privacy risks of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.
Key takeaway: Crypto wars show ongoing tension between privacy & surveillance, with growing risks to online privacy
Cybersecurity and ethics
Introductory lecture by Bart Preneel
Cybersecurity shapes society. This talk shows how ethical frameworks can guide security analysis and design. It covers harms to privacy and property, transparency and disclosure, and AI impacts, all based on real-world cases.
Key takeaway: An increasingly digital society implies that software developers are facing more ethical issues; this requires critical reflection.