A cryptographic view on computer science

Cryptography is a fascinating research field with a long and intriguing history. Modern cryptography is ubiquitous in today’s digital society, as it can provide security in any situation where parties do not trust each other. In my inaugural lecture, I demonstrate how cryptographic concepts are naturally linked to fundamental questions in theoretical computer science; for example in complexity theory (how fast can a computer solve certain problems?), information theory (how much information can be sent over a bad connection?), discrete mathematics (e.g. how many prime numbers are there?) and quantum computing (what are the power and limitations of this new kind of computer?). I sketch my vision of how to build a research group, education infrastructure and ecosystem to address these fundamental problems.