Benedikt Lorch

Dr. Benedikt Lorch is a researcher currently affiliated with the Security and Privacy Lab at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. His professional journey includes roles as a Postdoctoral Fellow (2023–2024) and Research Assistant (2022–2023) at the same institution, preceded by research and academic roles at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany, including a Ph.D. in Computer Science (2018–2023) focused on cybercrime and forensic computing. He has also held visiting researcher positions at Dartmouth College (USA) and Imperial College London (UK).

His research interests center on steganography, steganalysis, multimedia forensics, and machine learning applications in digital security. Notable work includes analyzing JPEG image directionality for security implications, improving steganalysis techniques using leaked cover thumbnails, and developing reliable machine learning models for forensic image analysis. His contributions address challenges in digital forensics, such as detecting image tampering, authenticating multimedia content, and enhancing degraded license plate recognition.

Key academic awards include the ASQF award for outstanding studies (2019) and a DAAD scholarship for international research (2017). His work spans projects like UNCOVER and emphasizes compliance with regulations like the Artificial Intelligence Act in forensic analysis. Beyond technical contributions, Lorch has explored medical imaging applications, including motion artifact detection in MRI and heart rate estimation using wearable sensors.

His research trends reflect a focus on leveraging probabilistic methods and deep learning to enhance forensic reliability, with a particular emphasis on JPEG-based steganalysis and digital image security. Collaborations with institutions like the Pattern Recognition Lab and Biomedical Image Analysis Group highlight interdisciplinary engagement in computer science and medical imaging.