Ronald Petrlic

Ronald Petrlic serves as Research Professor at Nuremberg University of Applied Sciences (TH Nuremberg) since winter semester 2023, holding the position of Professor for Information Security since January 2020. Previously, he led the Department for Technical and Organisational Data Protection at Baden-Württemberg's Data Protection Authority (2015-2019) and conducted research at Saarland University, UC Irvine, and Paderborn University.

His research centers on integrating data protection by design across technological systems, with core expertise in Information Security, Technical Data Protection, Self-Sovereign Identity, and Technology-Law interfaces. He advocates that privacy frameworks should enable rather than obstruct innovation, emphasizing practical implementation in real-world systems.

Recent publications reveal strong trends in GDPR technical compliance, self-sovereign identity architectures, and privacy-enhancing technologies for email systems, smart infrastructure, and health data. His work consistently bridges regulatory requirements with cryptographic solutions, particularly focusing on decentralized identity models and legacy system modernization.

Key recognitions include:

• Authoring the seminal German textbook on technical data protection (2nd edition)
• Overseeing Germany's first GDPR enforcement fine
• Founding the ACM Symposium's 'Privacy by Design in Practice' track (2018-present)
• Serving as European Commission rapporteur for C-ITS initiatives

Throughout his career, Petrlic has directed significant projects including Wincor Nixdorf's ATM integrity patent (2009-2010), the 'Securing the Financial Cloud' BMBF initiative (2014-2015), and Baden-Württemberg's eAkte, Smart City, and e-prescription implementations (2015-2019). His current 2022 'Email Security in Practice' project continues this applied research tradition, translating academic insights into operational security frameworks for diverse sectors.