Biography

Dominik Wermke is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the North Carolina State University. Prior to NC State, he worked as a researcher at the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security and was part of the TeamUSEC research group for human-centered security. He received his Dr. rer. nat. (PhD equivalent) in computer science from Leibniz University Hannover in 2023 and both a M.Sc. and B.Sc. from Saarland University in 2016 and 2015 respectively.

Research Interests

My research focuses on computer security, with an emphasis on human-centered security (including but not limited to usable security). I study the interaction between security mechanisms and the needs, practices, and limitations of both software professionals and end users.

I use both qualitative and quantitative methods, often in a mixed-methods approach. This includes interviews, user experiments, surveys, and large-scale analyses of software ecosystems and repositories to identify behavioral patterns, systemic risks, and the practical constraints software experts encounter when engaging with security mechanisms.

My work has appeared in the top-tier security venues IEEE S&P, USENIX Security, ACM CCS, and NDSS, as well as field-specific venues such as CHI, SOUPS, and ACSAC.

Prospective Students

If you are interested in working with me, please see my page for prospective students before reaching out.

Office Hours

Flexible appointments via scheduling links listed on my individual course websites (or alternatively via email request if outside of a course).

Research Areas

  • Cyber Security
  • Graphics, Human Computer Interaction, & User Experience

Education

  • Dr. rer. nat. in Computer Science (PhD equiv.), Leibniz University Hannover, Germany, 2023.
    • Thesis: Security Considerations in the Open Source Software Ecosystem

Publications

You can find my publications on my website or Google Scholar.