Excellent dissertations :
Dr Norbert Schmidt Prize goes to two researchers

The computer scientist Dr Christoph Hardegen (36) and the law and political scientist Dr David Muñiz Hernández (35) have been honoured with the Dr Norbert Schmidt Prize for their outstanding dissertations. With their employees, the two prize winners provide new approaches for more efficient and secure computer networks as well as a better understanding of political decision-making at EU level and data protection.

The founder of the prize, radiologist Dr Norbert Schmidt from Fulda, presented the awards on Wednesday evening at Fulda University of Applied Sciences. The interdisciplinary jury had assessed both employees with exactly the same number of points, meaning that the prize money totalling 10,000 euros was divided equally.

Every year, the Dr Norbert Schmidt Prize honours the best doctoral theses produced at Fulda University of Applied Sciences and thus focuses not only on the university as a place of high-quality research, but also on the researchers, their topics and their social relevance.

Tangible in everyday life

"Both theses address challenges that are very related to practice and make an outstanding academic contribution to solving and understanding them," emphasised Dr Norbert Schmidt in his speech. "The university studies provide insights into technical and political processes that are generally not public, but have a tangible impact on everyday life."

University President Professor Dr Karim Khakzar praised the high academic quality: "The dissertations are of a very high standard. We are delighted that the Dr. Norbert Schmidt Prize once again demonstrates the performance of our doctoral centres."

The Vice President for Research and Transfer, Professor Dr Martina Ritter, emphasised the similarities between the two theses: "Both are about protection - the protection of the digital infrastructure and thus our communication and the protection of our personal data," she emphasised. Both are essential conditions for a democratic society.

Computer networks - more powerful and more secure

Dr Christoph Hardegen further developed the management of computer networks through innovative approaches to recording, analysing and controlling data traffic. To this end, he combined two areas of research - the increasing programmability of computer networks - i.e. their control by means of software - and machine learning.

Machine learning makes it possible to analyse large and complex amounts of data. It can be used to recognise patterns in data traffic, from which targeted decisions can be derived for the management of computer networks. Programmable networks support the granular recording of network traffic. Where and when does increased traffic volume or congestion occur? And they make it possible to implement the results of this analysis flexibly and automatically in order to control network traffic.

Optimised conditions for individual communication

Based on these technologies, the award winner developed concrete strategies for the sub-areas of performance and security management: intelligent routing, which is based on analysing traffic patterns and associated load forecasts, enables improved data transport. The available capacities of a network are utilised more efficiently, reducing or avoiding overload scenarios. This creates optimised conditions for individual communication. A distributed, collaborative and network-oriented system for classifying data traffic also ensures fast and precise detection of attacks in the network. A distinction is made between normal and malicious communication, which can then be admitted or blocked accordingly.

What sounds theoretical can be directly noticeable in everyday life: "If a computer network is better controlled, this has a positive effect on the use of internet services, for example when downloading data or streaming audio and video content," explains Christoph Hardegen. Improving the detection of attacks helps to increase the security of a computer network. "Attacks on systems that provide internet services must be detected promptly and reliably in order to ensure their protection and availability."

More devices, higher data volumes

Further developments in the areas of performance and security management are all the more urgent as the number of communicating systems and devices that provide or use internet services is constantly increasing and the volume and diversity of the data transported is growing. As normal data traffic grows, so too does malicious traffic, which results, among other things, from increasingly extensive and intensive attacks on the networks.

In addition to the high academic quality of the dissertation, the jury praised above all the combination of artificial intelligence and technological trends in the field of computer networks, the way in which performance and security issues were brought together, the related to practice, transferability of the concept and the clearly structured and comprehensible presentation of the content.

Political decision-making at EU level

Dr David Muñiz Hernández analysed one of the most important EU legislative processes of recent decades: the creation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This law has direct relevance to everyday life, as it concerns the law on the right to control personal data. But under what political, institutional and social conditions could such a complex and far-reaching regulatory project as the GDPR come about?

To answer this question, the prizewinner systematically analysed the complex decision-making processes in the EU. He was particularly interested in the roles of the various actors and the dynamics that arose between them, which he analysed using the multiple streams approach. This approach assumes that political decisions become possible when problem perceptions, proposed political solutions and a favourable political environment come together - in a so-called "window of opportunity".

Lines of conflict and shifting positions

Dr David Muñiz Hernández reconstructed the central lines of conflict, argumentation patterns and shifts in position. He analysed 462 statements from the European Committee's public consultations with over 5,000 pages of material from enterprises, NGOs, national authorities and other stakeholders. In addition, he managed 32 interviews with experts from the European institutions, national ministries, civil society and the fields of lobbying and journalism. By combining qualitative content analysis and interview material, he was able to reconstruct the political process in an exceptionally dense way.

The work provides an example of how political decisions are made at EU level. However, it also makes it clear that complex negotiation processes can be analysed in a democratically comprehensible way. "This supports a reflective public debate on European political processes and fundamental rights - especially the protection of personal data," emphasises David Muñiz Hernández.

Non-public sources and insider perspectives

The inclusion of non-public sources and insider perspectives opens up a new perspective on the relationship between expertise, the mediation of interests and democratic negotiation in the European legislative process. "What was particularly interesting was that formal mechanisms were not so formal. The human factor often played a decisive role, for example when a decision was made at the end of a long day of meetings. This leads to the conclusion that political procedures are strongly complemented by informal dynamics in practice - a finding that is central to understanding institutional processes and their limits."

The jury emphasised the relevance of the study for a better understanding of democratic legislative processes in the European multi-level system. In addition, it particularly recognised the methodological rigour, theoretical foundation and empirical depth of the work