Dr. Sven Herpig

Dr. Sven Herpig is the Lead for Cybersecurity & Emerging Threats.

Sven's current research areas are Chinese cyber threats and use of agentic AI in cyber campaigns. His previous publications include government policies on active cyber defense, geopolitical responses to cyber operations, government hacking and vulnerability management as well as the government's role in securing machine learning, fostering open source software security and securing elections.

Sven held the keynote at the G7 Digital Ministerial Meeting 2022 and presented his work inter alia at the US Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, the European Parliament, and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute.

He served as subject matter expert in several German parliament's committee hearings on various topics, including German cybersecurity policy, IT security legislation, military cyber operations and digital sovereignty.

Additionally, he served as subject matter expert on the state level for the Berlin Committee for Home Affairs, Security and Order. Sven is Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Hull and Associate Fellow at the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) of the University of Bonn and an active columnist for Tagesspiegel Background Cybersecurity.

Before Sven joined interface, he was working with Germany's federal government for several years. First, he worked with the IT security staff at the Federal Foreign Office. He then became deputy of the cyber security and society unit at the Federal Office for Information Security. His PhD analyzed the strategic implications of cyber security and cyber operations for the state.

Sven is active in the following advisory boards, blogs and working groups:

• Advisory Council for the EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative - EU Cyber Direct

• Civil society representative at Germany's national cybersecurity council (NCSR)

• Contributing editor for the Directions blog

• Federal working group on cybersecurity of the economic council of the CDU

• Advisory Council for the Federal Office for Information Security annual IT security congress

• Global Partnership for Responsible Cyber Behaviour organized by RUSI

From 2021 to 2022, Sven was member of the Advisory Council on Digital Consumer Protection at the Federal Office for Information Security.

From 2020 to 2023, Sven was member ad hoc working group on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity of the European Cybersecurity Agency.

From 2022 to 2024, Sven was member of the Advisory Council for Deutschland sicher im Netz" (DsiN).