Research Projects
Ongoing Projects
🇦🇹 FFG Industrial PhD (02/2026 – 01/2029) · PhD Supervisor
PhD project developing computational approaches to detect sophisticated money laundering by analyzing behavioral patterns of actors within illicit networks, combining graph analysis, temporal data examination, and machine learning.
🇦🇹 FFG Bridge (01/2026 – 06/2028) · Project Coordinator
Develops and evaluates novel approaches to assist digital forensic investigators in automating workflows and analyzing data using LLMs.
🇦🇹 FFG KIRAS (10/2025 – 09/2027) · Project Coordinator
Develops and evaluates LLM-based methods for data analysis in law enforcement.
🇩🇪 Volkswagen Foundation (06/2025 – 04/2029) · Project partner
Investigates how AI-powered tools can be used in criminal investigations while meeting law enforcement requirements and complying with German and European legal obligations.
🇦🇹 FFG Industrial PhD (03/2025 – 02/2028) · PhD Supervisor
PhD project developing computational methods to quantify the role and impact of social media influencers in digital asset ecosystems, focusing on detecting market manipulation and insider trading risks in DeFi systems.
🇪🇺 HORIZON-CL3-2023-FCT-01-06 (11/2024 – 10/2027) · Project partner
Combats cross-border cybercrime using advanced AI-based technology, multi-stakeholder investigation processes, training, and awareness.
Past Projects
🇦🇹 FFG KIRAS (01/2024 – 12/2025) · Project partner
Focuses on detection of disinformation campaigns and associated technical, legal, and ethical aspects. Led by AIT.
🇦🇹 FFG KIRAS (10/2023 – 09/2025) · Project Coordinator, Principal Investigator
Creates algorithmic methods to detect illegal transactions in cross-ledger DeFi systems.
🇦🇹 FFG - Bridge (03/2023 – 08/2025) · Project Coordinator, Principal Investigator
Investigates the applicability and effectiveness of automated graph learning techniques in large multilayer cryptoasset transaction networks.
DeFiQuant
🇦🇹 WAW Innovation/18 - 21+ (02/2022 – 01/2024) · Research Coordinator
Supported users in investigating and understanding the structure of DeFi protocols and their interrelations.
🇦🇹 FFG - Production of the Future (04/2021 – 03/2023) · Project Coordinator, Principal Investigator
Designed and developed workflows and algorithmic methods enabling machine learning in distributed edge computing environments despite missing or insufficient ground-truth data.
🇦🇹 FFG KIRAS (10/2020 – 09/2022) · Project Coordinator, Principal Investigator
Developed generic cryptoasset analysis methods supporting the analysis of smart contracts and off-chain transactions in addition to native cryptocurrency transactions.
🇦🇹 FFG - ICT of the future (10/2019 – 09/2022) · Project Coordinator, Principal Investigator
Provided a deep learning pipeline equipped with generic algorithmic building blocks for predicting outages of machineries based on sensor data streams.
Austrian Blockchain Center (ABC)
🇦🇹 FFG COMET (10/2019 – 10/2023) · Area Lead Data Science Methods for Blockchain Analytics & Predictions
Served as Austria's one-stop-shop research center for blockchain and related technologies, applied in industrial, financial, energy, logistics, and government applications.
DeepRUL
🇦🇹 FFG Industrial PhD (01/2019 – 12/2021) · Project Coordinator, Internal PhD Supervisor
Investigated the application of Deep Learning techniques for predicting machine health indicators, such as Remaining Useful Life (RUL) or Time to Failure (TTF).
🇦🇹 FWF DACH (04/2018 – 03/2021) · Co-Principal Investigator
Analyzed German language travelogues from 1500-1875 to gain insight into the perception of the Other (focusing on the Orient). Developed novel mixed qualitative and quantitative methods for serial analysis of large-scale text corpora.
🇦🇹 FFG KIRAS (01/2018 – 06/2020) · Project Coordinator, Principal Investigator
Developed novel algorithms and methods for tracing criminal transactions in post-Bitcoin era cryptocurrencies, considering illegitimate activities in Darknet marketplaces.
🇪🇺 EU Horizon 2020 (05/2017 – 04/2020) · Senior Scientist
Researched, developed, and validated novel data-driven techniques to support Law Enforcement Agencies investigating criminal or terrorist activities involving virtual currencies and darknet markets.
🇦🇹 FFG - IKT der Zukunft (09/2015 – 11/2017) · Project Coordinator, Principal Investigator
Researched and developed novel algorithmic solutions for detecting anomalies in large-scale, dynamically changing graph datasets, focusing on transaction networks from virtual currencies.
🇩🇪🇦🇹 Bilateral: BMBF (DE) + BMVIT (AT) (10/2014 – 09/2016) · Scientist, WP Lead
Researched and developed methods to prevent and prosecute organised crime in virtual currencies, including novel Anti Money Laundering strategies.
🇺🇸 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (12/2011 – 04/2014) · Researcher
Researched, developed, and deployed mechanisms for large-scale synchronization of web resources, building on OAI-PMH strategies using modern web technologies.
🇺🇸 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (12/2011 – 02/2013) · Principal Investigator
Examined application of the Open Annotation Specification for digitized historical maps. Built a collaborative web environment for scholars and citizens to contribute knowledge to high-resolution online maps.
🇪🇺 EU PEOPLE IOF (Marie Curie) (03/2011 – 02/2014) · Research Fellow (beneficiary)
Researched interactive link discovery in scholarly publications, strategies for maintaining link integrity, and novel web-based resource aggregation interfaces.
🇦🇹 Austrian Research Fund (FWF) (07/2009 – 12/2012) · Proposal Co-author
Built a collaborative web-based solution for organizing digitized content objects from the Egyptian Middle Kingdom period using open, collaboratively developed vocabularies. Interdisciplinary project with the Institute for Egyptology at the University of Vienna.