Bowen LIU: "An exceptional research value and culture"

PhD in the spotlight: Bowen LIU

Bowen Liu, a PhD student at  in the IT for Innovation Services (ITIS) at LIST, agreed to talk about his work at LIST and share his impressions of Luxembourg.

> What is the subject of your thesis?

My thesis entitled “Post-quantum Remote Device Authentication and Data Analysis Protocols for IoT” started in September 2018 under the supervision of Qiang TANG in the Security, Privacy and Resilient Critical Infrastructure. It focuses on the protection of privacy in Internet of Things setting and aims at establishing a secure channel between the IoT device and the server.

> What made you decide to study science?

From an early age, I wanted to contribute to research, and in itself, research develops my ability to gather information and my sense of thinking. These are crucial to my personal development. There are a growing number of cases and news about privacy leakage, hence, I realised the importance of protecting privacy, and IoT devices are often one of the security breaches, that became my initial aim in choosing this topic.

> How did you decide to come to Luxembourg?

On the one hand, Luxembourg is a European financial centre and has many research institutions and a good research climate, which fits perfectly with my plan and interests. So I can continue on the direction of computer science and security.

On the other hand, before coming to Luxembourg I had obtained my bachelor and master in France. French therefore enabled me to integrate more quickly into the country. Not to mention that Luxembourg’s geographical location allows me to visit the surrounding countries in my free time, like Britain, Italy, Portugal.

> Why do a thesis at LIST?

I found LIST on the list of the research institutes located in Luxembourg. Its research value and culture are outstanding which attracted me immediately. Now that I am here, I can confirm that LIST provides a good mix of research and projects, which constantly influence and develop together. At the same time, LIST has a very wide range of research and business collaborations, which opens up endless possibilities for my research.

> How is your daily life as a PhD student in Covid period, with remote working?

The arrival of the COVID-19 crisis has undoubtedly disrupted the rhythm of work for many people. I have now adapted to working remotely, however, I am still looking forward to things returning to the initial norm and having better face-to-face interaction with other colleagues and my supervisor.

> How do you see your future?

Firstly, I am looking forward to the new LIST policy which allows us to work more physically in the office. It will improve my work efficiency and the portability of communication.

In the longer term, I will prepare for my defence which will take place next year. Then, as the pandemic subsides, I believe that more research opportunities will follow.  I must confess that I would especially like to continue my research at LIST as a post-doc if possible.

> Are you involved in the Welcome PhD Day

Yes, I participated the LIST PhD Day and National PhD Welcome Day. This kind of activities help me to meet more PhD candidates, learn more about current areas of research and to better develop my research ideas. And if I may say so, I would like to advise new PhD comers to always keep an open mind and appreciate the inclusive and diverse culture of Luxembourg in general and LIST in particular. 

Your thesis in… 

… 1 word: Universe. We always think that security is far away from us, however, we are actually a part of the security.

… 1 music: Shape of you (Ed Sheeran). From encounter, to the emotional and carnal acquaintance, this let me gradually understand it much better.

… 1 colour: Black. It contains all colours, like my thesis opens a new door to understand the whole new world.

… 1 movie: Her. The movie shows the love between a human and an AI. The feeling between me and my thesis is inseparable.

… 1 motto: "As people are walking all the time, in the same spot, a path appears", by Xun LU, a Chinese Author. I would like to be the first explorer in my area.