Innovative, active and proactive: researching information security at the University of Tartu

After completing his PhD in Norway and spending four years as a postdoctoral researcher in Belgium, Raimundas Matulevičius had a big decision to make.

“I got two offers,” he recalls. “Go back to Norway or come to Estonia.”

In the end, Tartu simply made sense.

Estonia offered excellent opportunities for professional growth – and being close to his home in Lithuania was also a big advantage.

“I had never ever been to Estonia before coming here to work,” he laughs, “and I only thought I would stay for two years.”

Sixteen years later, he still hasn’t found a reason to leave.

Innovative, active and proactive

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The weather outside is grey and rainy when I meet Raimundas at the University of Tartu’s Delta centre, but the cake, coffee and warm atmosphere in the building – courtesy of a conference the day before – more than make up for it.

Now Professor of Information Security at the Centre for Information Technology, he still has no doubt Tartu is the right place to do research in his field.

“Estonia is very innovative, active and proactive,” he says.

The country’s ambition to be a global leader in digital development also gives researchers here the “stimulus to keep looking further ahead.”

Information security is a “hot topic,” Raimundas says, and “Estonia already has a lot of solutions for how to advance it.”

International collaboration

Estonia’s identity as a forward-thinking digital nation creates plenty of
opportunities for international collaboration.

Raimundas is currently involved in two major projects – bringing together experts from academia and industry to tackle some of Europe’s biggest cybersecurity challenges.

First, there’s CHESS (Cyber Security Excellence Hub in Estonia and South Moravia) – a joint Estonian-Czech initiative to support the EU’s safe transition to a digital society.

Then there’s SECURE-NET – spearheaded by the University of Tartu to facilitate staff exchanges and skill development among eleven partners in five different countries.

“Being at a university, you’re always looking for funding,” Raimundas says. “Now the funding comes from these different schemes.”

A human-centred approach

While a great deal of cybersecurity research examines the technical side of the field, Raimundas takes a slightly different approach.

“My focus is on understanding why security is important and where problems can arise,” he explains. That means looking closely at how information systems are designed – as well as how data is collected and managed.

Ultimately, it comes down to how people interact with them in their everyday lives.

For Raimundas, understanding human behaviour is central to understanding cybersecurity itself.

“On the human side, the biggest problem for a computer system is the interface,” he says – the part “between the chair and the monitor.”

“We are humans and we make errors, and those errors evolve. That's where all the biggest vulnerabilities come from.”

Building a team

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High-quality research is rarely an individual effort.

While Raimundas describes “every single paper published at a prestigious conference or journal” as an important accomplishment, he’s most proud of the people around him.

“One of my biggest achievements is that I’ve managed to assemble a really nice team,” he says.

“We are very committed – and I really trust my team a lot.”

Raimundas typically leads one major course each semester and also contributes to others in the department.

With teaching and supervisory responsibilities also key parts of his role, working in a department where every member’s skills and knowledge complement one another makes everything more manageable.

“We all know what we do,” he smiles. “We work a lot as a team.”

Lithuanian connection

Away from the university, Raimundas has found Tartu an ideal place for family life.

The city also has a small but active Lithuanian community, who organise regular get-togethers to celebrate important national events – Lithuanian Independence Day and Shrove Tuesday are two particular highlights.

“We always joke that in Estonia, there are around 1,000 Lithuanians and there are also about 1,000 bears in the forest,” Raimundas laughs.

“Coincidence? I don't know.”

Sharing experience

For Raimundas, a decision initially made for practical reasons has led to a world of new experiences.

“Be brave,” he says when I ask his advice for others considering a similar path. “It’s really worth it.”

“Don’t be afraid to go away – but also bring experience and knowledge back,” he adds.

His role in Tartu has also allowed him to build even stronger academic connections with colleagues in Lithuania – something that remains important to him.

“I’m not saying I’ll stay in Tartu forever,” he smiles when I ask what comes next. “But who knows?”