Meet the Team – Jakob Feldkeller, Product Prototyping Expert – Firmware

Jakob joined the Product team as Prototyping Expert in November 2025. In this role, he is PQShield’s key contributor to FORTRESS, an EU-funded research project developing a PQ/traditional-hybrid Root of Trust. Before joining PQShield, he was a researcher with the Security Engineering group at Ruhr University Bochum. His research focused on theoretical models for physical attacks, specifically studying adversary models with both fault injection and side-channel analysis capabilities. This work culminated in him defending his PhD in 2024. Before pursuing a career in cyber security and cryptography, Jakob went to a school for performing art and became a professional acrobat and juggler, opening his experience to a different world that sometimes still provides a welcome escape. In his spare time, he enjoys moderate hikes and finding the right angle for a good photo. Of his time so far at PQShield, Jakob says: “It is great to work every day with people who are not only renowned experts in their field but also always friendly and helpful. I felt welcomed from the first day.”