Meet Prof. Dr. André Xuereb – Chief Security Officer & Academic!

“As a professor at the University of Malta, when speaking to prospective students I often tell them that there are many paths open to them: academia, private companies, and policy. I chose to take all three paths simultaneously!“

First and foremost, André is a professor of physics specialised in quantum mechanics at the University of Malta. Much of his work is very theoretical and “far fetched,” in the sense that it consists of answering interesting questions, but perhaps not directly contributing to the creation of new technologies.

More recently he started working in a particular area of quantum mechanics called quantum communication, which provides us with a means for building communication systems that are not susceptible to any of the well-known attacks that could compromise all our present-day communication systems, particularly with the advent of quantum computers. He now runs a small enterprise, Merqury Cybersecurity Limited, which helps to bridge the gap between this technology and its users. He hopes that, with their technologies, your data – as it is being processed by governments, hospitals banks – will be secure now and in the future.

Since 2021 André has had the honour and privilege to be Malta’s Ambassador for Digital Affairs, where he is often called upon to contribute to policy discussions or otherwise give input on all manner of digital topics, including cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

Stay tuned for more stories of professionals making a difference in cybersecurity!