Johannes Willbold is Co-Founder of Variant Security, spearheading the development of a new generation of compiler-native proactive vulnerability remediation and exploit mitigation technology. His work builds on years of hands-on research into real-world security failures in space and satellite software. Johannes conducted his doctoral research at Ruhr University Bochum (Germany), focusing on the security of space and satellite systems. His work on onboard satellite software has been published twice at the highest-ranking cybersecurity venue IEEE S&P, including a Distinguished Paper Award for his research on flight software security. In 2022, he was a visiting researcher at the Cyber-Defence Campus at Swiss Federal Office of Defence Procurement, investigating the security of VSAT systems. He founded and organized the annual SpaceSec Workshop, the first academic venue dedicated to space and satellite systems security, co-located with top-tier cybersecurity conference NDSS. He was a finalist in the Hack-A-Sat 2 and 4 competitions and regularly spoke on space and satellite software security, including at Black Hat USA, DEF CON, REcon, TyphoonCon, CySat, and TTI/Vanguard. He has also presented his work at the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Johannes also served as subgroup chair for the Integration Layer in the IEEE P3349 Space System Cybersecurity Working Group, where he led the efforts to incorporate cybersecurity requirements across space mission segments.