Pieter Siekerman

Prior Education: Bachelor's degree in Informatics (University of Amsterdam)
Current position: Lead iPhone developer at The Saints and owner of Modevsec

'A big part of this Master's success lies in the teaching staff. They are all extremely involved in the programme and easy to approach. But even more important, they are real experts in their field, and they are able to get their knowledge across to the students. You can tell that they are very passionate about what they do and this is definitely motivating.'

'In contrast with other Master's programmes, System and Network Engineering operates from one fixed location, a lab where you have your own workspace and where first class materials are at your disposal. Because of this fixed environment you really get to know your co-students. For each assignment groups of 2 to 5 people are formed, so by the end of the programme you will have worked with pretty much everyone. This is a great way to work on your collaboration skills, which is very useful later on in your career.'

'For my final research project, my project partner and I critically reviewed the security system of the new national public transportation card (OV-chip card). We discovered that the system had quite a few errors, which allowed us to use the card without paying. Since it was the first time the card's security was challenged and it obviously wasn't flawless, we made the national press with our project. Later on, we even won the Joop Bautz Information Security Award 2007.'

'After graduation I started working at an international consultancy company, where I focused on IT Security issues. During the Master's I had already discovered that this was the area I wanted to work in. As a consultant, the knowledge I had obtained at System and Network Engineering was extremely useful. After a while I started my own company (Modevsec), which works on the development and security of the Apple iPhone and other mobile platforms.'