Bernd Prach

Bernd Prach is an Austrian computer scientist and machine-learning researcher. He competed for Austria at the International Mathematical Olympiad in 2011 (silver), 2012 (honourable mention) and 2013 (silver) while a pupil at BRG Graz, Keplerstrasse, and later read Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. He completed a PhD in Machine Learning at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), supervised by Christoph Lampert, defending his thesis on 31 March 2025. His research concerns certifiably robust computer vision, in particular 1-Lipschitz neural networks and almost-orthogonal layers. LinkedIn/index data additionally lists an AI Engineer role at Helvetia Insurance Austria and a 2017 trading internship at Jane Street (index-only, unverified).

Notes14

• Quant employment verification: UNRESOLVED. The only quantitative-finance lead is a 'Trading Intern at Jane Street' (June-Sept 2017, ~4 months) that appears solely in LinkedIn-derived index data (the LinkedIn profile and aggregators echoing it); no primary Jane Street page, resume, or press item was found to confirm it. The identity itself is well supported (Austrian IMO 2011/2012/2013 contestant, Cambridge mathematics, ISTA PhD, berndprach.github.io, GitHub berndprach) and the LinkedIn profile carries matching 'PhD in Machine Learning, ISTA' context, so the index claim attaches to the correct person. Jane Street is a proprietary trading firm (quantitative market-making). Because the role is index-only and not independently confirmed, the claim is UNRESOLVED rather than CONFIRMED; a past 'Software Developer at Intact' role is likewise index-only and Intact is not established as a quant-finance employer.Jun 2017
• Defended his PhD thesis at ISTA on 31 March 2025; his own site states the date and shows the defense photo.Mar 31, 2025
• PhD in Machine Learning at ISTA supervised by Christoph Lampert; research focus is certifiably robust computer vision and 1-Lipschitz neural networks.2025
• Won a silver medal for Austria at IMO 2011 in Amsterdam (24 points, rank 74) and again at IMO 2013 (28 points, rank 61), plus an honourable mention at IMO 2012 - three consecutive IMO appearances from BRG Graz, Keplerstrasse.Jul 2011
• LinkedIn/index data lists his current role as AI Engineer at Helvetia Insurance Austria in Vienna, headline 'PhD in Machine Learning, ISTA' - index-only, not independently confirmed.2025
• Co-authored '1-Lipschitz Layers Compared: Memory, Speed, and Certifiable Robustness' (CVPR 2024) and '1-Lipschitz Neural Networks are more expressive with N-ALs'.Jun 2024
• Co-authored 'Almost-Orthogonal Layers for Efficient General-Purpose Lipschitz Networks' (ECCV 2022) with Christoph Lampert.Aug 2022
• Holds a Mathematics degree from the University of Cambridge, completed with distinction, per a 2018 Kleine Zeitung profile.Jul 13, 2018
• The 'Jane Street Trading Intern' and 'Intact Software Developer' entries are the only employment records that could qualify as quant-finance work; both are index-only and neither is corroborated by a resume, paper, or press source.2017
• Authored a September 2025 blog post 'How Many Power Iteration Steps do 1-Lipschitz Networks Need?', arguing far more steps are needed than most papers assume - continuing active research after the PhD.Sep 9, 2025
• Maintains a personal site (berndprach.github.io) listing GitHub, Google Scholar, LinkedIn and a YouTube channel, plus a research blog.2025
• Named 'best Austrian' and youngest participant at IMO 2011 by the Austrian Mathematical Society's newsletter, then in Klasse 6 at BRG Keplerstrasse Graz.2011