Steve Babbage (1984)

Steve Babbage graduated from Merton in 1987 with a BA in Mathematics & Philosophy. In 1994 he received a PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London, and in 2017 he was appointed a visiting professor at the same institution. 

From 1987 to 1995, Steve worked as a mathematician and cryptographer at Racal Comsec Ltd; a company specialising in communications security equipment. In 1995 he moved to Vodafone, where he remained until 2021. He quickly assumed the role of Chief Cryptographer for the Vodafone Group, and went on to lead the security research team in Vodafone Group R&D. For Vodafone, he covered several highly specialised technical areas, from mathematical optimisation and spectrum auctions to cybersecurity and quantum computing. 
 
Beyond Vodafone, Steve became widely recognised and influential in the mobile industry: he chaired the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) security algorithms group for many years and was regarded as a cryptography and security expert in the GSM Association (GSMA) and 3GPP. In 2012, Steve was appointed one of the first Vodafone Distinguished Engineers – one of only seven at the time from the whole Vodafone Group. 
 
Steve has also held several advisory roles. He was a director of tScheme Limited, a technical advisor to PGP Corporation, and a founding member of the IoT Security Foundation’s Executive Steering Board. He currently serves as a technical advisor to Nok Nok, Votem Corp., and Sandbox AQ.