Carl Vondrick is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University. His research focuses on creating robust and versatile perception systems that leverage video and interaction with the natural world, with applications in 3D reconstruction, visual question answering, and robot manipulation. Former research scientist at Google Visiting researcher at Cruise Education: PhD (2017) from MIT, advised by Antonio Torralba BS (2011) from UC Irvine, advised by Deva Ramanan His research explores multimodal approaches for cross-task and cross-modal transfer, scene dynamics, audiovisual perception, interpretable models, and spatial awareness systems. The lab emphasizes zero-shot generalization and neuro-symbolic methods while addressing safety and robustness in AI systems. Key publication trends include: 2025: Video generation for robotics 2024: Differentiable rendering and cross-modal reasoning 2023: Robust perception and 3D modeling Scientific Awards: 2024 PAMI Young Researcher Award 2021 NSF CAREER Award Teaching Roles: Teaching Computer Vision II (2021-2025), Computer Vision I (2018-2019), and Representation Learning (2020-2022). Advising: Advises 8 current PhD students and has mentored 5 graduated students now at institutions like MBZUAI and UMD. The lab recruits 1-2 PhD students annually through Columbia’s PhD program. Grants and Collaborations: Funded by NSF, DARPA, Toyota Research Institute, Amazon Research, and Google.
Jonas Fischer is the head of the Explainable Machine Learning group at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Department of Computer Vision and Machine Learning. His research focuses on interpreting complex machine learning models, particularly in genomics and healthcare, aiming to enhance robustness and alignment with human decision-making. Prior to his role at MPI, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University's Department of Biostatistics, where he worked on interpretable models for gene regulatory systems in cancer. Education: PhD in Computer Science from Saarland University (2022), with a thesis titled More than the sum of its parts , exploring the intersection of pattern mining and deep learning. He has contributed to advancing methods in neural network pruning, federated learning, and low-dimensional embeddings (e.g., dtSNE, Mercat). His work bridges computational biology, data mining, and machine learning, with applications in DNA methylation analysis, graph-based differential networks, and biomedical informatics. Key research areas include: (1) Explainable AI and neural network interpretability, (2) Biomedical applications of machine learning (e.g., gene regulatory networks, cancer genomics), (3) Low-dimensional embeddings and visualization techniques, (4) Federated learning for privacy-preserving collaborative models, and (5) Pattern mining for error analysis in NLP and classification tasks. Publications span top venues like NeurIPS, ICLR, Bioinformatics, and Genome Biology. His group develops tools such as BONOBO for omics data integration and node2vec2rank for scalable graph analysis. He actively collaborates with biomedical researchers to address challenges in data-driven healthcare and precision medicine.
Prof. Dr. Jörg E. Drewes is a Full Professor and Chair at the Research Institute for Urban Water Management, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany. He also serves as Academic Program Director for Environmental Engineering at TUM and is a co-founder of Waterloop Solutions GmbH. His work spans advanced water treatment technologies, wastewater reuse, and environmental health surveillance. Affiliations : TUM, Colorado School of Mines, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, UNSW Water Research Centre Research focuses on advanced oxidation processes , membrane fouling mitigation , micropollutant removal , and wastewater epidemiology for public health. His team develops integrated systems for water-energy-food nexus applications and graphene oxide-based treatment solutions. Recent publications address PFAS remediation , UVC-LED pre-treatment for biofouling control, and GIS-based wastewater surveillance models . Awards include the Bayerische Staatsmedaille (2023) and William Dunbar Medal (2022). 2023 : Bayerische Staatsmedaille 2022 : William Dunbar Medal 2018 : IWA Fellow He leads the Nexus@TUM initiative and contributes to EU water resilience strategies. Collaborations include projects in Germany, China, India, and Spain, focusing on climate-resilient water systems and resource recovery .
Prof. Alois Christian Knoll is a full professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in the School of Computation, Information and Technology. His academic career includes roles at Bielefeld University and leadership in major EU initiatives like the Human Brain Project and ECHORD++. He specializes in robotics, AI, and autonomous systems, with a focus on medical robotics, sensor-based systems, and neuromorphic engineering. Knoll has supervised over 100 doctoral theses and authored/co-authored over 1,000 publications. Education: Diploma in Electrical Engineering (University of Stuttgart, 1985); PhD in Computer Science (Technical University of Berlin, 1988); Habilitation (TU Berlin, 1993). He has been at TUM since 2001, leading the Robotics, AI, and Real-Time Systems department. Research interests span autonomous systems, neuro-IT integration, and traffic simulation. Key projects include fortiss (Bavarian State Institute for Computer Science) and TUM-CREATE (Singapore collaboration). Awards include IEEE Fellow, University of Tokyo Fellow, and the Carl-Ramsauer-Prize (1990). Current roles include editorships in robotics journals, leadership in EU flagship projects, and teaching across multiple programs. His work bridges computer science, neuroscience, and engineering, with applications in healthcare, automotive systems, and urban mobility.
Xiaowei Jia is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Pittsburgh. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (supervised by Prof. Vipin Kumar) and B.S./M.S. degrees from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and SUNY Buffalo. His research focuses on integrating scientific theory with machine learning to address societal and environmental challenges, such as climate modeling, hydrology, and fairness in AI. Education: Ph.D., University of Minnesota (2020) M.S., State University of New York at Buffalo B.S., University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) Research Interests: Knowledge-Guided Machine Learning Spatiotemporal Data Mining Fairness in AI for Social Good Applications in Environmental Science and Healthcare Publications showcase his work on physics-integrated neural networks, spatiotemporal modeling (e.g., water temperature prediction), and fairness-aware algorithms. His work has been recognized with Best Paper awards at SIAM SDM (2022, 2023). Awards include the Best Applied Data Science Paper Award at SIAM SDM in 2022 and 2023. He teaches advanced machine learning courses, emphasizing theory integration with real-world applications.
Prof. Mark Heitmann is a Professor of Marketing & Customer Insight at the University of Hamburg Business School. He holds a visiting appointment at Nova School of Business and Economics. His research focuses on AI-driven marketing strategies, social media analytics, brand equity, and consumer decision-making. He has held academic roles at institutions including the University of St. Gallen and Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel before joining Hamburg in 2011. Academic Career: Holds a PhD (2004) and post-doctoral Habilitation (2007) from the University of St. Gallen. Visiting researcher at Columbia University and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. Research Interests: Applications of artificial intelligence in marketing Social media and digital transformation Ethical consumer behavior Brand self-expression and visual design Marketing technology (MarTech) innovations Key Achievements: Over 20 peer-reviewed publications in top journals like Journal of Marketing Research and Harvard Business Review . Award-winning research includes the MSI/H. Paul Root Award and IJRM-EMAC Best Article Award. Active in translating research into scalable commercial solutions through software-as-a-service ventures. Team & Collaborations: Leads a research team including M.Sc. candidates Sammar Rath, Julia Rosada, Maximilian Witte, Tijmen Jansen, Claus Hegmann-Napp, and Magdalena Heynicke. Engages in interdisciplinary projects with industry partners.
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Steinhorst is an Associate Professor (W3-level with tenure) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) within the Embedded Systems and Internet of Things group at the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology . His research focuses on advancing the security, predictability, reliability, and interoperability of smart connected and autonomous systems, particularly for applications in Internet of Things (IoT) , Industry 4.0 , and automotive systems . PhD in Computer Science (2011) from Goethe University Frankfurt Postdoctoral roles at TUMCREATE Singapore (2011-2016) and Aarhus University (2016) Joined TUM in 2016 as Rudolf Moessbauer Tenure Track Professor His research areas include decentralized embedded systems, hardware/software co-design, modeling and verification of cyber-physical systems, security protocols for automotive networks, and time-sensitive networking (TSN) for industrial applications. Recent work explores blockchain-based data sovereignty, zero-knowledge proofs for vehicle authentication, and resilient architectures for autonomous systems. Key scientific contributions include the 2019 ACM TODAES Best Paper Award and pioneering work on CyberSecDome , LeapChain , and Simutack frameworks. He serves on editorial boards and conference committees, including co-organizing the Autonomous Systems Design initiative at DATE. His teaching portfolio spans lectures on System Design for IoT , Software Architecture for Distributed Systems , and IoT Security across multiple semesters. He also leads advanced seminars on embedded systems and IoT.
Prof. Martin Boeker is a Professor of Medical Informatics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), affiliated with the TUM School of Medicine and Health. His work focuses on advancing healthcare through AI-driven solutions, interoperability frameworks, and precision medicine initiatives. Key projects include the German Medical Text Corpus (GeMTeX) and the MIRACUM DIFUTURE Alignment Hub. Expertise: Medical Informatics, AI in Healthcare, Federated Learning, Health Data Integration Key Contributions: FHIR-based systems, clinical decision support, patient-centered outcomes research Leadership: Director of the Institute for AI and Informatics in Medicine at TUM Hospital Right of the Isar Research emphasizes bridging clinical practice and data science through projects like modular health crawlers, automated guideline adherence monitoring, and cross-institutional medical NLP solutions. His work spans oncology informatics, rare disease management, and pandemic response data ecosystems. Recent articles highlight innovations in digital twins for precision oncology, federated analysis in oncology, and German-language medical NLP challenges. He collaborates internationally on EHR standardization and healthcare interoperability, contributing to the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) and pandemic evidence ecosystems. Grants and collaborations involve the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, European initiatives, and industry partnerships. Educational efforts focus on training future medical informatics professionals through MII competency programs.
Inho Hong is an Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Data Science, Chonnam National University (Gwangju, Korea), leading the Computational Social Science and Complex Systems Lab (CSL). His research explores socio-spatial systems through data science and complex systems methods, focusing on urban dynamics, human mobility, and AI's societal impact. Education: Ph.D. in Physics (2019), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) M.S. in Physics (2012), POSTECH B.S. in Physics (2010), POSTECH Research Interests: Urban Data Science : Analyzing urban scaling laws and innovation pathways Human Mobility : Modeling intra-city movement patterns Social Impact of AI : Ethical and societal challenges Natural Language Processing : Text embedding for policy analysis Complex Systems : Network approaches to protests and epidemics Recent Work Trends: Over 2020–2022, his articles centered on pandemic control, protest networks, and urban green spaces' psychological impact. Recent 2023–2025 work extends to vocational education analysis and mobility laws within cities. His methods combine network science with large-scale data analytics. Awards: Young Statistical Physicist Award (Korean Physical Society, 2021) Best Paper Award (Korea Computer Congress 2021) Global Ph.D. Fellowship (NRF, 2014–2017) Grants & Labs: Current lab focuses on socio-spatial systems. Past roles include Associate Research Scientist at Max Planck Institute for Human Development (2020–2023) and Postdoctoral Fellowships at POSTECH and APCTP.
Elena Simperl is a Professor of Computer Science and Deputy Head of Department for Enterprise and Engagement at King's College London's Department of Informatics. She co-directs the King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence and serves as Director of Research for the Open Data Institute. As a Hans Fischer Senior Fellow at the Technical University of Munich's Institute for Advanced Study, she leads the Trustworthy Knowledge Graphs focus group and contributes to advancing human-centric AI research across European institutions. Professor Simperl obtained her doctoral degree in Computer Science from the Free University of Berlin and her diploma from the Technical University of Munich. Prior to joining King's, she held academic positions in Germany, Austria, and at the University of Southampton, and was a Turing Fellow. Her career trajectory demonstrates consistent leadership in bridging academic research with practical applications in data ecosystems. Her research sits at the critical intersection of AI and social computing, focusing on human-centric approaches to building sociotechnical systems that integrate data, algorithms, and human capabilities. She investigates how to make knowledge engineering more accessible, how to leverage collective intelligence for data quality improvement, and how to design participatory AI systems that address societal challenges like misinformation. Her work spans knowledge graphs, semantic technologies, crowdsourcing, and open data, with particular emphasis on the social dimensions of data-intensive systems and the governance frameworks needed for trustworthy AI deployment. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong evolution toward integrating large language models with traditional knowledge engineering practices while maintaining human oversight. There's a clear trajectory from foundational work on knowledge representation toward increasingly applied research addressing real-world challenges in media ecosystems, citizen science, and data governance, with growing attention to policy implications of AI technologies. Fellow of the British Computer Society Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts Hans Fischer Senior Fellow at TUM-IAS (2023) Ranked among top 100 most influential scholars in knowledge engineering of the last decade Included in Women in AI 2000 ranking Professor Simperl has led 14 major European and national research projects totaling millions in funding, including MediaFutures (a Horizon 2020 program tackling online misinformation), QROWD, ODINE, Data Pitch, and ACTION. She currently co-chairs the Croissant working group in ML Commons developing data standards for AI, and serves as president of the Semantic Web Science Association. Her research has directly influenced the development of data ecosystems supporting startups and citizen science initiatives across Europe, demonstrating exceptional ability to translate theoretical advances into practical impact. As Director of Research at the Open Data Institute, she oversees initiatives connecting data entrepreneurs with artists and civic organizations. Her leadership in the MediaFutures project established a data-driven innovation hub that supported 51 startups/SMEs and 43 artists through three open calls, creating a sustainable model for arts-technology collaborations addressing media challenges. Her work with the ODINE project helped create a European ecosystem for data-driven startups, demonstrating her commitment to building practical applications of open data principles.
Prof. Dr. Michael Gröschel is a Professor of Business Informatics at the Faculty of Computer Science, Mannheim University of Technology. His expertise spans Business Process Management (BPMN, Process Mining), Digital Transformation, and innovative Business Models. He teaches courses on BPM, project management, and e-business, often collaborating with industry clients through student projects. As a consultant, he specializes in BPMN training and IT-driven business strategy. His work emphasizes practical applications of IT tools like RPA and low-code platforms. Recent publications focus on RPA bot performance evaluation, AI in automotive trade, and business model-IT alignment. Prof. Gröschel’s research bridges academic insights with real-world challenges, particularly in leveraging technology for business innovation. He has authored books and articles on business intelligence tools, mobile business strategies, and digital customer care. His consulting services include executive coaching for academic career advancement and enterprise IT management best practices. Office: Building A, Room 007c | Phone: +49 621 292-6764 | Professional website available for further engagement opportunities.
Prof. Jochen Hartmann holds the Digital Marketing professorship at the TUM School of Management (Munich). Previously, he was an assistant professor at the University of Groningen's School of Business and Economics and worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. He earned his doctorate from the University of Hamburg and coordinated the DFG research group FOR 1452 (2019-2022). His research focuses on digital marketing and machine learning, particularly analyzing unstructured data (computer vision, NLP) and generative AI. Key themes include social media, algorithmic fairness, diversity in advertising, and human-machine interactions. Education: Ph.D. in Business Administration (University of Hamburg), Management Consulting experience at McKinsey & Company. Research interests combine cutting-edge AI techniques with marketing challenges. Recent work explores generative AI's impact on advertising, algorithmic bias in finance, and visual search innovations. His text/image mining studies rank among top-cited articles in marketing journals like the International Journal of Research in Marketing and Journal of Marketing Research. Awards include the EMAC-Sheth Sustainability Award, Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings' Young Economist distinction, and multiple best dissertation awards. Grants: Led DFG-funded research group (2019-2022). Affiliated with Columbia Business School (visiting scholar) and Mannheim Business School (lecturer in machine learning). Labs/Teams: Active in interdisciplinary research groups focusing on AI applications in marketing and business analytics.
Ulrik Schroeder is a Universitätsprofessor (Full Professor) at RWTH Aachen University, leading the Chair of Learning Technologies within the Faculty of Computer Science. His research focuses on the intersection of educational technology, learning analytics, and immersive technologies with particular emphasis on practical implementations in higher education settings. Professor Schroeder's research spans multiple interconnected domains in educational technology. His primary interests include Learning Analytics implementation (particularly using xAPI standards), Virtual Reality applications for education, Open Educational Resources development and conversion, and gamification approaches for programming education. He has developed several notable tools including convOERter for OER conversion, WebWriter for creating explorable explanations, and various xAPI-based learning analytics infrastructures. His work consistently bridges theoretical frameworks with practical educational applications, often focusing on computer science education contexts. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward integrating Learning Analytics with immersive technologies, particularly Virtual Reality environments. His research demonstrates a systematic approach to educational technology development, with emphasis on scalability, interoperability through standards like xAPI, and practical implementation in real educational settings. The work increasingly focuses on personalized learning paths, quality assurance for educational resources, and privacy-conscious data collection. Co-editor of 21. Fachtagung Bildungstechnologien (DELFI) (2023) Co-editor of Hochschuldidaktik der Informatik HDI 2018 Co-editor of DeLFI 2018 conference proceedings Professor Schroeder has supervised numerous doctoral and postdoctoral researchers who frequently appear as co-authors on his publications, indicating an active research group. His projects often involve interdisciplinary collaborations across computer science, education, and psychology. Current major initiatives include the AIStudyBuddy project for study path analysis and the development of VR classroom simulations for teacher training. His research group, the Learning Technologies Innovation Lab, develops open research tools that support various aspects of educational technology research and implementation.
Dr. Anett Hoppe is a research staff member at the Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology (TIB) in Hannover, Germany, where she works in the Visual Analytics research group. Her research focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence, education technology, and information science, with particular emphasis on how people learn through search processes and educational video consumption. Dr. Hoppe completed her academic journey with: Ph.D. in Semantic Web technologies for online user profiles from the University of Burgundy, Dijon, France Her primary research interests span Search as Learning, software-based support for scientific reproducibility, and ethical considerations in computer-based decision making. She investigates how visual elements, reading sequences, and AI technologies impact knowledge acquisition during web search and educational video consumption. Her work bridges human-computer interaction, educational psychology, and information retrieval to create more effective learning experiences, with recent publications examining the role of large language models, vision-language models, and visual complexity in educational contexts. Analysis of her recent publications (2024-2025) reveals a strong interdisciplinary focus combining computer science, educational psychology, and information science. Her research examines video-based learning effectiveness, knowledge gain prediction, educational resource discovery, and the impact of visual elements on learning outcomes. She consistently explores how AI technologies can be leveraged to enhance educational experiences while maintaining attention to ethical considerations and scientific reproducibility. Dr. Hoppe maintains active collaborations with researchers across multiple institutions, with frequent co-authorship patterns indicating strong research partnerships, particularly with Ralph Ewerth and other members of the Visual Analytics group at TIB. Her work supports TIB's mission to advance knowledge infrastructure and scholarly communication through innovative technological solutions while directly addressing practical challenges in educational technology and information retrieval.
Prof. Dr. Bernd Skiera holds the first chair for electronic commerce in Germany at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main since 1999. He serves on the board of efl - The Data Science Institute and the Schmalenbach Society, while representing Germany at the European Marketing Community (EMAC). Chair of Marketing, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main Board member, efl - The Data Science Institute National representative, European Marketing Community (EMAC) His research focuses on MarTech/SalesTech integration, customer value management, online advertising analytics, data-driven pricing models, and the economic implications of internet privacy regulations. He leads the ERC Advanced Grant project on cookie usage restrictions' economic consequences. Recent publications examine dynamic pricing in digital markets, competition visualization using big data, and AI applications in marketing analytics. The ERC Advanced Grant research has produced empirical analyses of GDPR impacts on advertising ecosystems. 2015 Journal of Marketing Best Paper Award 2013 International Journal of Research in Marketing Best Paper Award Multiple MSI/H. Paul Root Award recognitions He has mentored 17 doctoral students who became professors globally, including at London Business School and LMU Munich. His work bridges marketing analytics with financial valuation through customer equity modeling.
