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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.

• Computer Vision
• Machine Learning
• Multimodal Perception
• +11 more

Christoph Keplinger serves as Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart, Germany, leading the Robotic Materials Department since 2020 and assuming overall institute leadership in 2023. He holds dual academic appointments as Honorary Professor at the University of Stuttgart and Eminent Visiting Professor of Soft Robotics at the University of Colorado Boulder, establishing him as a pivotal figure in bridging fundamental materials science with advanced robotics. His interdisciplinary approach integrates physics, chemistry, and engineering to pioneer breakthroughs in soft robotic systems. Keplinger's academic foundation includes a PhD in Soft Matter Physics from Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria, followed by postdoctoral research at Harvard University focusing on mechanics and chemistry of soft materials. This unique background enabled his transition into robotics innovation, particularly in electrohydraulic actuation systems. His research program centers on three synergistic pillars: (I) soft robotics development through novel actuator technologies like HASEL artificial muscles; (II) energy capture mechanisms using soft materials; and (III) functional polymers engineered for robotic applications. This work produces transformative hardware that mimics biological functionality, with significant implications for human-robot interaction, medical devices, and sustainable robotics systems. His group employs cutting-edge materials synthesis and characterization techniques to create lifelike robotic components. Analysis of recent publications reveals dominant trends in wearable haptic interfaces, electrohydraulic actuation systems, and tremor-suppression technologies. The research consistently leverages HASEL (Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing Electrostatic) technology to achieve muscle-like performance in soft actuators, with applications spanning from fingertip haptic feedback to underwater manipulation systems. This trajectory demonstrates a clear progression from fundamental material properties toward practical implementations in medical rehabilitation and human augmentation. His exceptional contributions have earned prestigious recognition: 2017 Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering, awarded for high-impact interdisciplinary research 2021 Alexander von Humboldt Professorship (declined to remain at MPI-IS), Germany's most valuable international research award 2013 EAPromising European Researcher Award from the European Scientific Network for Artificial Muscles As principal investigator, Keplinger leads a dynamic interdisciplinary research group while securing competitive funding for frontier projects. His entrepreneurial vision materialized in 2018 through co-founding Artimus Robotics, where he serves as Chief Science Officer to commercialize HASEL technology. This dual commitment to academic research and industry translation exemplifies his dedication to real-world impact, particularly in creating biodegradable and sustainable soft robotic solutions. The Robotic Materials Department operates state-of-the-art facilities for materials fabrication, robotic integration, and haptic interface development. The team maintains strong collaborations across MPI-IS departments and external institutions including the University of Colorado Boulder, fostering innovation in sustainable robotics through initiatives like biodegradable electrohydraulic actuators. Current projects focus on wearable tremor suppression systems, electrohydraulic locomotion platforms, and energy-autonomous soft robots that address critical challenges in medical rehabilitation and human augmentation.

• Soft Robotics
• Functional Polymers
• Energy Capture
• +4 more

Michael J. Black is a Professor and Honorarprofessor at the University of Tübingen's Faculty of Science, Department of Computer Science, and a founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, leading the Perceiving Systems department. He holds a B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia (1985), M.S. from Stanford (1989), and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Yale (1992). His research focuses on computer vision, 3D human modeling, motion capture, and AI-driven digital humans. Key contributions include the SMPL body model, optical flow algorithms, and datasets like Middlebury Flow and Sintel. He has received major awards such as the PAMI Distinguished Researcher Award, multiple Koenderink and Longuet-Higgins Prizes, and is a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. His commercial ventures include co-founding Body Labs (acquired by Amazon) and Meshcapade, advancing 3D human generation and interaction technologies. Recent work includes markerless motion capture systems (e.g., MAMMA, PICO), 3D hair and garment synthesis, and AI tools like ChatHuman for 3D human interaction analysis. His research bridges vision, graphics, and robotics, with applications in animation, healthcare, and robotics.

• Computer Vision
• Machine Learning
• 3D Human Modeling
• +4 more

Michael J. Black is a Professor and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen, Germany, where he leads the Perceiving Systems department and serves as Managing Director . He is also an Honorarprofessor at the University of Tübingen 's Faculty of Science . His career spans roles at Brown University (2000-2010), Xerox PARC, and academic-industry collaborations with Amazon and Meshcapade.

• Computer Vision
• 3D Human Modeling
• Digital Humans
• +5 more

Jan Oliver Borchers is a full professor of computer science and head of the Media Computing Group at RWTH Aachen University, where he holds the endowed Chair in Media Informatics and Human-Computer Interaction (Computer Science 10). He established his research group in 2003 and pioneered modern HCI academic research and teaching in Germany, becoming a leading lab in terms of archival publications at CHI, the top international conference in HCI. Before joining RWTH, he held faculty positions at Stanford University and ETH Zurich. His research focuses on Human-Computer Interaction with particular interest in new user interfaces for soft robotics, textile user interfaces, 3D printing and personal fabrication, augmented reality, wearable and tangible computing, interfaces for software development, deceptive patterns, and interactive guides and exhibits. He opened Germany's first Fab Lab in 2009 and has been instrumental in advancing digital fabrication and maker culture in academia. His work bridges theoretical HCI research with practical applications, as evidenced by his consulting for major companies including AirBus, Apple, ARD, Bayer, Children's Museum Boston, Daimler, Handelsblatt, OTIS, Scout24, TEDx, and Deutsche Telekom. His recent publications show a strong focus on deceptive patterns in UI design, textile interfaces, and the intersection of AI with human interaction. The research demonstrates consistent innovation in tactile interaction techniques, with numerous honorable mentions at top conferences like CHI. His lab has produced significant contributions to eyes-free interaction, textile computing, and the ethical implications of dark patterns, particularly regarding children's experiences with deceptive designs. IDC 2025 Best Work in Progress for research on children's assessment of deceptive designs CHI'25 Student Games Competition Winner for The Deceptive Dungeon RWTH-Wissenschaftsnacht 2024 Best Science Slam for Usability: 4 Prinzipien guter User Interfaces Multiple CHI Honorable Mentions spanning from 2008-2021 Best Note and Best Demo awards at ITS and UIST conferences Borchers has served in numerous leadership roles including heading the Computer Science Department's Examination Board (2015-2025), coordinating the department's public relations since 2010, and organizing the weekly Faculty Lunch since 2003. He is an active member of the ACM, SIGCHI, SIGCHI Germany, and GI, and introduced the Interactivity format to the CHI conference in 2005. His PhD thesis, A Pattern Approach to Interaction Design, became the first book to bring design patterns to HCI. The Media Computing Group under his leadership has developed significant expertise in physical computing, textile interfaces, and fabrication technologies, with a strong emphasis on both theoretical contributions and practical applications. His lab continues to push boundaries in interactive technologies while maintaining a strong ethical stance on user experience, particularly regarding deceptive design patterns.

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Textile User Interfaces
• Soft Robotics
• +5 more

Tianmin Shu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University , with a joint appointment in the Department of Cognitive Science . He is the founding director of the Social Cognitive AI (SCAI) Lab and was previously a Research Scientist at MIT, working with Josh Tenenbaum and Antonio Torralba. His research goal is to advance human-centered AI by engineering machine social intelligence —building systems that understand, reason about, and interact with humans in real-world settings. His work is inherently interdisciplinary, integrating machine learning, computer vision, robotics, and social cognition. Research Interests: Theory of Mind Reasoning: Developing models that infer human mental states from multimodal behavioral data. Embodied Assistance: Creating agents capable of assisting humans in physical environments through verbal and non-verbal collaboration. Learning from Human Feedback: Extracting reward-relevant preferences from rich human input to guide agent behavior. Social Scene Understanding: Recognizing and reasoning about group activities and social roles from visual and physical cues. Computational Social Cognition: Modeling how humans perceive and interpret social and physical interactions. Scientific Awards: Outstanding Paper Award at ACL 2024 for "MMToM-QA: Multimodal Theory of Mind Question Answering" Grants & Collaborations: Tianmin Shu has led or co-organized several high-impact workshops and tutorials, including the NeurIPS 2023 Tutorial on "Language Models Meet World Models" and the RSS 2024 Workshop on "Social Intelligence in Humans and Robots". His lab has also developed open-source platforms like VirtualHome-Social and SimWorld for multi-agent interaction research. Lab & Team: As director of the Social Cognitive AI (SCAI) Lab at Johns Hopkins University, Tianmin Shu leads a multidisciplinary team focused on building socially intelligent systems. His lab is located in Malone Hall 213 and collaborates closely with the Departments of Computer Science and Cognitive Science.

• Human-centered AI
• Machine social intelligence
• Theory of mind
• +7 more

Chantal Pellegrini is a Lecturer and PhD student at the Chair of Computer Aided Medical Procedures (Prof. Navab) at Technical University of Munich (TUM). Her research focuses on Deep Learning applications in medical imaging, including explainable AI for radiology report generation and Vision-Language Models for clinical decision support. She actively contributes to the DHM, NARVIS Lab, and RobUSt research groups. Teaching responsibilities include courses such as 'Computer Aided Medical Procedures', 'Medical Augmented Reality', and 'Surgical Robotics'. She supervises student projects in medical AI and healthcare innovation, with recent projects involving multimodal report generation and graph pretraining for medical applications. Education: BSc/MSc Computer Science (TUM), current PhD student since 2022 Labs: DHM (German Heart Center), NARVIS Lab, RobUSt Robotics & Ultrasound Research Keywords: Medical Image Understanding, Radiology Reports, LLMs in Healthcare Her publications span surgical OR dataset development, reinforcement learning for clinical decisions, and explainable X-ray diagnosis systems. She mentors MA/BA students in medical AI and project management for healthcare applications.

• Medical Image Understanding
• Radiology Report Generation
• Deep Learning
• +3 more

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lars Linsen is a full Professor of Computer Science at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster, leading the VISualization & graphIX (VISIX) group. His primary affiliation is the Institute of Computer Science within the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. He holds adjunct professorships at Jacobs University, Bremen, and has held previous academic roles including Full Professor at Jacobs University (2012–2017) and Associate/Assistant Professor roles in Germany and the U.S. His research focuses on interactive visual analysis, medical visualization, and scientific visualization, with applications in life sciences and engineering. Education: PhD (Dr.-Ing.) in Computer Science from Universität Karlsruhe (2001), M.Sc. (Diplom) in Computer Science (1997), B.Sc. (Vordiplom) in Computer Science (1994). Awards: IEEE Visualization Design Contest Winner (2008, 2022, 2018), Preis des Fördervereins des Forschungszentrum Informatik (2002). Research Highlights: Develops visualization tools for medical imaging (e.g., mass spectrometry imaging, MRI data analysis) and physical simulations (e.g., wildfire spread analysis, asteroid impact modeling). Active in EU-funded projects like Pig-Pro-QuO (surface coatings) and cells-in-motion initiatives. Supervised over 20 PhD/MS advisees, including notable graduates in medical visualization and simulation ensemble analysis. Publications: Over 100 peer-reviewed articles in top venues like IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, Computers & Graphics, and EuroVis. Key works include SciVis contest-winning wildfire analysis frameworks and medical visualization tools for stenosis detection. Teaching: Offers courses on visualization, computer graphics, and computational science. Actively involved in thesis supervision and curriculum development at both WWU Münster and Jacobs University. Grants & Collaborations: Principal investigator on DFG-funded projects (e.g., hemodynamics simulations, ensemble visualization) and industry collaborations (e.g., Tascon GmbH for coating quality analysis). Member of the Cells-in-Motion Interfaculty Centre and CDH board at WWU.

• Interactive Visual Analysis
• Medical Visualization
• Scientific Visualization
• +4 more

Dr. Benjamin Busam is a Senior Research Scientist at the Technical University of Munich , affiliated with the Chair for Computer Science Applications in Medicine under Prof. Nassir Navab. Starting September 2025, he will hold the Professorship for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing at TUM. His career includes leadership roles at FRAMOS Imaging Systems and Huawei Research in London. Education: Mathematics (TUM), Mathematics and Physics (ParisTech, University of Melbourne), PhD in Mathematics (TUM, 2014) His research focuses on 3D computer vision , multi-modal sensor fusion , and their applications in collaborative robotics and augmented reality . He specializes in projective geometry , 6D pose estimation , and neural radiance fields , with a particular emphasis on photometrically challenging environments. Recent publications highlight advancements in 3D scene understanding , neural rendering , and medical imaging , often leveraging machine learning and vision-language models . His work has been recognized through awards like the EMVA Young Professional Award (2015) and Innovation Pioneer of the Year (2019) , along with multiple Outstanding Reviewer distinctions at leading conferences. Dr. Busam has supervised numerous PhD and MSc students on topics including 6D pose estimation , medical augmented reality , and robotic ultrasound , collaborating with institutions like MIT , École Polytechnique , and University of Padova .

• 3D Computer Vision
• Multi-Modal Sensor Fusion
• Collaborative Robotics
• +6 more

Jan Borchers is a full professor of computer science and head of the Media Computing Group, an endowed Chair in the Computer Science Department at RWTH Aachen University. He serves as deputy member of the Faculty Council for Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences (2024-2026) and previously headed the Computer Science Department's Examination Board from 2015 until February 2025. Borchers established his research group in 2003, pioneering modern HCI academic research and teaching in Germany, and opened Germany's first Fab Lab in 2009. Borchers received his PhD 'summa cum laude' in computer science from Darmstadt University of Technology in 2000. Before joining RWTH Aachen, he held faculty positions at Stanford University and ETH Zurich. His PhD thesis, 'A Pattern Approach to Interaction Design,' became the first book to bring design patterns to HCI. His research focuses on Human-Computer Interaction with particular interest in new user interfaces for soft robotics, textile user interfaces, 3D printing and personal fabrication, augmented reality, wearable and tangible computing, interfaces for software development, deceptive patterns, and interactive guides and exhibits. He is a member of ACM, SIGCHI, SIGCHI Germany, and GI, and introduced the Interactivity format to the CHI conference in 2005. Recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on deceptive patterns/dark patterns in UI design, textile interfaces, and the impact of generative AI on creative teamwork. His work spans from fundamental research in interaction techniques to practical applications in smart homes, accessibility, and children's interfaces, with a consistent focus on usability and user-centered design. IDC 2025 Best Work in Progress: 'If They Have No Choice, They'll Accept!' CHI'25 Student Games Competition Winner: 'The Deceptive Dungeon' RWTH-Wissenschaftsnacht 2024 Best Science Slam: 'Usability: 4 Prinzipien guter User Interfaces' Multiple CHI/UIST Honorable Mentions and Best Paper awards spanning two decades Author of influential books including 'A Pattern Approach to Interaction Design' and 'Arduino In A Nutshell' Borchers has provided extensive consulting, training, and user interface design services to major clients including AirBus, Apple, ARD, Bayer, Children's Museum Boston, Daimler, Handelsblatt, OTIS, Scout24, TEDx, and Deutsche Telekom. He actively organizes the Computer Science Department's weekly Faculty Lunch since 2003 and coordinates the department's public relations and web presence since 2010. He leads the Media Computing Group, which has become a leading German lab in terms of archival publications at CHI, the top international conference in HCI. Since March 2025, he serves as faculty patron for TechLabs Aachen, a student initiative providing practical digital skills training.

• Human-Computer Interaction
• User Interface Design
• Soft Robotics
• +10 more

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eric Sax is a Professor of Electronic Systems Engineering and Management at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), serving as Dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (ETIT). He leads the Institut für Technik der Informationsverarbeitung (ITIV) and directs the Forschungszentrum Informatik ESS division . As Program Director of the Electronic Systems Engineering & Management (ESEM) master's program at the HECTOR School, he focuses on integrating academic and professional education. His research spans automotive systems engineering , self-learning functions , cybersecurity , and data-driven validation . Key themes include over-the-air updates, scenario-based testing, and the synergy between machine learning and automotive systems. His work addresses challenges in autonomous driving validation, software-defined mobility, and cyber-physical system security. Prof. Sax's contributions include frameworks for automotive software partitioning, cloud-enabled vehicle architectures, and methodologies for quantifying data quality impacts on perception systems. He actively collaborates with industry partners to bridge academic research with industrial application. His recent projects include OptiCAM (cloud/edge function offloading), Drive4C (autonomous driving benchmarking), and UNCOVER (data-driven security monitoring). He holds leadership roles in both KIT and the HECTOR School's technology business programs.

• Automotive Systems
• Autonomous Driving
• Cybersecurity
• +7 more

Jan Peters is a full professor (W3) at the Computer Science Department of Technische Universität Darmstadt and serves as the department head of the Systems AI for Robot Learning (SAIROL) at the German Research Center for AI (DFKI) . He is also a founding faculty member of the Hessian Centre for Artificial Intelligence . Peters holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Southern California (2007) and dual master’s degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from USC and TU Munich respectively. Research Themes : Robot Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Imitation Learning, Tactile Sensing, Human-Robot Interaction, and Safe AI. Recent Article Trends : Focus on deep reinforcement learning (Iterated Q-Networks, Adaptive Q-Networks), safe robot foundation models , tactile-enhanced imitation learning , and physics-informed machine learning . Scientific Recognition : Recipient of the Dick Volz Best PhD Thesis Award , ERC Starting Grant , IEEE Fellow , and Amazon Research Award . Leadership : Founder of the IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Robot Learning and editor for journals including Autonomous Robots and IEEE Transactions on Robotics .

• Robot Learning
• Reinforcement Learning
• Imitation Learning
• +5 more

Dr. rer. nat. Thomas Hermann is a faculty member at Bielefeld University's Faculty of Engineering, leading the Ambient Intelligence Group and coordinating the Computer Science program. He specializes in sonification, auditory data science, and smart environments. Head of Ambient Intelligence Working Group Computer Science Program Coordinator Member of multiple academic advisory boards His research focuses on interactive sonification for biomedical applications, quantum systems, and smart environments. Key projects include ECG sonification for cardiac diagnosis, real-time auditory feedback in swimming, and sonic interfaces for AR cooperation. Recent publications span 2025 with Python-based sonification tools ( pya AGen ), quantum system sonification, and ST-elevation myocardial infarction monitoring. He contributes to open-access supplementary materials and interdisciplinary workshops. As a researcher , Hermann develops practical sonification frameworks like Panson for facial behavior analysis, CardioScope for portable ECG monitoring, and Base Cube One for smart environments. His work bridges academic research with industry applications.

• Auditory Data Science
• Interactive Sonification
• Smart Environments
• +5 more

M.Sc. Maximilian Mühlbauer is a researcher at the Chair of Sensor-Based Robot Systems and Intelligent Assistance Systems at Technische Universität München (TUM), part of the Faculty of Computer Science. His work focuses on robotics, artificial intelligence, and space robotics, particularly in areas like in-orbit manufacturing, virtual fixtures, and human-robot interaction. He contributes to projects such as the ACOR initiative and the AI-In-Orbit-Factory, exploring fault-tolerant processes and adaptive robotic systems for space applications. Research Interests: Maximilian’s research emphasizes AI-driven robotics , space robotics , and control systems . He develops methodologies for virtual fixtures , reconfigurable robotic systems , and teleoperation with shared control . His work integrates probabilistic models and machine learning for resilient systems in challenging environments like space. Publications: His recent work spans topics from in-orbit manufacturing and force-sensitive space manipulators to multi-modal haptic teleoperation , reflecting a focus on practical robotic applications in aerospace and industry. Grants/Advising: Maximilian oversees available theses on topics like mixture of experts fixture learning and virtual fixture adaptation , inviting collaboration on AI-driven robotics projects. He collaborates with Prof. Alin Albu-Schäffer and contributes to TUM’s research initiatives in autonomous systems. Labs: He is part of the Sensor-Based Robot Systems lab, advancing robotics for human-centric and space-oriented applications.

• Robotics
• Artificial Intelligence
• Space Robotics
• +5 more

Jens Krause is a Professor and Head of Department at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Berlin, leading the Research Group on Mechanisms and Functions of Group-Living. He holds a full professorship in Fish Ecology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Thaer-Institute, and since 2018 has been an Adjunct Professor at Technical University Berlin within the Excellence Cluster 'Science of Intelligence'. His research is centered on collective intelligence, social networks, decision-making, and behavioural ecology in fish and other animals. Full Professor in Fish Ecology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Adjunct Professor at Technical University Berlin (since 2018) Head of Department, IGB Berlin PhD, University of Cambridge Diploma, Free University Berlin His work integrates experimental biology, network analysis, and biomimetic robotics to understand how animals make collective decisions. His expertise spans animal behaviour, evolution, and ecological physiology, with a strong focus on group-living dynamics. Recent research explores group hunting, predator evasion, social foraging, and the impact of environmental stressors on collective behaviour. The analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend in understanding collective behaviour in fish, including escape waves, social foraging, group hunting in marlins and sailfish, and the use of robotic agents to study social integration. His interdisciplinary approach combines marine biology, physics, robotics, and data science to uncover the mechanisms behind collective intelligence in both animal and human systems. Editorial Board, Behavioral Ecology Editorial Board, Fish and Fisheries Executive Board, Excellence Cluster 'Science of Intelligence' Advisory Board, Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation He advises numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, and leads major research projects, including 'Developing exploration behaviour' funded by the Excellence Cluster. His work has been supported by extensive collaborations across Europe and North America, and he frequently publishes in top-tier journals such as Nature , Science Advances , Proceedings of the Royal Society , and Current Biology . His lab employs cutting-edge methods including automated tracking, social network analysis, and interactive robotics to study animal groups. His research group, 'Mechanisms and Functions of Group-Living', is embedded within the Excellence Cluster 'Science of Intelligence', where they investigate collective cognition, social information use, and the role of individual differences in group performance. The team combines field studies with laboratory experiments and computational modelling to understand the evolution and function of collective behaviour across species.

• Behavioural Ecology
• Collective Intelligence
• Social Networks
• +7 more