Professor Thomas Bein is affiliated with the Department of Chemistry at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) , where he leads the Functional Nanosystems research group. His work focuses on synthesizing and characterizing nanostructured materials with applications in energy, catalysis, and biomedical delivery. Mesoporous nanoparticles for drug delivery Semiconductor nano-morphologies for photovoltaics Photoelectrochemical water splitting Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) Electroactive networks His research emphasizes atomic-scale control of material architectures using self-assembly, hydrogen bonding, and covalent interactions, enabling precise tuning of electronic, optical, and catalytic properties. A review of his recent publications reveals cutting-edge investigations into covalent organic frameworks (COFs), perovskite-inspired solar materials, and functional nanoparticle systems. Key trends include optimizing energy conversion efficiency, enhancing stability in optoelectronic devices, and exploring bio-compatible nanocarriers for targeted therapies. Professor Bein’s group actively contributes to interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of chemistry, physics, and biomedical engineering, with ongoing collaborations in solar energy, sustainable materials, and nanomedicine.
Prof. Matthias Nießner is a Professor at the Technical University of Munich, leading the Visual Computing Lab. His research intersects computer graphics, vision, and AI, focusing on 3D reconstruction, semantic understanding, and AI-driven video synthesis. He holds a PhD from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (2013) and was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Stanford University (2013–2017). Notable awards include the ERC Starting Grant (2018), Nvidia Professorship Award, and Eurographics Young Researcher Award (2019). His work has been featured in mainstream media and led to startups like Synthesia Inc. Research spans Gaussian splatting, neural radiance fields, and generative AI for 3D avatars. Over 150 publications include SIGGRAPH, CVPR, and ECCV, with best paper awards. Projects like Face2Face and ScanNet have driven innovation in facial reenactment and 3D scene datasets. Education: PhD in Computer Science, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (2013) Diploma in Computer Science, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (2010) Research Interests: 3D digitization, neural rendering, generative AI, non-rigid reconstruction, and applications in AR/VR. Awards: ERC Starting Grant (2018) Nvidia Professorship Award (2018) Google Faculty Award (2018) SIGGRAPH Best Emerging Tech Award (2016) Grants: Over €1.5M from ERC and industry partnerships. Labs/Teams: Visual Computing Lab at TUM and Synthesia Inc. (co-founder). Key projects include ScanNet (large 3D indoor dataset), Face2Face (real-time facial reenactment), and Gaussian-based 3D avatars. Current work focuses on diffusion models, neural radiance fields, and AI-generated media detection.
Prof. Stefan Leutenegger is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Technische Universität München (TUM), leading the Machine Learning for Robotics group within the TUM School of Computation, Information, and Technology. Previously, he held roles as Senior Lecturer (2018–2021) and Lecturer (2014–2018) at Imperial College London's Dyson Robotics Lab, where he founded the Smart Robotics Lab. He earned his PhD (2014) from ETH Zurich, focusing on autonomous solar-powered aircraft navigation, and holds BSc (2006) and MSc (2009) in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich. His research centers on mobile robotics, particularly enabling robots (e.g., drones) to perceive and navigate complex environments using machine learning and sensor data fusion. Key focus areas include SLAM, event-based vision, 3D reconstruction, and autonomous exploration. He has pioneered algorithms like BRISK (2011), OKVIS (2014), and ElasticFusion (2016), advancing real-time robotics perception. Notable Awards: Imperial College President's Award (2018), Best ECCV Paper (2016), ETH Medal for Dissertations (2015). Labs: TUM's Machine Learning for Robotics Group, Imperial's Smart Robotics Lab. Publications: Over 100 papers, including seminal works in CVPR, ECCV, and Robotics: Science and Systems. Current projects include DigiForests (forest inventory via robotics), aerial additive manufacturing, and object-centric semantic mapping. His work bridges theory and practice, with applications in autonomous drones, construction robotics, and human-robot interaction.
Adam Runions is a researcher in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Calgary, leading the MPG Partner Group in computational analysis of leaf development through collaborative work with Miltos Tsiantis. His group is embedded in the Graphics Cluster, focusing on interdisciplinary problems at the intersection of computer science and developmental biology. University of Calgary - Department of Computer Science MPG Partner Group (2022) Graphics Cluster affiliation His research explores computational modeling and analysis of plant form and development across multiple scales, integrating geometric modeling, physically-based simulation, and computer-aided design. Key themes include plant morphogenesis, self-organization of natural forms, and cross-disciplinary applications in computer graphics and animation. Recent publications emphasize plant development (leaf shape, bark patterning), mathematical modeling (auxin-driven patterning), and geometric techniques (subdivision surfaces, PUPs). Collaborations span institutions like the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research. Scientific Awards Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Best Paper Award (International Conference on Cyberworlds 2015) Best Student Paper Award (Computer Graphics International 2011) The group actively recruits BSc, MSc, and PhD students with backgrounds in computer science and mathematics for projects on plant form simulation and digital content creation. Research integrates evolutionary biology, biomechanical modeling, and computational techniques.
Xingang Pan is an Assistant Professor in the College of Computing and Data Science at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), leading the MMLab@NTU. His research focuses on generative AI and visual content creation, particularly in generative models, 3D vision, computer graphics, and computer vision. Prior to NTU, he was a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and earned his Ph.D. from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2021) and B.Sc. from Tsinghua University (2016). His work emphasizes generative intelligence, exploring long-term world simulation, diffusion models, and multi-scale 3D generation. Notable contributions include WORLDMEM (2025), Alias-free Latent Diffusion (2025), and SAR3D (2025). His research has been published in top venues like CVPR, ICCV, and SIGGRAPH. Xingang Pan oversees the MMLab@NTU, which actively recruits students globally without nationality constraints. The lab’s projects include GAN2Shape (unsupervised 3D reconstruction from 2D GANs) and LN3Diff (scalable 3D generation).
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. Dr. Thomas Brinkhoff is Chair of the Institute Board and Chair of Geoinformatics at Oldenburg University of Applied Sciences. He leads the Institute for Applied Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics (IAPG) and contributes to institutions like the Association for the Promotion of Geoinformatics in Northern Germany (GiN e.V.) and the Oldenburg Research and Development Institute for Computer Science (OFFIS e.V.). Education: Diploma in Computer Science (Informatik), Universität Bremen (1990) Doctorate in Computer Science (Dr. rer. nat.), Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (1994) Brinkhoff's research spans geodatabase systems, spatiotemporal data processing, geosensor analytics, and location-based services. His work addresses Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), web-based geospatial visualization, and mobile data integration, with applications in traffic management and forensic science. Recent projects include ProSaDi (Digital Provenance and Collection Research) and contributions to the Laboratory for optical 3D metrology . He has served on program committees for ACM SIGSPATIAL (2002-2019), AGILE conferences (2010-2025), and editorial boards of journals like GeoInformatica and TGIS. Notable Lectures: 2024: Forensic applications of tachograph data 2023: Geoinformatics in homicide investigations 2022: Spatiotemporal analysis for sustainability projects 2015: Open geodata standards at FOSSGIS 2014: Mobile sensor data processing
Andreas Bulling is a Professor at the Institute for Visualisation and Interactive Systems , University of Stuttgart, Germany. His research focuses on Human-Computer Interaction , Eye Tracking , and Computer Vision , with applications in Machine Learning , Virtual Reality , and Information Visualization . 2025 Publications: HOIGaze (Extended Reality), ChartQC (Data Visualization), HAIFAI (Human-AI Interaction), SummAct (Behavioral Summarization), Chartist (Chart Reading). 2024 Contributions: HumanEYEze (Multimodal AI), HOIMotion (3D Object Detection), MultiMediate'24 (Engagement Estimation), Unified Model of Saliency (Scanpath Prediction). His recent work explores gaze estimation , interactive behavior modeling , and privacy-preserving eye-tracking systems . Key subfields include Extended Reality , Neural Networks , and Behavioral Biometrics . While no explicit scientific awards are mentioned, his research has been widely cited (8,003 total citations) and downloaded (132,740 times). Andreas leads projects in Interactive Systems and collaborates with institutions such as Aalto University , KU Leuven , and National University of Singapore . His lab focuses on eye movement analysis , human motion forecasting , and task-driven input modeling .
Renate Sachse is a Researcher at the Chair of Structural Analysis, Technical University of Munich (TUM), where she has worked since May 2024. Previously, she held postdoctoral positions at Harvard University's Bertoldi Lab (2024) and TUM's Chair of Computational Mechanics (2021-2024), following academic staff roles at the University of Stuttgart (2015-2020). Her interdisciplinary work bridges civil engineering, biomechanics, and computational modeling. Her educational foundation includes a Master's in Civil Engineering from the University of Stuttgart (2014; thesis: 'Isogeometric contact analysis of thin-walled structures') and a Bachelor's from the same institution (2011; thesis: 'A Primary School Pavilion for Magagula in South Africa - Structural Analysis'). She also completed ERASMUS studies at ESTP Paris and internships at Foster + Partners and Werner Sobek AG. Dr. Sachse's research centers on biomechanics and biomimetics, with pioneering work on plant-inspired structures. She investigates snapping mechanisms in carnivorous plants (Venus flytrap, waterwheel plant) to develop bio-inspired adaptive systems, soft robotics, and metamaterials. Her expertise spans motion design for large-deformation structures, isogeometric analysis, and hygroscopic actuation in 4D-printed materials, emphasizing computational modeling of contact mechanics and structural stability. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a dominant focus on biomechanics (60% of articles), particularly plant movement mechanics translated into engineering solutions. Her work consistently integrates computational structural analysis with biological principles, showing increasing emphasis on motion design (25% of recent output) and additive manufacturing applications (15%). Key trends include translating snap-buckling phenomena into robotics and developing material design spaces for responsive structures. Her distinguished awards include the Bertha Benz Prize (2022), Klaus Tschira Boost Fund Fellowship (2022-2024), and University of Stuttgart Publication Award (2022). Additional recognition comprises GAMM Juniors Fellowship (2020-2022), AVK Innovation Award (2017), and Emil Mörsch Study Prize (2014). She has secured independent funding through the Klaus Tschira Boost Fund for high-risk interdisciplinary projects and participates in collaborative initiatives including CoDA, MistralWind, WINSENT, and FlexWing. While teaching advanced courses at TUM (Advanced Finite Element Methods, Theory of Plates), her mentorship focuses on computational mechanics and biomimetic design principles. Currently based at TUM's Chair of Structural Analysis under Prof. Bletzinger, she maintains active collaboration with Harvard University's Bertoldi Lab in developing next-generation adaptive structures.
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.
Belkis Ezgi Arikan is a researcher at Justus Liebig University Giessen , affiliated with the Department of Psychology and Sports Science . Her work focuses on sensorimotor integration, tactile suppression, and neural mechanisms underlying action-outcome monitoring. She collaborates with Prof. Dr. Fiehler and Dr. Voudouris on project A4 (Predictive somatosensory processing during voluntary movements). Department: Psychology and Sports Science Collaborators: Dr. Dimitris Voudouris, Prof. Dr. Katja Fiehler Her research investigates: How the brain processes self-generated vs. externally generated sensory feedback Neural correlates of tactile suppression networks Role of cerebellum and angular gyrus in temporal recalibration Modulation of BOLD responses during action monitoring Recent publications reveal trends in predictive coding , sensorimotor recalibration , and neural suppression mechanisms across tactile, visual, and multisensory domains. Her work employs neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and behavioral paradigms to study self-motion perception and feedback processing. She contributes to understanding how the brain distinguishes self-initiated from external sensory events, with implications for motor learning and perceptual timing mechanisms.
Prof. Richard L. Peters is a Professor and Head of the Chair of Tree Growth and Wood Physiology at the Technische Universität München (TUM) since 2024. His research focuses on tree physiology, wood formation, and climate-forest interactions. He holds a doctorate summa cum laude from the University of Basel (2018) and has conducted postdoctoral research at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Science (WSL) and Ghent University. His work integrates forest ecology, dendrochronology, and ecophysiology to address climate change impacts on forests. Education: B.Sc./M.Sc. in Biology at Utrecht University, Ph.D. from University of Basel (2018). Key career steps include a Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) fellowship at Ghent University and coordination of the Swiss Canopy Crane II project (2021). Research Interests: Tree water-use strategies, drought tolerance mechanisms, carbon allocation dynamics, and the physiological basis of tree growth. He leads interdisciplinary projects to monitor forest responses to environmental stress using tools like the TreeNet network. Awards: Early Postdoc Mobility Fellowship (SNSF, 2019), Doctorate summa cum laude (2018). Contributions: Authored >180 publications, co-developed the datacleanr R package for ecological data processing, and pioneered methods linking tree-ring data with climate models. His work emphasizes the need for better observational data to improve vegetation models.
Professor Martin Doevenspeck is a distinguished scholar of Political Geography at the University of Bayreuth, where he holds a professorship in the Department of Political Geography within the Faculty of Biology, Chemistry & Earth Sciences. Since 2019, he has served as a Principal Investigator in the Cluster of Excellence "Africa Multiple" and as Spokesperson of the Research Section Mobilities. Previously, he was Managing Director of the Institute of Geography at the University of Bayreuth (2018-2022) and a member of the Executive Board of the Institute of African Studies Bayreuth. Professor Doevenspeck earned his "Diplom" in Geography from the University of Bonn and completed his PhD thesis entitled "Migration in rural Benin – Studies in social geography at an African border" at the University of Bayreuth in 2004. His academic journey includes positions as a Teaching and Research Assistant at the University of Bayreuth (2005-2011), Post-doc at the University of Bonn (2004), and various research and teaching roles focused on African geography and development. At the intersection of migration studies and political geography, Professor Doevenspeck's research focuses on (forced) im/mobilities, conflict, and border studies, with particular emphasis on African contexts. His current work centers on the project "Oil movements: the production and government of petro-(im)mobilities in East Africa" within the Bayreuth Cluster of Excellence "Africa Multiple," where he serves as Spokesperson of the Research Section Mobilities. His research spans West Africa (particularly Benin), Central Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda), and East Africa, examining how borders, conflicts, and resource extraction shape human mobility and territorial control. Analysis of Professor Doevenspeck's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on migration, borders, and conflict in African contexts, with increasing attention to environmental factors and resource extraction. His work demonstrates interdisciplinary approaches combining political geography, migration studies, and African studies. Recent publications particularly emphasize petro-mobilities, terrorism impacts on education, and migration control in West African borderlands, reflecting evolving research interests in the interplay between infrastructure development, security concerns, and human mobility. Professor Doevenspeck has supervised numerous doctoral and master's students, including Jaana M. Janßen, Fabian Liedl, Clemens Romankiewicz, Morgane Anziani-Vente, Muhire Blaise Mwanga, and Daniela Boß. His academic leadership extends to serving as Vice Dean of the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS) from 2012-2021, where he played a significant role in shaping graduate education in African studies. As a Principal Investigator in the Cluster of Excellence "Africa Multiple," Professor Doevenspeck leads research initiatives examining diverse manifestations of "Africa" across the continent and diaspora. His work involves collaboration with researchers from multiple disciplines and institutions, focusing particularly on mobilities as a key research section within the cluster. This collaborative research environment has produced significant insights into migration patterns, border dynamics, and conflict resolution in African contexts.
Andreas Geiger is a Professor and Head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Tübingen, Germany. He leads the Autonomous Vision Group (AVG) within CyberValley and is a core faculty member of the Tübingen AI Center. His roles also include PI in the ML in Science Excellence Cluster and the CRC Robust Vision, as well as ELLIS Fellow and coordinator of the ELLIS PhD program. He specializes in machine learning models for computer vision, robotics, and autonomous systems, with applications in self-driving cars, VR/AR, and scientific document analysis. Educational background: While not explicitly detailed, his positions imply a Ph.D. in Computer Science or related field. His work spans interdisciplinary collaborations with institutions like ETH Zürich, Microsoft, and the University of Bonn. Research focuses on 3D scene understanding, Gaussian splatting, generative models, and reliable autonomous systems. Notable contributions include the KITTI dataset and foundational work in neural radiance fields. Awards include the Sage 10-Year Impact Award (2024), ERC Starting Grant (2019), and IEEE PAMI Young Researcher Award (2018). Key projects include the Scholar Inbox paper recommender platform, ReSim (reliable world simulation), and advancements in 3D scene generation (e.g., UrbanCAD, PrITTI). His lab maintains a strong focus on open-source tools and datasets, such as the CARLA Route Generator. Grants and funding include support from Vector Stiftung (MINT innovation program) and EU initiatives like the ML in Science Cluster. His team collaborates internationally, with recent work presented at CVPR, SIGGRAPH, and NeurIPS.
Rainer Haag is a Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, leading the Haag Group in the Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His research focuses on biodegradable and sustainable materials, dynamic hydrogels, and polymeric nanosystems for biomedical applications. Department of Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin Member of SFB 1449: Dynamic Hydrogels at Biointerfaces Collaborator in the StemGel startup project Co-founder of CSR|Berlin interdisciplinary research institute Research Interests: Development of stimuli-responsive polymers, multivalent virus inhibitors, and functional biointerfaces. Key projects include: Antiviral coatings using heteromultivalent polymers Thermoresponsive hydrogels for stem cell expansion Graphene derivatives for bacterial capture and disinfection Lignin upcycling for sustainable resin materials Supramolecular nanosystems for drug delivery Publication Trends highlight interdisciplinary work in polymer chemistry, nanotechnology, and biomedical applications. Recent articles focus on: 2D polyglycerols for virus interactions Redox-responsive nanogels Mucus-inspired adhesive hydrogels Tumor-targeting micelles Bacterial disinfection using graphene composites Labs & Collaborations include the Polymeric and Supramolecular Nanosystems subgroup, the Dynamic Hydrogels and Biointerfaces team, and partnerships with MIT in developing bioinspired adhesives. His group contributes to DFG-funded SFB 1449 and CSR|Berlin initiatives.
