Christina Niklaus

Christina Niklaus is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of St. Gallen (HSG). Her research focuses on Natural Language Processing (NLP), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Computational Argumentation, with an emphasis on text simplification, knowledge representation, and responsible AI. She leads the project 'Conversational AI: Dialogue-based Adaptive Argumentative Writing Support' funded by SNSF Basic Research (2022–2026).

Education:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Passau, Germany (2022)
• M.Sc. in Computer Science, University of Passau, Germany (2016)
• B.Sc. in Applied Computer Science, University of Bamberg, Germany (2011)

Research Interests:
Christina Niklaus develops AI systems to bridge complex information with human understanding, emphasizing accessibility and ethical integrity. Her work includes:

• Context-aware NLP systems for simplifying technical texts
• Computational tools for enhancing argumentation skills in academic writing
• Open Information Extraction (OIE) for structured knowledge representation
• Responsible AI frameworks ensuring fairness and transparency

Recent Article Trends: Her recent work explores large language models (LLMs) in education, discourse-aware text simplification, and argument quality assessment. Key contributions include applying FinBERT for financial text analysis and developing adaptive writing support systems.

Awards:

• Best Paper Award (ECEI 2024)
• Best Paper Nomination (CSEDU 2023)
• Nominated for GI-Dissertationspreis (2022)
• delina Innovation Award (2021)

Teaching & Grants:

• Teaches Database Systems and Advanced Databases at HSG
• Principal investigator of multiple grants including SNSF Basic Research

Labs/Teams:
Her research group focuses on interdisciplinary AI applications in education and argumentation, collaborating with institutions like LEARNTEC and CHI.