Ralf Schaefer

Ralf Schaefer is a renowned academic and Division Director at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) in Berlin, where he leads the Video Division with 90 researchers and oversees 50 undergraduate students. His career spans decades of innovation in video and imaging technologies.

• Education: Electrical Engineering at Technical University Berlin (TUB), earned doctorate (Dr.-Ing.) in 1984 for work on digital video coding of TV signals.

Research Interests: Focus on end-to-end video technologies, including digital video coding, image acquisition/display systems, algorithm development, and ASIC implementation. His work bridges theoretical research and industrial applications in vision technologies and smart data solutions.

Leadership Roles: Founded three technology centers: CINIQ Center for Data and Information Intelligence, Innovation Center for Immersive Imaging Technologies (3IT), and the Tomorrow's immersive Media Experience (TiME) Lab. Active member of the German Society for Information Technology (ITG) and Society for Television and Motion Picture Technology (FKTG), leading ITG’s “Digital Coding” expert group for over 20 years.

Scientific Recognition: Honored with prestigious awards including the ITG Paper Award and the Richard Theile Medal, reflecting his influence in video coding and media technologies.