Rita Hartel

Dr. Rita Hartel serves as a Senior Lecturer and Research Associate in the Department of Databases and Electronic Commerce at the University of Paderborn's Institute of Computer Science, while also fulfilling the critical role of Academic Advisor for the Computer Science Student Office where she guides undergraduate and graduate students.

Her research forms two distinct yet complementary pillars: cutting-edge data compression algorithms for bioinformatics (specializing in Burrows-Wheeler Transform optimizations for DNA sequence data) and graph databases (developing grammar-based compression for knowledge graphs), alongside innovative digital humanities work applying OCR and semantic analysis to comics historiography with a focus on German traditions. This interdisciplinary approach bridges computational rigor with cultural scholarship.

Dr. Hartel demonstrates consistent research productivity with five publications from 2021-2025 in premier venues including the Data Compression Conference and specialized workshops. Her work reflects strong international collaboration patterns and likely benefits from active grant funding given the technical resources required for bioinformatics compression research. As an Academic Advisor, she provides essential student support while her dual research focus creates unique opportunities for students interested in either computational methods or digital humanities applications.