Research Groups

Head: Jacob Engelmann

With the long-term goal of understanding neural mechanisms in adaptive sensory processing, research in the Active Sensing Group focuses on the active electric sensory system of weakly electric fish.

Head: Johanna Kißler

We study emotional processing in humans and the underlying neural mechanisms, especially the communicative aspects of emotions.

Head: Thomas Hermann

We develop intelligent environments, smart interaction objects and attentive systems with focus on multimodal interaction and sonification for assistive applications that help humans in everyday life.

Head: Friederike Eyssel

We research social psychological aspects of human-machine-interaction and explore determinants and consequences of gendered perceptions and prejudice.

Head: Volker Dürr

We work on the sensory control of locomotion and active sensing. In our research, we combine methods from neurobiology, behavioural physiology, neuroinfomatics and biorobotics.

Head: Martina Hielscher-Fastabend

We focus on diagnostic methods and therapy for language and speech disorders of neurological origin (aphasia, dysarthria), language acquisition problems as well as voice and communication handicaps in demanding contexts.

Head: Christoph Kayser

We investigate the physiological and computational mechanism underlying sensory decision making in the human brain. We particularly focus on multisensory integration and hearing.

Head: Sebastian Wrede

We conduct research on methods, architecture and toolchains for efficient software engineering and integration of interactive intelligent systems with applications in robotics and automation.

Head: Ulrich Rückert

Our main research objective is the systematic design of resource-efficient microelectronic components for cognitive technical systems.

Head: Klaus Neumann

The group deals with the intuitive use of collaborative robot systems in manipulation and assembly based on imitation learning. In particular, the focus is on reconfigurable and modular robots, intelligent product transportation and their neural control and regulation in safe interaction with human production workers.

Head: Sina Zarrieß

We develop and investigate computational models of language and linguistic phenomena in semantics, pragmatics, dialogue and multimodal communication. Our research combines methods from AI and linguistics to understand the principles and mechanisms behind human communication.

Head: Hendrik Buschmeier

We are investigating computational modelling of the representations, processes, and behaviours underlying the human capability for interacting in dialogue. In particular, I am interested in the issue of how a joint understanding can be achieved among autonomous conversational agents (human or artificial).

Head: Kirsten Berthold

The group primarily conducts research in the field of instructional psychology. The focus is on developing computer-based training and learning environments, which are examined for effectiveness and efficiency in laboratory and field experiments.

Head: Sabrina Backs

The research focuses on start-ups, new business models, knowledge transfer and the influence of inequalities, which are examined in the context of Industry 4.0.

Head: Oliver Bott

The experimental semantics and pragmatics group in Bielefeld focuses on the semantic and pragmatic interpretation of complex meaning by applying methods from psycholinguistics. We investigate the incremental construction of meaning from the sentence to the discourse level.

Head: David Johnson

We aim to enable human-machine collaboration by enhancing both human and machine capabilities by putting human knowledge, needs, and understanding first in the design of AI-based systems and interactions. This includes topics such as explainable AI (XAI) and AI-assisted decision-making in digital health.

Head: Anna Lisa Vollmer

Our interdisciplinary research focuses on robot learning in interaction with unexperienced users,
adaptivity, transparency, and co-construction, as well as social robotics employed in healthcare and medicine.

Head: Benjamin Paaßen

We develop methods to support machine learning with human prior knowledge and, conversely, extract human knowledge from machine learning models.

Head: Barbara Hammer

The research of the Machine Learning group (HammerLab) centers around key enabling technologies for machine learning, its theoretical foundations and applications in diverse areas such as biomedical data analysis, industry 4.0 and resilience of critical infrastructure.

Head: Britta Wrede

Based on a deep understanding of social interaction and human cognition, we develop effective intelligent assistance systems ranging from robots to smart home devices and apps provide support for people in physical and cognitive tasks.

Head: Hanna Drimalla

Our research group is dedicated to the automatic analysis of social interaction signals (e.g., facial expression, gaze behavior, voice etc.) using machine learning as well as speech and image processing. Three aspects are the focus of our research: the detection of positive and negative affect, the measurement of stress, and the analysis of social interaction patterns.

Head: Thomas Schack

The "Neurocognition and Action" group investigates movements of biological organisms, humans, and technical systems in natural and artificial environments. Our main research interest is human movement and its adaptivity. For that purpose, the biological basics, the neurocognitive organization, and the kinematic parameters of human motor architecture are analyzed using modern research methods.

Head: Werner Schneider

We investigate attentional processes in visual perception, memory and action control by means of psychophysics, cognitive and neuro-psychology methods as well as bycomputational modeling.

Head: Helge Ritter

We strive for a deeper understanding of the required interplay of adaptive control, embodiment and knowledge to enable cognitive interaction for robots or intelligent interfaces.

Head: Petra Wagner

We investigate and model the shapes and functions of communicative speech signals both in the verbal and non verbal domain, across various situations, languages, emotions or speakers. In our work, we are interested in interactions between humans as well as interactions between humans and artificial agents.

Head: Joana Cholin

Our research focuses on the experimental investigation and psycholinguistic modeling of fluent and non-fluent aspects of spoken language production in mono- and multilingual speech-healthy and neurologically impaired speakers.

Head: Philipp Cimiano

We develop computational approaches for the emergence and extraction of semantics in intelligent systems. This includes the extraction of knowledge and meaning from large data as well as easying access to knowledge in an intuitive fashion.

Head: Stefan Kopp

We explore how technical systems can turn into socially intelligent interaction partners. To this end, we study the behavioral, sensori­motor and cognitive mechanisms of human communication and develop methods to attain similar abilities in machines.

Head: Anja Abendroth

At the center of this group's research are questions about the future of work, the interplay between work and family life and social inequalities in times of digital transformation.

Head: Helge Rhodin

(coming in March 2024)

Head: Günter Maier

We investigate the future of work with its consequences for humans. Our focus includes acceptance of technology, participation in innovation, or corporate social responsibility.