2017: Training outstanding doctoral students at IMPRS-IS – Interview with Bernadett Kiss

This month, we’re looking back to 2017 when Cyber Valley’s graduate school, the International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems (IMPRS-IS), was founded. IMPRS-IS trains outstanding doctoral students from around the world and supports them in their PhD research so they can use their AI expertise to build a better future in Europe.

Bernadett Kiss is currently a student at IMPRS-IS. She joined the graduate school in 2022 where she is working in the DFG-funded EcoWalk project. Her research aims to understand the catapult mechanism in the human leg and replicate it in a humanoid robotic model. This has the potential to reduce the performance gap between able-bodied human and artificial walking. 

In the following interview, Bernadett explains why IMPR-IS has played such a pivotal role in her development as a researcher. 

What initially drew you to IMPRS‑IS, and what convinced you that it was the right environment for your PhD?

I was initially drawn to IMPRS-IS because of its workshops, seminars, and collaboration opportunities with other labs. I wanted to actively engage with researchers beyond my immediate group and benefit from regular scientific exchange. In addition, being mentored by outstanding scientists in my field convinced me that IMPRS-IS would provide the right environment for my PhD.

From your perspective, what is unique about IMPRS‑IS’s culture and research community? What distinguishes it from other doctoral training programs?

In IMPRS-IS, the students’ opinions and needs are genuinely taken seriously and acted upon. The soft skill workshops, for example, are not only highly relevant but clearly address real demands within the doctoral community, and they are led by excellent facilitators. The research community is very open and welcoming, even when members of my immediate group were not present at events, I could easily connect with like-minded peers. The bridging events between the Stuttgart and Tübingen sites of MPI-IS and the associated universities were particularly valuable. They created opportunities to exchange feedback with researchers working on related topics and to build lasting connections.

What real-world impact do you envision for your research? Are there areas where you imagine it could make a difference in the future?

My research provides insights into the separate roles of mono- and biarticular muscle-tendon units in the human leg catapult, while we also show functional details of the human leg catapult release mechanism through five distinct release processes on the EcoWalker robot. By validating our hypotheses on a physical robotic platform, we ensure that the findings are relevant to practical applications. In the long term, these insights could potentially support the development of more efficient and adaptable humanoid robots as well as assistive devices such as prostheses and exoskeletons. Ultimately, this may help reduce the performance gap between able-bodied human walking and artificial walking.

Looking ahead, what directions are you considering after your PhD, and in what ways do you feel IMPRS‑IS is preparing you for that next step?

At this point, I am considering research and development in industry as a potential next step. IMPRS-IS has supported this direction by offering dedicated career workshops focused on transitioning from academia to industry and preparing for applications in the German job market. In addition, organized visits to nearby companies provided direct insight into how research and development is carried out in practice.

IMPRS-IS is the graduate school of Cyber Valley, a network of leading research institutions, industry partners and start-ups working in AI and robotics. How has being part of this network influenced your development, whether in your research, skills, or career direction?

Through talks, symposia, and networking events, I gained insight into ongoing developments across academia, industry, and start-ups. This helped me better understand how fundamental research can connect to real-world applications and technological innovation. It has also broadened my perspective on potential career paths and sharpened my awareness of current trends in the field.

To celebrate Cyber Valley's ten-year anniversary, we'll be sharing a variety of content across our website and social media channels reflecting on milestones from the last decade. Stay tuned for the next installments!