User Group: PhD Student

In 2016, important actors from science, industry, and politics founded the Cyber Valley Consortium, which became the first Innovation Campus in Baden-Württemberg. Ten years on in 2026, we’re revisiting the most important milestones from the last decade. Each month, we’ll focus on a particular year since Cyber Valley’s beginning. 

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.

Leila Masri has been the scientific coordinator at IMPRS-IS since 2017. She has supported its growth into one of Germany’s largest doctoral programs, now comprising more than 300 doctoral researchers and nearly 100 faculty members. Committed to fostering diversity in science, she also contributes to initiatives broadening access to research, including the CaCTüS and RIGI internship programs in Tübingen and Stuttgart. In the following interview, she reflects on IMPRS-IS’s founding and what makes the graduate school unique.

When you helped launch IMPRS-IS in 2017, what vision did you have for the program, both for the students and for the broader research community?

As a scientist myself, I completed my PhD in Tübingen and Kiel and later worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Austria. Throughout my academic career, I have been deeply committed to supporting students and teaching, an interest I further developed by earning a university teaching diploma from the University of Stuttgart. When Michael J. Black and Katherine J. Kuchenbecker at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) launched IMPRS-IS in 2017 and were looking for a coordinator, it felt like a natural fit. My vision was to help build a welcoming international community where doctoral researchers and faculty could connect, exchange ideas, and thrive together, while providing an environment in which excellent research can flourish. It has been incredibly rewarding to see this vision come to life.

Looking back over the past years, which moments or milestones felt particularly defining for IMPRS-IS, and why do they stand out to you personally?

Looking back, one of the defining milestones was how quickly IMPRS-IS grew. Our original goal was to build a doctoral program with around 100 PhD students over six years, so reaching that number in less than two years was incredibly encouraging. Over those six years, we ended up recruiting more than 400 doctoral researchers, making IMPRS-IS one of the largest yet youngest doctoral programs in Germany.

Furthermore, we had long wanted to organize industry visits so our students could see how research works outside academia and exchange ideas with researchers working in industry. Interestingly, this happened quite naturally through our alumni, who started hosting us at companies like Bosch, with a visit to Amazon coming up soon; both also partners in Cyber Valley. That organic development has been particularly rewarding to see.

From your perspective, what is unique about IMPRS-IS? What distinguishes it from other doctoral training programs? 

What makes the program special is how it brings together the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems with the Universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen. This gives doctoral researchers access to both cutting-edge research infrastructure and strong academic networks. The focus on intelligent systems naturally connects AI, robotics, engineering, and related fields, and the close ties to the Cyber Valley ecosystem help link fundamental research with industry and innovation.

At the same time, the structured doctoral program – with thesis advisory committees, Think & Link gatherings, annual boot camps, and professional development opportunities – provides valuable support to its doctoral students as well as to its senior scientists. Furthermore, beyond all the institutional and program strengths, what truly sets IMPRS-IS apart for me is its people and culture. It genuinely feels like a home: a place defined by trust, support, warmth, and collaboration. 

That strong sense of community, alongside research excellence, is what makes IMPRS-IS truly unique.

IMPRS-IS students come from a broad range of backgrounds, but do you think that they share any particular mindsets or qualities?

Yes – although IMPRS-IS students come from very different academic, cultural, and personal backgrounds, I do think they share common mindsets and qualities. The program is highly international, with doctoral researchers from over 35 countries, more than 60% non-German speakers, and about 28% female researchers, alongside a wide range of academic backgrounds and expertise. That diversity enriches the research they conduct, as people approach problems in different ways and contribute their own personal touch to the research they pursue.
There’s a noticeable culture of empathy, openness, and mutual support – people are approachable, willing to exchange ideas, and genuinely invested in each other’s academic and personal success.

What aspects of the program are you personally most proud of today?

Honestly, I don’t think I can point to one single aspect in isolation – what I’m most proud of is really the people who make IMPRS-IS what it is. The program’s success stems from the collective effort and commitment of many individuals: the strong guidance from our spokesperson Katherine J. Kuchenbecker, the steady support of the executive board and coordination office, and the genuine engagement of faculty members and scholars who are consistently willing to support doctoral researchers. That level of dedication creates an environment where doctoral candidates feel encouraged, guided, and valued. We can now measure this success: IMPRS-IS has attracted top-tier scientists from around the world, involves nearly 100 faculty members, hosts over 300 doctoral candidates, and has graduated more than 150 PhD students since 2017.

Combined with the program’s diversity, interdisciplinarity, and culture of openness and mutual support, IMPRS-IS is not just a strong academic program – it is a place where people can thrive both scientifically and personally.

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! 

In 2016, important actors from science, industry, and politics founded the Cyber Valley Consortium, which became the first Innovation Campus in Baden-Württemberg. Ten years on in 2026, we’re revisiting the most important milestones from the last decade. Each month, we’ll focus on a particular year since Cyber Valley’s beginning. 

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.

Rachael Burns is an alumna of IMPRS-IS. She joined the graduate school in 2018 to work in the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, under the department’s director, Dr. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker. Her PhD research focused on creating a Haptic Empathetic Robot Animal (HERA). HERA uses soft, squishy, custom tactile sensors and a machine learning algorithm to identify the different types of social touches it receives, like tickles or pokes.

In the following interview, Rachael reflects on the unique opportunities offered by IMPRS-IS and her continuing connection to the Cyber Valley research community. 

When you look back at your PhD, is there a moment that stands out as a defining highlight? What made it meaningful?

One moment that stands out to me was actually at the very end of my PhD journey, during my defense. When the time came to give my presentation, I was excited to share with my committee all the work we had done. It was a happy and proud moment, not a scary one. And my favorite part was the questions at the end – it was a very thought-provoking discussion! All this to say, I realized that such a confident and positive thesis defense was the result of a wonderful PhD program. IMPRS-IS gave me an excellent education through excellent mentors, and the program really prepared me for the next steps in my research career.

From your perspective, what is unique about IMPRS‑IS? What distinguishes it from other doctoral training programs?

The ‘I’ in IMPRS-IS stands for ‘International’, and it’s very true! I loved how international my experience was. I met researchers and fellow IMPRS-IS scholars from all around the world – from Germany, Italy, and France, to Syria, Turkey, Canada, and South Korea. I am forever grateful that they are my friends and have shared their cultures and experiences with me. These are some of the best and brightest young minds in the field, all gathered together in Baden-Württemberg. 

When you joined IMPRS‑IS, what were your expectations for the program and your PhD journey? Were there any surprises – positive or challenging– along the way?

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started my PhD. Before coming to Germany, I had never travelled outside the US before, and lots of things felt different from what I was used to back home! Even though I felt homesick at first, everyone at IMPRS-IS and MPI-IS was so welcoming. I really enjoyed learning the German language and about German culture. The COVID-19 pandemic happened right in the middle of my PhD, which was an unexpected challenge, but we managed to run experiments during periods when the country reopened, and work remotely analyzing the data when it was important to stay home. For a positive surprise, I would say the many research conferences I was able to attend and present at. I had no idea of the amount of travelling I would get to do as part of my PhD!

In what ways did IMPRS‑IS shape your development and how do those experiences influence your work today?

Throughout my PhD program, IMPRS-IS provided many opportunities for me to grow as a leader. There were soft-skills seminars, such as conflict management, public speaking, and cultural awareness training, which helped me thrive in an international setting, be conscientious of others, and become a more confident speaker. There were also many opportunities for scientific growth – many postdocs and established researchers whom I could learn from, guest speakers, and the yearly IMPRS-IS bootcamp, where all the IMPRS-IS scholars gathered together and learned from each other. I carry these skills and memories with me now as I teach my own students, both in the classroom and in the research lab. 

How does your work (both during your PhD and current) address real-world challenges and what kind of applications or long-term benefits could it have?

During my PhD, my research focused on giving a robot the ability to understand different types of touch that we use during social interaction. The goal was that this robot could then be a teaching tool that therapists could use to teach children with autism about safe and appropriate touch. Now, as a professor at the University of Tennessee in the US, my students and I are continuing to investigate how social robots with touch sensing can be used to support people in their everyday lives, whether that be a robot teammate conducting safety inspections in a warehouse, or a robot animal providing comfort and companionship. Hopefully, this research will lead us to robots that are much better equipped to work alongside humans, with much more natural interaction approaches than current robots.

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?

Being part of Cyber Valley has actually played a large part in my career direction! This past year, I was honored to be selected as a Max Planck Partner Group leader, and my research lab – the Social Tactile & Assistive Robotics and Intelligence (STARI) Lab – is affiliated as a Max Planck Partner Group. This award means that for the next few years, my lab will remain part of the MPI-IS community and the Cyber Valley ecosystem. We are continuing to collaborate with the excellent research community here, such as with researchers at MPI-IS and clinicians at the University of Tübingen hospital. I am looking forward to several years of exciting and fruitful research!

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! 

In 2016, important actors from science, industry, and politics founded the Cyber Valley Consortium, which became the first Innovation Campus in Baden-Württemberg. Ten years on in 2026, we’re revisiting the most important milestones from the last decade. Each month, we’ll focus on a particular year since Cyber Valley’s beginning.

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.

Sofiane Ouaari is a student at IMPRS-IS. He joined the graduate school in 2022 where he works with Nico Pfeifer in medical informatics. His research focuses on healthcare data, ensuring that machine learning pipelines protect this sensitive information. 

In the following interview, Sofiane explains how IMPRS-IS has supported his development as both a researcher and an entrepreneur. 

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

During the final year of my Data Science Master’s degree, I set my sights on pursuing a PhD. I wanted to deepen my knowledge in machine learning and push myself beyond my comfort zone. Research felt like the ideal environment for that kind of growth: challenging, exciting, and full of opportunities to develop.

I first heard about International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS) through a contact, and once I looked into the ‘Intelligent Systems’ branch, it felt like a natural fit for my background in data science and machine learning. The application process itself was a good first impression, everything was clearly explained, both in writing and through videos, which made the whole experience smooth.

What ultimately convinced me was the scale and richness of the network. The connection between Tübingen and Stuttgart, the diverse set of faculties and associated faculties, and the international community of PhD students all pointed to one thing: a genuinely vibrant research environment. It had all the right ingredients to excel and to properly and efficiently kick-start a research journey.

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

What makes IMPRS-IS stand out for me is how much it offers beyond the research itself. It’s almost like an n-in-1 program, where n represents the diverse number of workshops, training sessions, social events, and networking opportunities all layered into the experience alongside the actual PhD work. 

One thing I’m particularly glad to have been part of is the organizing team for Think & Link, a monthly event that alternates between the MPI-IS campuses in Tübingen and Stuttgart. The concept is simple but highly effective: the ‘Think’ part gives PhD students a platform to share and discuss their research, while the ‘Link’ part is a fun social activity designed to break the ice and build real connections. And it works! IMPRS-IS isn’t just a doctoral program, it genuinely feels like a community and, in many ways, a family.

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

Data is the fuel that powers any AI system. If you think of AI as an engine, data is what keeps it running. But while data enables AI models to learn and generate real value, it also carries risk: sensitive information about individuals can leak through the very models trained on it.

That’s where privacy-preserving machine learning comes in. It addresses the security layer of that engine, and it’s becoming increasingly critical in a world shaped by regulations like GDPR and the EU AI Act in Europe, or CCPA and HIPAA in the US.

Any company building intelligent systems today needs to think carefully about how they handle personally identifiable information, but also how robust their models are against attacks like membership inference, which can reveal whether a specific person was part of a training dataset, or model inversion attacks, where an adversary can reconstruct user data simply by querying a model.

My work focuses on healthcare data, which raises the stakes even further. The EU AI Act explicitly classifies AI applications in healthcare as ‘High Risk’ and rightly so.

This makes privacy-preserving solutions not just a nice-to-have but an essential part of any responsible AI pipeline. Ultimately, this is what drives me: building machine learning systems that are not only powerful, but safe and trustworthy.

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?

It’s genuinely hard to give a definitive answer right now, and I think that’s partly because we’re living through such a fast-moving moment in AI. Technologies like agentic AI are reshaping the landscape almost in real time, and the opportunities available in a year or two may look very different from today. 

That said, whether I head into industry or pursue a postdoc, one thing I know is that I want to work on applied, real-world problems. I find it deeply motivating to see the concrete impact of my work and how it benefits others. IMPRS-IS has helped me stay grounded in that mindset while also giving me the tools, network, and broader perspective to navigate wherever that path leads. One concrete example of this is the S4 workshop series offered by IMPRS-IS. A particularly valuable session was ‘Successfully Apply for Industry Positions in Germany’, which gave me a much clearer picture of how to navigate the German job market and tailor my applications effectively. 

Beyond workshops, there were also opportunities to visit industry directly. We had the chance to tour the BOSCH research and development center in Renningen, where we even presented our work to their team. That kind of direct interaction with industry is something you rarely get in a traditional doctoral program, and it really bridges the gap between academic research and the professional world.

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?

Being part of Cyber Valley opened a dimension of my PhD I didn’t fully expect and one I’m grateful for. I participated in the Cyber Valley AI Incubator as part of its fourth cohort, an intensive eight-week program that took us through the full journey of turning a research idea into a real start-up: defining a vision, analyzing markets, developing business models, building prototypes, and ultimately pitching to potential investors. Our team ended up winning the public prize of that edition, which was a proud moment.

More broadly, this experience reinforced something I now believe strongly: research and business aren’t opposites, they’re complementary. IMPRS-IS and Cyber Valley together push you to step outside the research bubble and think like an entrepreneur, to ask not just ‘is this interesting?’ but ‘does this create value?’ That shift in mindset has been one of the most valuable things I’ve taken from this journey so far.

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! 

 

In 2016, important actors from science, industry, and politics founded the Cyber Valley Consortium, which became the first Innovation Campus in Baden-Württemberg. Ten years on in 2026, we’re revisiting the most important milestones from the last decade. Each month, we’ll focus on a particular year since Cyber Valley’s beginning. 

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! 

In 2016, important actors from science, industry, and politics founded the Cyber Valley Consortium, which became the first Innovation Campus in Baden-Württemberg. Ten years on in 2026, we’re revisiting the most important milestones from the last decade. Each month, we’ll focus on a particular year since Cyber Valley’s beginning. 

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.

Lukas Schott is an alumnus of IMPRS-IS. He joined in 2017 to work with Matthias Bethge and Wieland Brendel. His PhD project investigated how to make AI ‘see’ more robustly so it could work safely in unpredictable environments. Lukas previously worked at Bosch (a member of the Cyber Valley Corporate Network) and has recently started at Aleph Alpha (a member of the Cyber Valley Start-up Network) with the aim of training sovereign LLMs in Europe. In the following interview, he reflects on what he learned during his PhD and how his training at IMPRS-IS has impacted his career. 

When you look back at your PhD, is there a moment that stands out as a defining highlight? What made it meaningful? 

The defining highlights were the collective ‘Eureka’ moments within the research group. Uncovering the hidden mechanisms behind AI behavior and gaining a deeper understanding of its inner workings made the long hours absolutely worth it. 

From your perspective, what is unique about IMPRS-IS? What distinguishes it from other doctoral training programs? 

I consider IMPRS-IS to be the leading AI graduate school in Germany. It distinguishes itself through an exceptional network that connects the Universities of Tübingen and Stuttgart with two Max Planck Institutes and leading industry partners, leading to exceptional AI research with high international impact. 

When you joined IMPRS-IS, what were your expectations for the program and your PhD journey? Were there any surprises along the way? 

I anticipated a purely academic focus, so the flexibility toward industry was a welcome surprise. Being able to intern at Google X [now: X, the Moonshot Factory] and Amazon Web Services without stalling my research was a unique advantage that really broadened my perspective. 

In what ways did IMPRS-IS shape your development and how do those experiences influence your work today?

It allowed me to peek behind the curtain and grasp the inner workings of AI systems. This experience refined my problem-solving skills and taught me to remain humble, always questioning assumptions since things often don’t work the way we think they do. 

How does your work (both during your PhD and current) address real-world challenges and what kind of applications or long-term benefits could it have? 

My PhD work on robustness against corruptions (like rain or blur) directly addresses the safety of vision systems in the real world. My work on neural network compression solves the energy and hardware constraints of edge computing, allowing powerful Foundation Models to run locally on devices like automobiles. In my current job, we are training sovereign LLMs for Europe. 

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? 

The strong reputation of the research community in Tübingen was a door-opener. It gave me the credibility to get a foot in the door for competitive international internships, which was crucial for my professional growth. 

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!