We’re excited to have Frank Sommer join our Research Unit Algorithms and Complexity with a prestigious Feodor Lynen fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation!

In his project at TU Wien Informatics, he will investigate decision trees and neural networks, which are both classic models of Machine Learning (ML). Together with host Manuel Sorge, Frank Sommer is researching how to compute ML models like decision trees and neural networks efficiently by identifying and exploiting certain input structures. Over the course of a year, their goal is to develop efficient algorithms for these models leading to optimal models.

We look forward to seeing the efforts of this promising reserach come to fruition!

About Frank Sommer

Frank received his PhD in 2022 from Philipps-Universität Marburg (Germany) and has worked as a postdoc researcher at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (Germany). In his research, he focuses on the design and analysis of efficient algorithms for hard problems that arise in Machine Learning and in the detection of network structures.

Frank’s research is about creating algorithms for very difficult problems efficiently by identifying specific input structures which can be exploited to create efficient algorithms. He develops special algorithms (FPT-algorithms) that can find the best solutions if certain conditions (parameters) are small. This work is important for improving and evaluating the methods we currently use to solve such problems, especially in building decision trees and neural networks for machine learning. By comparing these optimal solutions with those obtained by quicker, heuristic methods, he aims to enhance the quality and effectiveness of machine learning models.

About The Feodor Lynen Fellowship

The Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship supports German researchers – postdoctoral as well as experienced researchers – with their research abroad. As president of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, biochemist and Nobel Laureate Feodor Lynen advocated for opening the international Humboldt Network to junior researchers from Germany. The fellowship that is named after him is granted by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation with funding support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It enables researchers with above-average qualifications from Germany at all career levels and across all disciplines to conduct their research around the world with other members of the Humboldt Network.

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