Research
Our six research foci bring together diverse expertise and a shared ambition: To shape a better future.
Europe’s digital future depends on the technologies we develop today. We research how computing can help society navigate a world shaped by AI, growing digital dependencies, and increasingly complex technological challenges. Our research is a driver of technological change, but also shapes the way we live, work, or understand the world around us.
Our six research foci cover the breadth of modern computer science. Together, they create space for fundamental discoveries as well as new solutions to challenges across science, industry, and society. We seek to understand not only what technology can do, but what it should enable – and what not.
Our goal is not simply to anticipate the future, but to help shape it. By advancing knowledge and developing technologies in Europe, we contribute to digital sovereignty, economic strength, and a future shaped by innovation and responsibility.
Research Focus
We turn data into something more useful than just more data: knowledge, predictions, decisions, and action. Our research spans the full journey from theory to building intelligent systems that can learn, reason, recommend, and support people—reliably, transparently, and at scale.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Data Management / Knowledge Representation / Optimization / Intelligent Decision-Making / Information Retrieval / Recommender Systems / Natural Language Processing / Multimodal & Human-Centered AI / Trustworthy AI / Explainable AI / Computational Data Science
Computing does not end at the screen. Our research builds the machines, infrastructures, and embedded intelligence that make digital systems work in the physical world—from tiny, energy-efficient devices to high-performance platforms and autonomous systems. We bring hardware, software, communication, control, and AI together to create computing technologies that are dependable, secure, sustainable, and ready for the real world.
Topics: Digital Circuits and Hardware Architectures / Parallel and Distributed, Dependable, Real-time Systems / Hybrid Systems and Optimal Control / Quantitative and Runtime Verification / Computational Modeling and Simulation / Autonomous Systems, Robotics and Automation Systems Integration / Cyber-physical Social Systems & Internet of Things / Quantum Computing
The more we connect, the more there is to protect. We keep digital systems trustworthy when the environment around them is anything but. We uncover weaknesses, design new defenses, and develop ways to protect data, software, hardware, networks, and critical infrastructures. Our research builds systems that can withstand them, adapt, and keep earning trust.
Topics: Cryptography / Formal Verification & Security Analysis / Web, Mobile & Cloud Security / Network & Systems Security / Malware & Intrusion Detection / Privacy-Enhancing Technologies / Secure Blockchain & Smart Contracts / AI Security / Secure & Trusted Systems / Cyber-Physical & IoT Security / Vulnerability Research / Security & Privacy by Design
Data-intensive and distributed information systems are the operating systems of our society. Without them, modern life would grind to a halt. We provide foundational and advanced techniques, algorithms, design and engineering approaches to model complete lifecycles of software systems.
Topics: Compilers, Languages, and Middleware Engineering / Programming Systems and Tools / Distributed Systems / High Performance Computing / Data Analytics and Machine Learning / Business Informatics / E-commerce / Informatics Didactics
Over the last few decades, computers have been increasingly used for tasks that were once thought the sole preserve of human intelligence. We explore how knowledge can be represented, complex problems can be solved, and machines can learn to make decisions. By developing intelligent methods and computational approaches, we push the boundaries of what computers can understand, achieve, and create.
Topics: Logic / Algorithms & Database Theory / Theoretical Computer Science / Automated Reasoning / Formal Methods / Computational Complexity / Knowledge Representation / Declarative Programming / Logic-Based AI / Explainable AI / Neurosymbolic AI / Verification & Proof
We explore what happens when computers see, render, simulate, and interact with the world—and when people interact with them in return. Our research connects visual computing with human-centred technology, moving from graphics, vision, and visualization to immersive environments, multimodal interaction, and inclusive digital systems..
Topics: Computer Graphics / Geometric Computing / Computer Vision / Image & Video Analysis / 3D Reconstruction / Visualization & Visual Analytics / Virtual, Augmented & Mixed Reality / Multimodal Interaction / Human–Computer Interaction / Interface Design / Accessibility / Socio-Technical Systems / Critical & Responsible Computing
Contact

Katja Hose K. Hose
Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
Coordinator



Schahram Dustdar S. Dustdar
Information Systems Engineering
Coordinator


Silvia Miksch S. Miksch
Visual Computing and Human-Centered Technology
Coordinator
News
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