Leadership

Leadership

Current managerial leadership in the Bavarian AI Foundation Model Initiative, and the research groups led to date.

Current managerial leadership and coordination: Bavarian AI Foundation Model Initiative

As Managing Director, based at LMU Munich, I coordinate the initiative on behalf of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts (StMWK), working closely with the Steering Committee, which consists of Prof. Dr. Björn Ommer (LMU Munich) and Prof. Dr. Wolfram Burgard (UTN) as scientific leads, as well as the Bavarian AI Agency (Dr. Michael Klimke, CEO). Executive operations are implemented together with a core team of representatives of each participating organisation:

Core team

Dr. Christoph Langenhan

Research Management

LMU Munich

Core team

Dr. Susanne Schröder-Bergen

Research Management

University of Technology Nuremberg (UTN)

Core team

Nadine Hildebrandt

Community Manager

Bavarian AI Agency / BAIOSPHERE

TBD

Administration & management support

Project Operations Coordinator

UTN · currently being appointed

Extended team

Reiner Birkl

AI Engineer

LMU Munich

The initiative further works in close coordination with the team operating the dedicated AI compute infrastructure at NHR@FAU (lead: Prof. Dr. Gerhard Wellein; representative: Frank Deserno).

This page outlines current managerial leadership as well as the research groups I was lucky enough to be able to work with in managing capacity to date.

2021 - 2026: Data Analysis & Modeling + Digital Interventions Research Groups Lead at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Digital Health and Prevention, Salzburg, AT

(22 persons line-managed over time, 14 at max. capacity; shared responsibility as executive board member [1 of 3] 2022 - pres. for all ~40 associated staff at the LBI-DHP)

Data analysis and modelling for assessment, prediction and personalization:

Own role: Principal Investigator (until May 2026)

Co-Investigators: Dr. Dieter Hayn, Priv.-Doz. Dr. Dr. Mahdi Sareban

Members:

Dr. Rania Islambouli (Postdoc Researcher, 2024 - pres.)
David Haag, MSc (PhD Candidate & Researcher, 2021 - pres.)
DI Dominik Hofer, BSc (PhD Candidate & Researcher, 2024 - pres.)

Former members:

Fabian Wiesmüller (PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2026)
Assist. Prof. Dr. Devender Kumar, BSc, MSc (Postdoc Researcher, 2022 - 2024)
Marlene Brunner, BSc (Student Reseacher, 2022 - 2023)
Laura Geiger, BSc (Student Researcher, 2023)
Maximilian Beck, MSc (Researcher, 2021 - 2022)
Sebastian Gruber, BSc, MSc (PhD Candidate & Researcher, 2021 - 2023)
Dr. rer. nat. Barbara Mayr (Postdoc Researcher, 2021 - 2023)

Technology-assisted interventions for behaviour change:

Own role: Principal Investigator (until May 2026)

Co-Investigators: Prof. Dr. Markus Tatzgern, Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Meschtscherjakov, Priv.-Doz. Dr. Dr. Mahdi Sareban

Members:

Pavithren Pakianathan, MSc (PhD Candidate & Researcher, 2022 - pres.)
Gergely Masek, Bachelor Business Informatics Eng. (Software Developer, 2025 - pres.)
Eva-Maria Strumegger, BSc (Junior Developer, 2021 - pres.)
Mag. Dr. Daniela Wurhofer, Bakk. techn. (Postdoc Researcher, 2021 - pres.)
Faith Young, MSc (Researcher & PhD Canidate, 2023 - pres.)
Lena Großschädl, MA, MPH (Public Health and Technology Transfer Expert 2026 - pres.)
Milad Tousi (Software Developer, 2026 - pres.)
Daria Kolosovskaia, MSc (Researcher, 2023 - pres.)

Former members:

Magenta Shipsey, MA (Researcher, 2025 - 2026)
Duosi Dai (Visiting Researcher, 2025)
Isabel Höppchen, MSc (PhD Candidate & Researcher, 2021 - 2025)
Corey Tran, MSc (Interaction Designer, 2024 - 2025)
Alireza Fatehi, BSc (Software Developer, 2022 - 2025)
Dr. Franziska Pfannerstill, MSc (Postdoc Researcher, 2023)
Prof. Rik Crutzen (Co-I, 2021-2024)
Luisa Lunz, MSc (Researcher, 2023)
Dionysios Veikoum, BSc (Student Researcher, 2022)
Dr.-Ing. Dmitry Alexandrovsky (Postdoc Researcher, 2022 Feb. - Apr.)
Magdalena Maislinger, BSc (Student Researcher, 2022)

See LBI-DHP Team Page for a full listing of the members of the LBI-DHP.

2019 - 2021: Digital Health Cluster at Open Lab, Newcastle University

All former fully associated members of the cluster:

Portrait of Alex Bowyer Alex Bowyer Doctoral Trainee Portrait of Arlind Reuter Arlind Reuter Doctoral Trainee Portrait of Colin Bone Dodds Colin Bone Dodds Research Engineer Portrait of David Verweij David Verweij Research Engineer Portrait of Drew Miley Drew Miley Research Engineer Portrait of Farzaneh Farhadi Farzaneh Farhadi Research Engineer Portrait of Hazel Dixon Hazel Dixon Doctoral Trainee Portrait of Irina Pavlovskaya Irina Pavlovskaya Doctoral Trainee Portrait of Jack Holt Jack Holt Doctoral Trainee Portrait of Jay Rainey Jay Rainey Research Associate Portrait of Kieran Cutting Kieran Cutting Doctoral Trainee Portrait of Remco B. De Grave Remco B. De Grave Doctoral Trainee Portrait of Ridita Ali Ridita Ali Research Associate Portrait of Rosanna Bellini Rosanna Bellini Doctoral Trainee Portrait of Viana Nijia Zhang Viana Nijia Zhang Doctoral Trainee