Newly appointed: Professors research in the field of digital education, electronic textiles, digital communication and data

The Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF) is expanding its spectrum: On August 1, 2018 three professors from the University of the Arts Berlin took up their work at the ECDF. They strengthen the research area "Digital Society and Humanities". Since July 1, 2018 the professorship for „Data Science und Analytics“ at HTW Berlin (University of Applied Sciences) is appointed.
The Berlin University of the Arts has succeeded in filling three of its four ECDF professorships in parallel: Prof. Berit Greinke, Ph.D. has taken over the professorship "Wearable Computing", Prof. Dr. Max von Grafenstein the professorship "Leadership in Digital Communication with focus on Digital Self-determination " and Prof. Dr. Daniel Hromada holds the professorship for "Digital Education". Dr. Helena Mihaljević has been appointed Professor for Data Science and Analytics at HTW Berlin.
This opens up new opportunities for the professorships already filled. "Our professorships are deliberately designed to be interdisciplinary and should conduct research at the interfaces to other disciplines. This means that computer scientists, designers, physicians as well as sociologists and physicists conduct research here," says Prof. Dr. Odej Kao, CEO of the ECDF.

About the Newly Appointed Professors

Prof. Berit Greinke, Ph.D.

Die in Schleswig-Holstein aufgewachsene Wissenschaftlerin hat ihre berufliche Laufbahn mit einer Ausbildung zur Siebdruckerin begonnen, bevor sie Textil- und Flächendesign an der Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee studierte. Für ihren Master in „Design for Textile Futures“ wechselte sie an das Central Saint Martins College of Art und Design in London. 2011 nahm sie das Ph.D.-Studium im Doctoral Training Centre „Media and Arts Technology” an der Queen Mary University of London auf. Zuletzt forschte sie in dem Design Research Lab von Prof. Dr. Gesche Joost an der UdK im Bereich Connected Textiles. Für ihre Juniorprofessur visiert sie vor allem vier sich überschneidende Forschungsfragen an, die ihren Ursprung alle im Material haben: Bei einem der Projekte geht es um „Performing Materials“, und die Frage, wie führen smarte Materialien und digitale Technologien zu neuen Ausdrucksformen im Textil- und Modedesign? Die Juniorprofessur von Berit Greinke wird im PPP-Modell mitfinanziert von SAP.

Prof. Dr. Max von Grafenstein

Der geborene Münchner strebte nach der Schule einen kreativen Job in der Filmbranche an. Nach zwei Jahren Tätigkeit und eigenen Kurzfilmen entschied er sich für das Jurastudium in Regensburg. Nach seinem Ersten Staatsexamen verbrachte Max von Grafenstein einige Zeit im europäischen Ausland, bevor er sein Rechtsreferendariat in München abschloss. „Danach habe ich für kurze Zeit bei der UFA in Potsdam gearbeitet, um anschließend eine Zusatzausbildung in ‚Europäische Filmwirtschaft‘ in Paris und Ludwigsburg zu absolvieren.“ Mit diesem Wissen im Rücken ging er zurück nach Berlin und gründete ein Startup. Von 2016 bis Juli 2018 war Max von Grafenstein Leiter des Forschungsprogramms „Governance of Data-Driven Innovation“ am Alexander von Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft (HIIG). Heute richtet sich der Fokus von Max von Grafensteins Projektarbeit auf neue Herausforderungen der digitalen Welt. Speziell interessiert ihn der Ansatz „Data Protection by Design“. Dabei geht es um die Frage, wie die Anforderungen des Datenschutzrechts so in das technische und organisatorische Design datenbasierter Produkte oder Unternehmen eingebaut werden können, dass sie effektiv die Grundrechte der Nutzer schützen. „Die Professur ‚Digitale Selbstbestimmung‘ untersetzt ein hoch aktuelles Thema für uns in Forschung und Lehre“, so der Principal Investigator Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Schildhauer, der diese Professur eingeworben hat.  Die Professur wird mitfinanziert von der Deutschen Kreditbank AG (DKB)

Prof. Dr. Daniel Hromada

From August 1 2018, Dr. Daniel Hromada takes over the joint junior professorship for Digital Education at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) and the Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF). Born in Slovakia, he obtained a bachelor's degree in humanities in Prague before completing a second bachelor’s in linguistics with a focus on computer linguistics in Nice. “That’s where I really became interested in the development and acquisition of language in the human brain and in natural language processing,” says Hromada. From there, he went to Paris to complete a Master’s in Human and Natural Cognition, where one of the areas he worked on was the digital recognition of facial expressions. His professorship in digital education will focus on the research and development of digital tools to enable language-based, cognitive and narrative learning of reading, writing and arithmetic skills for elementary school children. “I’m not talking about extending the functionality of smartphones, but about a completely different digital artifact (device) – one that is more akin to a book,” explains Hromada, who enjoys reading poetry and old books. It’s no coincidence that he calls the digital artifact he is working on the E-Fiebel („e-primer“). “I think of it as a kind of personalized textbook. So this digital artifact is a kind of humanistic teaching machine that facilitates the one-on-one human interaction between the student and their chosen teacher (or the teacher's artificial avatar) and works via voice control.”

Prof. Dr. Helena Mihaljević

Prof. Dr. Helena Mihaljević was appointed Professor of Data Science and Analytics at HTW Berlin (University of Applied Sciences) on July 1 2018. The mathematician brings a wealth of practical experience to the university from several years working as a data scientist in the private sector. “I am particularly interested in applied research in the areas of statistical data analysis, data mining, machine learning and natural language processing, as well as in the transparency of algorithmic methods – an increasingly important area. The use of data analysis for social issues is an area I find especially appealing,” says Mihaljevic.
Born in Sarajevo, she came to Germany in the mid-1990s. After studying mathematics in Göttingen, she completed a PhD in dynamic systems in Liverpool and went on to work as a research assistant at Kiel University. She decided against a classic academic career in pure mathematics and moved to the Berlin base of the Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure (FIZ Karlsruhe). “At FIZ I was involved in a wide variety of data projects, which led to an increasing focus on data science – in my view, it’s the perfect combination of data, math, algorithms and new technologies.”  Mihaljevic will work closely over the next few years with the Berlin public transport provider, BVG, which is co-financing her computer science professorship. One aim is to utilize the company’s existing data on the movement and use of transport to better understand the needs of people living in Berlin and improve local public transport. “There is a wide range of interesting topics and questions that can contribute to the experience of living in Berlin and the development of the city’s infrastructure.”