Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme

The International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems (IMPRS-IS) is now accepting applications for its doctoral program. 🌍✨ Join our elite program to conduct doctoral research in machine learning, robotics, HCI, computer vision, and related fields. IMPRS-IS is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, the University of Stuttgart, and the University of Tübingen. 📅 Application deadline: November 15, 2026 🔗 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dcVyK2b

A few weeks ago, we wrapped up the Machine Learning Summer School MLSS 2026 in Tübingen. We were extremely proud to host so many top researchers in the field of Machine Learning, AI Safety and Responsible AI, Causality, Learning Theory, LLMs and many more: from Turing Award winners to OpenAI employees, Professors from top-notch universities - we had them all. The talks connected the mathematical foundations of ML with a central question: How do we build AI systems that are more capable, reliable, and useful? The MLSS 2026 lectures are now up on the MPI-IS-Youtube channel. You will find talks by Bernhard Schölkopf, Yoshua Bengio, Yarin Gal, Jonas Geiping, Maksym Andriushchenko, Jonas Peters, Arthur Gretton, Matthew Blaschko, Lampert, Alex Smola, Philipp Hennig, Frank Hutter, Mario Krenn, Suvrit Sra, Olivier Bousquet, Isabel Valera, Roger Grosse, Zhijing Jin, Francesco Locatello, Giambattista Parascandolo, Ulrike von Luxburg and Kun Zhang. https://lnkd.in/dsi8Ngt4 #MLSS2026 #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #CausalInference #Causality #AIResearch #Tübingen

We were delighted to have Prof. Peter Middendorf, Rector of the University of Stuttgart, give a Max Planck Lecture on our Stuttgart campus today. We really liked the talk title: “University of Stuttgart – (no) rocket science!” 🚀 Prof. Middendorf presented the research profile of the University, highlighting its interdisciplinary approach and selected areas of research. A particular focus was placed on aerospace technologies, one of the University’s important research profile areas and a field in which the University has a long-standing and strong research tradition. Drawing on his own scientific background in aircraft design, Prof. Middendorf provided insights into current research addressing key challenges in aviation. Selected examples from eco-efficient aviation and lightweight design will illustrate how research at the interface of different disciplines can contribute to sustainable and innovative solutions for future mobility. Max-Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart, Germany

AI learns from us - but what do we humans learn from the AI? That is the topic of a presentation our doctoral student Tom Sühr will hold on October 21 at 6pm in our new Max Planck House in Tübingen. He is the first speaker in a series of talks our neighboring Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics organises. Find out more about "EinBlick" here: https://lnkd.in/d8pUmMhX Please note the language spoken is German. Plus you need to register, as limited seats are available in our lecture hall. Tom is a researcher in our Human Aspects of Machine Learning Group and will focus on (continuing in German): "Die KI lernt von uns – aber was genau lernen wir von ihr?" Wie wir mit unseren Entscheidungen einer KI beibringen, gute Antworten zu geben. A oder B? Genau aus solchen Entscheidungen lernen KI-Systeme, was eine „gute" Antwort ist. Doch wir Menschen urteilen oft wie beim Pilzesammeln im Wald: Wir greifen nach dem, was auf den ersten Blick am prächtigsten aussieht. Selten nehmen wir uns die Zeit, in Ruhe nachzuprüfen, was wirklich drinsteckt. Die KI merkt sich das und serviert uns immer größere, glänzendere Portionen — ob der Inhalt nun besser wird oder nicht. Dieser Vortrag folgt der Spur vom schnellen Urteil und fragt, wie wir genauer hinschauen können. Wir, ein Team aus Wissenschaftler*innen der Abteilung für Social Foundations of Computation am Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme, untersuchen, wie Menschen verschiedene KI-Antworten wahrnehmen und bewerten. Probiert es selbst aus: auf https://comparity.ai/ könnt Ihr kostenlos mit den besten KI-Systemen chatten und entscheiden, welches euch am besten gefällt.

Congratulations Siyeon Jang!

🎉🥂🎓 Congratulations to Andria Smith on successfully defending her Ph.D. thesis! 🎓 🎉 "My research asks a simple question with complicated roots: why do the same people keep reaching leadership, and how do the small moments of recognition early on decide that? I traced how bias forms from the very first signals we read in each other, from the front door to the top floor, and modeled where it can potentially be interrupted through allyship interventions. My hope is that this work lives beyond the pages of my dissertation, helping build workplaces where more people are seen, valued, and able to rise into leadership." Andria began her doctoral journey in 2022. Advised by Dr. Ksenia Keplinger and Prof. Charley Wu, her research combined organizational theory with agent-based simulation to study how bias emerges in teams and shapes who rises into leadership, with the goal of helping organizations build more inclusive, higher-performing workplaces. Before her doctorate, she spent several years in international project management, leading cross-border teams across engineering, procurement, and operations and coordinating complex projects for global clients. She earned a BSc in Civil Engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (USA) and an MSc in Environmental & Resource Management from Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg. Originally from the United States and based in Germany, she is the daughter of Dr. Linnette White, whose own path to a doctorate later in life first showed her it was possible. As Smith puts it: "She blazed a trail so that I could run."

🚀 What an incredible 2026 IMPRS-IS Boot Camp! Over 250 scientists from our community came together for three days of learning, discussion, networking, and inspiration in this truly one-of-a-kind experience. This year’s Boot Camp featured an exciting program, including: 🎤 A keynote by Professor Andreas Geiger 💬 A special talk on power abuse in academia 🔬 A panel discussion on commercializing research 🤝 Plenty of opportunities to connect, exchange ideas, and build new collaborations A huge thank you to all our speakers, organizers, and participants for making this year’s boot camp such a memorable experience! 🙌 And don't forget -- applications for the IMPRS-IS doctoral drogram are now open. If you’re interested in becoming part of our scientific community and joining events like this in the future, we’d love to hear from you. 👉 Apply now: https://lnkd.in/dcVyK2b

Congratulations Mertcan Han!