This page was translated automatically using artificial intelligence (DeepL). The German version is binding. More information about automatic translation
Following the competitive selection process between universities and universities of applied sciences in Saxony, a total of 62 project proposals were submitted under the ESF+ Higher Education and Research funding programme, specifically the ‘Doctoral Projects’ funding module. Of these, 18 projects were classified as collaborative doctoral projects, i.e. projects supervised at Saxon Universities of Applied Sciences (UoAS). It is particularly pleasing that 13 of the 18 projects funded at UoAS are based at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences.
Funding from the ESF+ aims to strengthen the economic region, increase employment opportunities, promote collaboration with businesses, strengthen cooperation between universities, and foster innovation potential. It should also be noted that, of these 13 projects, one is an industrial promotion project. On 16 June 2024, the kick-off meeting for the projects commencing between 1 June 2024 and 1 September 2024 took place at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. During the event, academic talent received information on funding and was able to network across faculties. The project lead, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Baumgart, is delighted that a fruitful exchange took place, particularly due to the high number of AI-related PhD topics and their distribution across all five faculties.
The topics are briefly outlined below:
At the Faculty of Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences, Lukas Jaeckel will be undertaking a PhD project entitled ‘Investigation of the evidence provided by criminal psychological risk indicators for the continued commission of sexual offences in forensic data as a basis for the development of a rapid test for prioritising digital evidence’ as an industry-sponsored PhD. The partner university for this project is the German Police University; the project is being carried out in collaboration with forensic.zone GmbH. A distinctive feature of this funded industry-sponsored PhD is that forensic.zone GmbH is contributing 50 per cent of the funding.
At the Laser Institute of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (LHM), Ms Mara Henschel is undertaking her PhD research on the topic “smFRET-based integrative modelling of non-coding ribonucleic acids: High-throughput characterisation of RNA sequence- and motif-dependent interactions of various fluorescent dyes at the single-molecule level and their influence on structure prediction” under the supervision of Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Richard Börner. The partner university for this project is TU Dresden.
Mona Urban, a PhD student at the Faculty Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences, will be working on the topic “Mapping History: Leveraging AI and World Maps for Multidimensional Insights”. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Marc Ritter, she will investigate potential applications of world maps and artificial intelligence for the visualisation and analysis of historical phenomena. The partner university for this project is Chemnitz University of Technology.
At the Faculty of Social Sciences, Ms Claudia Reiche will be undertaking her doctoral research project entitled ‘Career reorientation later in working life – conditions for the success of uncertain transitions’. Prof. Dr. phil. Stephan Beetz will support her as her mentor. The partner university for this project is the University of Leipzig.
Mr Dominik Breck will be researching the topic ‘Improving object tracking in multi-camera environments for forensics and real-time alerts: A critical evaluation of existing approaches’ at the Faculty Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Roschke, the project will be carried out in collaboration with Chemnitz University of Technology.
Tom Schmidt, a PhD student at the Faculty Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences, will be carrying out the PhD project “Ciao Varroa – Genome-wide genetic association studies in honey bees (Apis mellifera spp.) with a view to breeding for Varroa resistance”. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Röbbe Wünschiers, the project will be carried out in collaboration with the University of Leipzig.
As part of her PhD research, Ms Katrin Naumann will be investigating untreated withdrawal processes in crystal meth addiction and the significance of social networks. The research is being supervised by Prof. Dr. phil. Barbara Wedler at the Faculty of Social Sciences and is being carried out in collaboration with the University of Hamburg.
Marvin Seegert, a PhD student at the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, will be conducting research into the topic “Development of new, efficient algorithms and methods for grid-based sensor data fusion, and their evaluation by downstream systems for object and situation recognition in highly automated driving”. Supervised by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Thomanek, this project is being carried out in collaboration with Chemnitz University of Technology.
Duc Tran, also a PhD student at the Faculty Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, will be working on the PhD project “AI-driven Game Analytics: How can adaptive AI help to better achieve learning objectives?”. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Marc Ritter, the research will be carried out at Chemnitz University of Technology.
Ms Pšeničkova and Ms Panda will be conducting research at the Faculty Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences on the topics of ‘Knowledge integration in AI for robust and efficient AI models and resource-efficient learning behaviour – sustainable AI’ and ‘AI models for complex and heterogeneous data structures under limited resources – sustainable AI’. These topics will be addressed by Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Thomas Villmann at SICIM (Saxon Institute for Computational Intelligence and Machine Learning) in collaboration with Bielefeld University.
Ms Kayanula will be working on the topic ‘Statistical methods and mathematical models for molecular surveillance of HRP2/3 gene deletions and drug resistance in malaria’ at the Faculty Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Kristan Schneider and in collaboration with Chemnitz University of Technology.
Mr Funccius will be working on the topic ‘The State Treaty on Media Reform – between information and entertainment: A comparative analysis of the State Treaty on Media Reform and the reality of public service broadcasting’ under the supervision of Prof. Dr Markus Heinker at the Faculty Media Sciences.
These thirteen promising PhD projects cover a wide range of research topics and offer a unique opportunity to advance research across all four of the university’s key research areas. All participating academic talents are supported by professors from Mittweida University of Applied Sciences and work closely with renowned partner universities and companies. The results of these projects are expected to lead to new insights and innovations in their respective fields and make a valuable contribution to the academic community.
We wish all academic talents every success in carrying out their doctoral projects!
2025 Funding Round: Application deadline 15 July 2024
For the (final) 2025 funding round of the ESF+ doctoral funding scheme at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, projects due to start on 1 January 2025 may be prepared until 15 July 2024. If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Baumgart.
Text: Prof. Matthias Baumgart
; Photo collage: Annett Kober; Photos: private collection and Mittweida University of Applied Sciences
