In February 2024, the “Meet Your Mentors” event took place in Darmstadt, which was organized in collaboration with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and hessian.AI. Renowned mentors such as Prof. Peer Stelldinger and Prof. Elif Bilge Kavun as well as DFKI researchers such as Kristian Kersting offered deep insights into their current research work and shared valuable knowledge with the participants.

Innovation through research

In a poster session, DFKI research teams presented their latest projects on topics such as pseudo-likelihood inference, diffusion models for controlling robots and language-based representations of robot tasks. Current challenges and solutions in the areas of privacy and security were also discussed, such as label smoothing, backdoors and innovative programming with SPLL.

Networking is an important part of a successful career

The “speed dating” format enabled intensive exchange and networking between the young researchers and the experienced mentors. These networking opportunities were highlighted as particularly valuable as they not only promote personal and professional development, but also form the basis for future collaborations. Participants praised the event: “The diversity of ideas and the professional exchange were enriching and opened up new perspectives,” explained one participant.

Mentoring program promotes industry-specific exchange

Special thanks go to the DFKI Darmstadt teams, Benjamin Hättasch and Judith Hoehling as well as hessian.AI for the successful organization and implementation of the event. These collaborations are essential to advance research in the field of artificial intelligence and to support the next generation of AI researchers in Germany.