Barbara Hammer - Biography#

Barbara Hammer is Professor of Machine Learning at the Centre of Cognitive Interaction Technologies (CITEC), Bielefeld University, Germany. She received her Diploma in Mathematics at University of Osnabrück in 1995 and her PhD and venia legendi in Computer Science at the same university in 1999 and 2003, respectively. She accepted her first professorship in Theoretical Computer Science at Clauthal University of Technology in 2004 before moving to Bielefeld University in 2010. Several research stays have taken her as a guest researcher to University Sorbonne-Pantheon (Paris), Centre of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (Bangalore), Universities of Pisa and Padova, Rutgers University, University of Birmingham.

Her research interests concern machine learning methods for non-vectorial and neuro-symbolic data, explainable AI, and continual learning. Her work spans the bridge from algorithm development over rigorous mathematical substantiation of the methods to applications such as in the biomedical domain, industrial challenges, education, or critical infrastructure. One overarching focus is human-centered design of machine learning, spanning aspects of cognitive compatibility, fairness, and privacy. She has published more than 350 articles in international journals and conferences.

Prof. Hammer has been active in international research communities including IEEE and the International and European Neural Network Societies in the roles of technical committee chair or member of the administrative committee, among others. She has been main co-chair of international conferences such as IEEE International Joint Conference on Neural Networks and she has served as editorial board member of prestigious journals including IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence and IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems. Ten of her publications have been awarded a best paper award. She has received more than fifteen research grants from diverse funding organizations (European Union, German Science Foundation (DFG), German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), VW-Foundation) in the last five years including the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Synergy grant. She has been invited as keynote speaker at more than fifteen conference in the last five years.