Researchers

Lab Lead

Susanne Boll

Susanne Boll is a Professor of Media Informatics and Multimedia Systems in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Oldenburg, in Germany. She is also a member of the executive board of the OFFIS–Institute for Information Technology in Oldenburg, an associated research institute of the University of Oldenburg. Her research interests lie in the field of multimedia and intelligent user interfaces. She teaches Interactive Systems and Interactive Multimedia in the Bachelor Programme in Computer Science and offers lectures and practical lab courses in HCI, Wearable Computing and Digital Fabrication in the Master Programme in Computer Science. Since recently Susanne Boll is also a co-founder of the new Master Programme in Computer Science „Engineering Socio-Technical Systems“. She is leading several national and international scientific projects with strong cooperation with research experts world wide. She head one of the few leading groups in Europe that works on mobile and ambient user interfaces exploring different novel modalities such as visual, auditory and tactile in pervasive displays.

Wilko Heuten

Since 2001 Wilko Heuten is a scientific researcher in computer science at OFFIS – Institute for Information Technology in Germany. His particular research interest is the design and development of multimodal, pervasive and peripheral non-screen interfaces to support persons in various situations. Overall, he has published with his co-authors more than 90 peer-reviewed publications on national and international conferences and journals. Wilko Heuten is active in reviewing articles and papers for top-rated HCI conferences and journals and is teaching HCI related lectures at University of Oldenburg.

Senior Researchers and Group Leaders

    Maria Wolters

    Dr. phil. Maria Wolters is the acting Research Group leader for the group SOC (digital participation) at OFFIS and Reader (associate professor / W2 professor) in Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Her background is in computational linguistics and speech science (PhD, 2000, University of Bonn), she works on human-computer interaction, assistive technology, and eHealth, and she maintains a long-term interest in statistics and mixed methods research. She has published over 90 peer reviewed papers in Human-Computer Interaction, eHealth, and Computational Linguistics.

    Maria is passionate about digital inclusion. Around 10% of the population will be excluded from online-only services due to lack of access to technology, a badly designed user experience, lack of interest, or lack of trust. This results in systemic gaps and biases in data-driven systems to support health and social care. Maria is looking at ways to mitigate this by designing solutions that span digital and physical, online and in person.

      Mazen Salous

      Dr. -Ing. Mazen Salous has started his current job since 01.02.2023 as a postdoctoral researcher in the European project “ABILITY” at OFFIS Institute for Information Technology, Oldenburg, Germany.
      In this European project, Mazen is investigating AI-based multimodal solutions to interactively support blind and low vision users while surfing websites and digital media.
      Background: Mazen got his PhD title (Dr. -Ing.) from the University of Bremen, Germany, in June 2021. His PhD topic is: AI-based user modeling for adaptation of cognitive systems.
      After his PhD, he continued working at the University of Bremen until 31.01.2023 as a postdoctoral researcher within a project for developing a smart helmet, so-called “SmartHelm”.
      Previously, Mazen got his master degree in computer science from Ilmenau University of Technology (TU-Ilmenau), Germany, in 2014, and his bachelor degree in information technology engineering from the UOK University, Syria, in 2009.

      • Location: OFFIS E108

      Heiko Müller

      Dr.-Ing. Heiko Müller is a research associate in the Media Informatics and Multimedia Systems group at Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg. After completing his PhD on “Ambient Light Displays for Temporal Information”, he spent 18 months doing research at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland, as part of the EU-funded DecoChrom project.

      As part of his work at the University of Oldenburg, he coordinates the DFG priority program 2199 “Scalable Interaction Paradigms for Pervasive Computing Environments”.

      Heiko Müller has contributed to over 40 international publications. He has held various chairing positions at international conferences. He is a member of the GI and the ACM.

      • Location: OFFIS E108

      Larbi Abdenebaoui

      Dr.-Ing Larbi Abdenebaoui is a researcher and leads the “Human Centered AI” group at OFFIS. With a background in robotics and swarm computing, his current research focus is at the intersection of HCI and AI. He is commited to making AI more human-centered, focusing on the area of explainable AI in various applicaiton domains. He advocates for more awareness of the reproduction and enforcement of sociological biases and stereotypes in the design of artifacts, especially those based on AI.

      Marion Koelle

      Dr. Marion Koelle is a researcher in Human-Computer Interaction and heads the Personal Pervasive Computing Group at OFFIS — Institute for Information Technology in Oldenburg, Germany. She holds a PhD from the University of Oldenburg (2019, summa cum laude), and a M.Sc. (2013), and B.Sc. (2010) in Media Informatics from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (LMU). Her research interests include Human-Computer Interaction, Personal Fabrication, Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence. She has long lasting experience in designing, developing, and evaluating novel user interface technologies, and empirically studying user (and bystander) needs, goals and values. She advocates for Participatory Design. She believes that we can address social and societal challenges through technology design and create sustainable, ethical and socially acceptable computing technology. She has authored and presented numerous publications in her field. Her works were recognized with multiple awards, including a Best Paper Award at TEI (2018), and two Honorable Mention Awards at CHI (2014, 2020). Marion is recipient of the Helene-Lange-Preis (2020) and the UGO Outstanding Dissertation Award (2021).

      PhD Students

      Tong Yu

      Tong Yu is a research associate in the Personal Pervasive Computing group at OFFIS Institute for Information Technology in Oldenburg.
      He has a background in Human-Computer Interaction and an interest in behavior change design. He is working on the Sustainable Online Shopping project.

        Daniel Lange

        Daniel is a Ph.D. researcher in the field of accessibility for virtual and augmented reality in the Mixed Reality Group at OFFIS. He holds a master’s degree in computer science from the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg.

        He focuses on using virtual and augmented reality technologies to assist people with visual impairments in their daily lives and how to ensure accessibility in shared virtual environments such as the “Metaverse.”

        He is currently part of the ABILITY project, which aims to propose a novel multisensory tablet covering the wide range of visual disabilities and needs of the visually impaired population, including collaboration with the sighted.

          Mikołaj P. Woźniak

          Mikołaj P. Woźniak is a PhD student at the Media Informatics and Multimedia Systems group at University of Oldenburg. He holds a M.Sc. in Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering from Lodz University of Technology (Poland). His research interests are focused on exploring everyday encounters with smart home technology, engineering interactive systems for sensory augmentation and exploring multimodal feedback technologies. Mikołaj’s work has a strong experimental focus, applying multidisciplinary methods to create engaging experiences for various contexts. He also enjoys introducing people to design thinking and convincing engineers design is important.

            Susanna Krämer

            Susanna Krämer is a researcher at the Society group at OFFIS and also works in part at the University of Oldenburg. Susanna holds a master’s degree in applied computer science. Currently she is working on the HEALTH-X dataLoft project and on the German-Israeli Foundation project.

              Tobias Lunte

              Tobias is a PhD student and research assistant at the University of Oldenburg, department for Media Informatics and Multimedia Systems. Here he received his M.Sc. in Engineering of Socio-Technical Systems in 2020. His research focus is on Gaze Tracking and Assistive Technologies. In particular, he investigates gaze-aware methods to support children in reading and reading acquisition. Furthermore, Tobias is active in teaching in the field of interactive systems. He teaches aspects of HCI, Scientific Practice and Mixed Reality and helped develop a concept for the distributed implementation of a hardware-related HCI lab, the Maker’s Lab.

                Sophie Grimme

                Sophie Grimme is a researcher at the Interactive Systems group at OFFIS. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Computer Interaction and is currently working on the HEALTH-X dataLoft project.  dataLoft  focusses on putting the user in the center of controlling, using and sharing their personal health data. In accordance with the GAIA-X standard, this project aims to create a cloud-based application. In order to do so, Sophie incorporates Human Centered Design methods to get a better understanding of the users and develop technology according to their needs.

                • Location: E104

                Saja Aljuneidi

                Saja Aljuneidi is a research assistant in the Interactive Systems group at OFFIS Institute for Information Technology in Oldenburg. She holds a master’s degree in the field of Human Computer Interaction from Siegen University in Germany, and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Birzeit University in Palestine.

                She is currently working on the ISSS.KOM project. Through this project, she aims to explore the potential of integrating voice-based intelligent self-service systems in public administrative processes (i.e., passport renewal), as well as the challenges and the reactions to such technology in such settings.

                • Location: E118

                  Ani Weiß (geb. Withöft)

                  Ani Weiß is a research associate in the field of digital multimedia processing in the Interactive Systems group at OFFIS. She holds a Master’s degree from Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg in Engineering of Socio-Technical Systems with a specialization in Human-Computer Interaction.

                  She is currently working and investigating state-of-the-art Machine Learning technologies in the field of Multimedia in cooperation with the industrial partner CEWE. Using Deep Learning, her focus is on the aesthetic assessment and evaluation of images or collages with regard to content-based analysis. Her interdisciplinary background in psychology and computer science allows her to connect applied artificial intelligence with user-centered designs. In collaboration with the Media Informatics and Multimedia Systems Group at the University of Oldenburg, she enjoys teaching, supervising, and consulting students in seminars and lectures.

                  • Location: OFFIS E106

                  Sebastian Weiß

                  Sebastian is a PhD researcher with focus on virtual and augmented reality. He holds a master’s degree in medical systems engineering from the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg with a focus in threedimensional interactions. He is currently member of the PIZ project, researching the use of the technologies in nursing simulation. Using virtual representations of stressors, he creates augmented training simulations in VR for the intensive care context. Sebastian also develops VR environments to simulate the nursing laboratories at OFFIS.

                    Jannike Illing

                    Jannike is a PhD researcher at the OFFIS with focus on support of time-critical workflows with virtual and augmented reality. She is researching the use of the technologies for workers in different production and assembly processes. Using mixed reality, she simulates time-critical and parallel tasks in different working environments to determine how such tasks influence the performance of workers in terms of working time, workload and error rate. Using various mixed reality simulations, she transfers everyday time-critical and parallel processes to possible assembly and production environments.

                      Hatice Sahin Ippoliti

                      Hatice Şahin Ippoloti is a PhD student at the University of Oldenburg/Germany. She holds a MSc degree in Neurocognitive Psychology from the University of Oldenburg, BA degrees in Psychology and Translation Studies from Yeditepe University/Turkey. Her research focuses on the interaction between vulnerable road users and automated vehicles and prosocial behaviour in traffic. She is a member of Research Training Group Social Embeddedness of Autonomous Cyber Physical Systems” (SEAS).

                      • Location: OFFIS E118

                      Michael. B. Chamunorwa

                      Michael is a PhD student and research assistant in Faculty II – Department of Computing Science at the University of Oldenburg. His research focuses on rich interactive materials for everyday objects in the home (RIME). The broad aim of RIME is to unlock the potential for rich interaction with ordinary materials in smart-home environments.

                      Michael has experience in software engineering, teaching, prototyping with Arduino kits and other similar platforms. He has additional transferable skills conducting research and fieldwork in environments atypical of ones computer scientists usually work in.

                      • Location: OFFIS E118

                        Masoumehsadat Hosseini

                        Masoumehsadat is a PhD student and research associate in the Department of Media Informatics and Multimedia Systems at the University of Oldenburg.

                        Her research is largely in the area of human-computer interaction with a particular focus on gesture technology for effective interaction with computer systems, from large public displays to personal mobile and wearable devices and gadgets.

                            Simon Kimmel

                            Simon is a PhD researcher at OFFIS investigating novel interaction possibilities and application areas of mixed reality. He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering of Socio-Technical Systems from the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg.
                            At present, he is employed by the ZEIT project, researching the use of virtual reality as a communication tool for individuals receiving care in nursing homes and their relatives. Thereby, he extents the concept of solely visual multi-user virtual reality scenarios by incorporating additional modalities, in particular haptic stimuli. By doing so, he pursues the objective of creating more immersive virtual reality experiences through which deeper emotional connectedness can be shared among users.

                            Scientific Researchers

                            Dennis Lindt

                            Dennis Lindt works in the SOC group for the DIGITOPIAS project at OFFIS. He started as a web developer and continues to work as a research associate after completing his computer science master’s at the University of Oldenburg. The master’s thesis led him to delve into Virtual Reality and Machine Learning. In his current research, he focuses on the area of digital participation. With an enduring passion for tech, he is dedicated to finding solutions that lower barriers for everyone with the help of the digital world.

                            • Location: OFFIS E128

                            Eric Landwehr

                            Eric Landwehr is a research associate and works in the Digitopias project. He holds a master’s degree in computer science from the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg. He investigates the effects of different technologies and concepts on the social interaction of users in virtual and augmented reality. For this purpose, he develops, among other things, multi-user scenarios and avatars to represent users in mixed reality.

                            • Location: OFFIS E121

                            Jonah-Noël Kaiser

                            Jonah is a research associate at OFFIS working on the project SPIELEND. Within its goal of creating a sense of closeness with playful interactions while being physically apart, he focuses on raising social presence through the use of mixed reality. Therefore, he researches and develops novel visualization in augmented reality as well as multimodal feedback to increase emotional immersion and connectedness.

                            He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering of Socio-Technical Systems from the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg with his interest being human-centered design for augmented reality.

                              Julien Breunig

                              Julien is a transfer manager in the Digitopias project, where he helps to create a transfer strategy aiming at improving the exchange of knowledge with the society and industry for mutual benefit. He holds a master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction from Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and has strong interests in science communication and information science.

                                Philipp Illing

                                Philipp is a researcher in the Mixed Reality Group. He holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems from the University of Cologne.
                                He focuses on software development, especially in the field of modern technologies and software architecture.

                                  Shubham Gupta

                                  Shubham serves as a research associate within the Human-Centered AI group at OFFIS. He earned his Master’s degree from the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, specializing in Intelligent Systems within the Computer Science department. Presently, his focus involves the advancement and implementation of deep learning models in collaboration with the industrial partner, CEWE.
                                  Furthermore, Shubham possesses experience in software engineering and has a background in research, specifically focused on Human Pose Estimation and Video Codec algorithms.

                                  • Location: E 118

                                  Greta Kottwitz

                                  Greta is a research associate in the SmartAlyse project. Originally she comes from the field of sociology and cultural studies. During her bachelor studies at the Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg she became aware of the research area Human Computer Interaction (HCI) which sparked an interest to do research in this field. In the SmartAlyse project Greta contributes to creating a digital support platform that simplifies communication using Augmented Reality technology, sampling and data exchange between manufacturing companies, experts and end users.

                                  • Location: E119

                                  Malte Schulz

                                  Malte is a science transfer and project manager with focus on community and capacity building. He holds a master’s degree on International Management and Engineering from Technical University of Hamburg. From 2018 to 2022 he was member of the project Innovative Hochschule Jade-Oldenburg, where he developed and organized several formats for science transfer, such as a physical lab for prototyping digital innovation. From 2023 he coordinates the Digitopias project and leads the sub-project of transfer management.

                                  • Location: E127 OFFIS

                                  Alumni

                                  Vanessa Cobus, Marion Koelle, Andrii Matvienko, Tim Claudius Stratmann, Uwe Grünefeld, Torben Wallbaum, Shadan Sadeghian Borojeni, Andreas Löcken, Abdallah El Ali, Philipp-Mark Goralski, Sven Wiegand, Jutta Fortmann, Merlin Wasmann, Janko Timmermann, Maria Rauschenberger, Chandan Kumar, Jochen Schnauber, Benjamin Poppinga, Amna Asif, Niels Henze, Thomas Schlömer, Ansgar Scherp, Martin Pielot, Tobias Hesselman

                                  Former Interns

                                  Anna Walczak (Lodz University of Technology), Elena Dreesen (C.v.O. University, Voluntary Scientific Year), Grace Douglas (NYU), Jacob Breen, Emily Doherty (C.O. Boulder), Ronja Krüger (C.v.O. University, Voluntary Scientific Year), Stepheny Perez (New Mexico State University), Isabella Virgillo (Wellesley College), Theophile Nkengfack (University of New Hampshire), Dana Hsiao (Wellesley College), Michelle Quin (Wellesley College), Maleah Maxie (Wellesley College)