Young researchers from hessian.AI receive ERC Starting Grant
As part of the current funding round of the European Research Council (ERC), four projects at TU Darmstadt have been awarded an ERC Starting Grant. Particularly outstanding: two of the funded projects are by researchers from the Reasonable Artificial Intelligence (RAI) project, which is in the running for a Cluster of Excellence as part of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.
Professor Georgia Chalvatzaki and Professor Justus Thies, both members of hessian.AI, will each receive around 1.5 million euros over five years for their pioneering research work. Chalvatzaki, a hessian.AI professor since 2023, is developing innovative AI architectures in her “SIREN” project that enable humanoid robots to master complex tasks in dynamic and unstructured environments. Thies, Professor of 3D Graphics and Vision since 2023, is working on the “Learning Digital Humans in Motion” project to develop AI-based image processing and graphics tools to create lifelike digital representations of people for the immersive digital world.
This award highlights the excellent research work of the two early career researchers and underlines the high level of research within the RAI consortium. As part of the application for the Cluster of Excellence, RAI aims to develop a new generation of “reasonable” artificial intelligence that requires fewer resources and is able to continuously adapt to unexpected situations.
Background:
ERC Starting Grants are awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) to early-career researchers to promote outstanding research and support the establishment of independent research groups.
