Dr. Steffen Schneider Named Early Career Scientist of the Year 2024
Steffen Schneider from the Institute of Computational Biology at Helmholtz Munich has been named the "Early Career Scientist of the Year 2024" by academics. He received this honor for his outstanding research in artificial intelligence and neuroscience, as well as his social commitment to promoting educational equity. Academics is the leading German career platform and job market for science, research, the public sector, and society.
As head of the Dynamical Inference Lab at Helmholtz Munich, Schneider and his research group develop machine learning algorithms. The goal of his work is to statistically model dynamic processes in biological systems, thereby paving the way for new approaches in medical basic research.
During his doctoral studies, Schneider developed the "CEBRA" algorithm, a tool for analyzing neural data that provides valuable insights into learning and adaptation processes in the brain. As part of the doctoral program within the European AI research network "ELLIS," he conducted his dissertation work at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Tübingen.
In addition to his scientific work, Schneider is deeply committed to diversity and educational equity. His efforts have earned him numerous awards, including the Wolfgang Heilmann Prize for human-centric use of Information Technology. In 2019, he founded the initiative "KI macht Schule" (AI Goes to School), which brings artificial intelligence into classrooms. Through courses, training sessions, and an open platform offering teaching materials and AI tools, the initiative has already reached several thousand students and teachers.
The academics Early Career Award, endowed with €5,000, honors young scientists who advance their fields with groundbreaking research and distinguish themselves through exemplary conduct and volunteer work in science.
