With expertise and experience in various specialist areas, we as the DAISEC team bundle diverse know-how for your steps into the digital future. Get to know us better here!
You can find an overview of the whole team on our
team page.
Katharina Band
Expert on Pedagogical and Didactical Concepts
Katharina Band has gained extensive knowledge of aspects of learning and education in adulthood through her studies in social sciences and sociology and her work as a research assistant at the Institute for Adult Education and Vocational Education. Through her work in several scientific projects, she has also gained practical experience in the pedagogical-didactic support and design of teaching-learning processes in adult education.
"My goal in the DAISEC is to prepare the training and courses offered in a didactically diverse way and to align them with the needs and requirements of SMEs. This enables participants to acquire practical knowledge and skills in the fields of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity and ensures knowledge transfer to companies."
Timo Bartels
Artificial Intelligence Expert
Timo Bartels completed his master's degree in computer science at the TU Braunschweig in 2023. During his studies, he worked in parallel in overall integration at VW Commercial Vehicles. As a doctoral student at the Institute of Communications Engineering, he is currently researching efficient neural networks. In the DAISEC project, Timo Bartels leads the "Deep Dive into Deep Learning" training course.
"Through DAISEC, I have the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for artificial intelligence and at the same time strengthen Lower Saxony as a business location. My aim is to show that AI is not as complex as it initially seems. With my work, I want to help companies to be able to use this technology."
Nicole Bartodziej
Networking Coordinator
Nicole Bartodziej is a research assistant at the Niedersächsischen Forschungszentrum für Fahrzeugtechnik (NFF) at the Technical University in Braunschweig. She completed her B.A. in Business Language at the University of Oppeln. Nicole is currently in the final stage of her interdisciplinary M.A. in Culture of the Technical-Scientific World with a specialization in the technical and natural sciences. She supports the DAISEC team in the field of networking and coordinates WP 5 "Innovation Ecosystem and Networking".
"My academic training gives me the ability to create a link between different fields of research and to understand different disciplines in context as a unit. This enables me to (inter)act in the midst of diverse work cultures, which can contribute to achieving technological progress in these areas."
Niklas Busch
Cybersecurity Expert
Niklas Busch beendete 2015 sein duales Studium der Wirtschaftsinformatik, welches er bei einem Versicherungsunternehmen absolvierte. Dabei konnte er wertvolle Einblicke in die Verbindung von Wirtschaft und IT gewinnen. Anschließend vertiefte er seine Kenntnisse durch einen Master in Informatik mit dem Schwerpunkt auf IT-Sicherheit. Nach seinem Studium sammelte er ein Jahr lang praktische Erfahrungen in der Wirtschaft, unter anderem bei VW Nutzfahrzeuge. Seitdem ist er Doktorand für benutzbare IT-Sicherheit am CISPA Helmholtz Zentrum für Informationssicherheit und ist als Cybersicherheitsexperte im DAISEC tätig.
„Durch meine Erfahrung in der Wirtschaft weiß ich, dass die praktische Umsetzung von IT-Sicherheitsmaßnahmen in Unternehmen stark von der theoretischen Umsetzbarkeit abweicht. Es gibt viel mehr Faktoren und Interessen von Stakeholdern, die beachtet werden müssen. Ich freue mich, dass ich durch dieses Wissen Unternehmen effektiver dabei unterstützen kann, ihre IT-Sicherheit zu erhöhen.“
Anna Dieckvoss
Expert for sustainable production
Anna Dieckvoss successfully completed her Master's degree in Systems Engineering at the University of Bremen in 2021. Since then, she has gained valuable experience in the manufacturing industry and developed a deep understanding understanding of production processes. Her expertise includes process automation and collaboration in socio-technical teams. At DAISEC, Anna contributes to our sustainable production endeavours and helps companies companies to make their production processes more efficient. She is currently a PhD student working on the collection of sustainability KPIs in production processes and automated energy data analysis.
"As an expert in sustainable production, I would like to support companies in Lower Saxony in making their production processes more efficient and making them fit for the future of digitalisation."
Lukas Fischer
Expert on AI Technologies in Manufacturing
Lukas Fischer studied mechanical engineering at the Leibniz University of Hanover and Purdue University (USA). He gained extensive knowledge and practical experience through practical activities in the field of digital product and strategy development during his studies. As a project engineer, he has now been advising companies in the manufacturing industry on the effective use of digitalization technologies and artificial intelligence for around two years. He deepened his expertise by developing customized solutions in scientific and medium-sized projects. As a doctoral student, Lukas is working on a benefit-oriented methodology for strategy development in the context of artificial intelligence.
"In my role as an instructor on AI, my mission is to support companies through artificial intelligence despite the turning point. As part of DAISEC, my aim is to help companies in Lower Saxony to strengthen their competitiveness through AI and become fit for the future. At the same time, I do educational work and run training courses to make AI accessible to various sectors in a low-threshold and effective way."
Karl Hilbig
Expert on 3D printing
Karl Hilbig is the head of the “Additive Manufacturing Technologies” working group at the Institute of Design Engineering at TU Braunschweig. Within the DAISEC project, he is responsible for 3D printing.
“Within DAISEC, I see myself as a knowledge broker for 3D printing. I will show you the potential and possible applications of different 3D printing manufacturing processes in your production environment. My aim is to support you in the development of innovative products, to integrate new production methods into your production and to increase the variety of your product range through the use of 3D printing.”
Jan-Ulrich Holtgrave
Cybersecurity Expert
Ulli Holtgrave studied computer science in Berlin, Hanover and Helsinki and completed his Master's degree with distinction in 2023. During his studies, he focused primarily on software engineering and IT security. He also wrote his thesis in the field of cryptography and user-friendly authentication. In addition to his studies, Ulli has worked as a freelance software developer for various companies and start-ups and has also helped to grow a start-up in the e-government sector since 2016. He is now doing his doctorate at the Helmholtz Center for Information Security in the Usable Security research group and supports DAISEC as an expert in cybersecurity.
"A professor of mine once said that (almost) nobody sits down at a PC to do IT security, but that, ideally, it is simply there. I therefore see it as my job to point out new technologies and develop adapted processes so that companies and administrations can attain this condition."
Leonie Hormig
Expert in Digital Transformation
Leonie Hormig completed her master's degree in economics at Leibniz University Hannover in 2022. Her studies focused on profound social, economic and ecological challenges, such as those arising from the digitalization of markets and societies. Parallel to her studies, Leonie worked, among other things, in human resources development, with the aim of ensuring the availability of specialists and managers. At DAISEC, she is now an expert for digital learning content.
"It has always been important to me to use the knowledge I learned in my studies as well as my practical experience to make a positive contribution to society. Through DAISEC, I have the opportunity to support Lower Saxony companies in strengthening their competitiveness as well as technology and knowledge transfer and to make them fit for the future."
Renata Latka
Expert for Digital Transformation
In 2023, Renata Latka successfully completed her Master's degree in International Management & Consultancy, gaining extensive knowledge in organizational behavior, business development and change management. In business development parallel to her studies, she supported the city in various areas to make it more attractive. With deepened knowledge and strengthened skills in business development, she now strives to bring practical approaches to the Lower Saxony business sector and promote the sustainable development of companies.
"It is important to me to pass on my expertise to companies and thus contribute to making Lower Saxony's companies more resilient and future-oriented. In particular, I rely on targeted support from digital tools to implement effective solutions and enable sustainable progress."
Julian Laue
Artificial Intelligence Expert
Julian Laue completed his master's degree in computer science at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences this year with a grade of 1.3. Parallel to his studies, he worked in a research group at the university for two years, specializing in the automatic detection of vertebral body fractures. In addition to his work as an AI expert in the DAISEC, Julian is now conducting research on language models as a PhD student, with a special focus on the security of chatbots.
"As an AI expert, I also see myself as a kind of 'educator': many people believe that artificial intelligence is only accessible to large tech companies or that AI systems are fundamentally dangerous and uncontrollable. This is where I do valuable educational work through my profession."
Dr. Nicolás Navarro
DAISEC Coordinator
Nicolás Navarro-Guerrero is a research group leader at the L3S research center at Leibniz Universität Hannover. He studied electrical engineering with a focus on embedded systems and artificial intelligence in Chile. In the year 2016, he completed his PhD in Computer Science at the University of Hamburg, specializing in cognitively inspired and embedded intelligent systems. In DAISEC, he takes on the role of coordinator.
"As a researcher in robotics and artificial intelligence, I am passionate about developing knowledge-intensive research and development solutions for socially relevant challenges."
Walter Pirk
Expert on craft-specific Requirements for Technology and Innovation Processes
Walter Pirk has been working as a research associate on corporate transformation processes since 1998. His field of work at the Heinz-Piest-Institut für Handwerkstechnik is knowledge and technology transfer. Experience gained through the technological demands on the skilled trades in the areas of laser technology, fuel cells/cogeneration, innovation management and digitalization are the foundation for operational solution strategies in the DAISEC team.
"As an expert in craft-specific requirements for technology and innovation processes, I build a bridge between future-oriented information technology and company-specific solution strategies."
Annika Schumann
Manager Marketing and Communications
Annika Schumann has been Manager for Communication and Strategy at the L3S Research Center since 2021 and is responsible for funding and research projects, primarily with a focus on AI for manufacturing SMEs. Previously, after completing her master's degree, she worked in a commercial enterprise and in an innovation network in the areas of communication, event management and project management. At DAISEC, she is responsible for communication and marketing.
"Having worked with companies from various industries, I know that the path to secure, digitalized work processes is not always easy. DAISEC supports our regional companies in taking the first steps and approaching AI and IT security according to their own needs. In doing so, we are picking up SMEs where they stand and make their digital development easier."
Dr. Oliver Wiese
Cybersecurity Expert
Dr. Oliver Wiese completed his doctorate on phishing at Freie Universität in 2023 and has been researching human-centric cybersecurity since 2015. Among other things, he has developed his own email client as a prototype in a BMBF project, trained journalists in combating phishing and investigated the usability of crypto wallets at the University of British Columbia. He is a postdoc at the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security and works as a cyber security expert at DAISEC.
"Cyber security is complex and a challenge for everyone. That's why it's important to meet people where they are. In most cases, big improvements can be achieved with just small steps. Hardware, software and the people involved all need to be considered equally."
Monty-Maximilian Zühlke
Expert for Artificial Intelligence
After Monty-Maximilian Zühlke completed his mathematics degree with distinction at Leibniz University Hannover, he took over the coordination of the Future Lab Society & Work as a doctoral student at L3S at the beginning of 2020. As part of this project and academic teaching, he has gained numerous insights into the challenges of increasingly complex digitalization. Together with representatives from the education sector, he has organized workshops and events to highlight the opportunities and risks of new AI technologies. His research area includes the representativeness of data and AI algorithms, especially in the field of generative language and image models.
“Generative AI is about to change everything and it is up to us to shape this change responsibly, safely and democratically. Our goal at DAISEC is to give representatives from the production, mobility and trade sectors access to these new technologies and to train them in how to use them properly. The first stage in this process is the mutual exchange between researchers and users. So let's take the first step.”
