What is your connection to Tübingen, Jeannette?

I was a Postdoc with Stefan Schaal and later group leader in his Autonomous Motion Department at Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems from 2012-2017. Back then I already worked on robotics manipulation and specifically at the intersection with Machine learning and 3D computer vision.

Is there a memory from your time here that had a lasting positive impact on you?

I was one of the first employees in our department and helped building it from the ground up including hiring people and building up robots, even selecting lab furniture and carpets. Our group felt really tight knit and like a little start-up that moved fast and made a lot of progress. Our demos on the humanoid robot Apollo were always a hit with visitors from all walks of life. Overall I also fondly remember the institute from that time which was still relatively small and everyone knew each other and each other’s research. The culture between the team that was established during that time is something that I strive to replicate in my own lab.