Leading the Tübingen AI Center into Its Next Phase
Philipp Hennig is the Professor for the Methods of Machine Learning at the University of Tübingen. His research explores the foundations of machine learning, with a particular focus on probabilistic approaches that connect computation and inference. He has played a key role in establishing the field of probabilistic numerics and is the author of the textbook Probabilistic Numerics — Computation as Machine Learning.
Building Tübingen's AI Community
Since his arrival in Tübingen in 2011, Hennig has been closely involved in developing the local AI community. He was a founding member of the Cluster of Excellence “Machine Learning: New Perspectives for Science” and the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS). He joined the University’s Computer Science department in 2018, where he served as Dean of Studies from 2022 to 2025. Hennig has a passion for teaching. The student union twice awarded him their annual teaching award.
With this appointment, the Tübingen AI Center strengthens its leadership team at a time of rapid growth in AI research. The Center, hosted by the University of Tübingen in cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, is dedicated to advancing Germany’s position in AI research and education.
I am humbled to take on this responsibility at this point in time. AI now plays a central, but not always a positive role in virtually all the most important challenges of our time. Europe is on the backfoot in this key domain. But Tübingen’s AI Community is growing rapidly and changing to respond. I will work with my exceptional colleagues and our brilliant students to increase the impact of our foundational research across science, society, and the economy.
Philipp Hennig
Strengthening AI Research in Europe
Together with Matthias Bethge and Bernhard Schölkopf, Philipp Hennig will guide the Center’s scientific strategy, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and further expand its role as a leading hub for AI research in Europe.