The Speinshart Scientific Center for AI and SuperTech is delighted to welcome two outstanding researchers to its Scientific Advisory Board: Prof. Masashi Sugiyama, Director of the RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project in Tokyo, and Prof. Dr. Alexander Martin, Founding Vice President for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Technology Nuremberg (UTN). Both will contribute their expertise and experience to the Center’s continued scientific development.
On 1 and 2 October, the two researchers visited Kloster Speinshart and had the opportunity to gain an in-depth impression of the Center, its scientific mission and, in particular, its distinctive retreat concept. Both were highly impressed by the combination of the historic setting and forward-looking research, as well as by Speinshart’s ambition to create an environment in which researchers can step away from everyday routines and engage in concentrated scientific exchange.
With Prof. Masashi Sugiyama, Speinshart welcomes one of the internationally renowned experts in machine learning. Since 2016, he has served as Director of the RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP) in Tokyo and is also a professor at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at the University of Tokyo. His research focuses on machine learning theory and algorithms as well as statistical data analysis.
The RIKEN AIP, which he leads, addresses areas including the mathematical foundations of trustworthy AI, the integration of artificial intelligence with a wide range of scientific disciplines, and the development of intelligent systems capable of interacting with the real world.
Sugiyama also has strong academic ties to Europe. As an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow, he previously conducted research at a Fraunhofer institute in Berlin and later worked at the University of Edinburgh with support from the Erasmus Mundus programme. His contributions to machine learning have been recognised through numerous academic awards, including the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Award and the Japan Academy Medal.
His connection to Speinshart has now also become institutional: in his current academic CV, Sugiyama lists his role as a Founding Member of the Scientific Board of the Speinshart Scientific Center for AI and SuperTech for the period from October 2026 to September 2028.
Bringing Together Research, Innovation and Transfer
With Prof. Dr. Alexander Martin, the Board gains a researcher who combines scientific excellence with extensive experience in building and shaping new academic structures. Since April 2023, he has served as Founding Vice President for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Technology Nuremberg (UTN) and as Deputy Founding President of the university. As Professor of Analytics and Optimization, his work focuses particularly on mathematical optimization, data analytics and artificial intelligence.
After studying Business Mathematics in Augsburg and completing his doctorate and habilitation at TU Berlin, Martin’s academic career has included positions at the Zuse Institute Berlin, TU Darmstadt and Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. Since 2019, he has also been a member of the institute management of the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, where his work includes topics relating to data analytics and artificial intelligence in the context of the ADA Lovelace Center.
His perspective on the interplay between scientific excellence, innovation and transfer aligns particularly well with the mission of Speinshart. At UTN, Martin advocates an approach in which insights from interdisciplinary research are translated into societal and economic impact — while impulses from practice, in turn, feed back into research and teaching.
Shaping the Next Phase Together
Their visit gave Sugiyama and Martin the opportunity to experience first-hand what makes the Speinshart Scientific Center distinctive: a place where scientific excellence is deliberately combined with retreat, focus and personal exchange. Both expressed great appreciation for the unique atmosphere of the historic monastery and for the idea of giving researchers the time and space to think beyond conventional conference formats, develop new ideas and build long-term collaborations.
The two new members therefore represent two dimensions that will be central to the Center’s further development: international cutting-edge research and global scientific connectivity on the one hand, and strategic institution-building together with knowledge and technology transfer on the other.
The Scientific Advisory Board will play an important role in this next phase. As an independent and internationally composed academic body, it is intended to help safeguard the highest standards of scientific excellence and integrity, assess proposed research formats and contribute to shaping the Center’s long-term scientific direction.
For the Speinshart Scientific Center for AI and SuperTech, the willingness of Masashi Sugiyama and Alexander Martin to actively support this development marks an important step in the Center’s continued growth.
We are delighted to welcome Prof. Masashi Sugiyama and Prof. Dr. Alexander Martin to Speinshart’s Scientific Advisory Board and look forward to shaping the next steps together on our path towards establishing Speinshart as an internationally visible hub for cutting-edge research in AI and SuperTech.
