I am a professor in artificial intelligence at the Department of Computer Science at NTNU. My research interests are Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. I am currently the research director of the Norwegian Research Center for AI Innovation (NorwAI), deputy head of the Data and Artificial Intelligence group, and core team member of the Norwegian Open AI Lab. I was awarded a Dr. rer. nat. (summa cum laude) in Computer Science from the University of Hildesheim, Germany in 2012. My main research interests are AI methods that combine reasoning, context-awareness, and interpretability to support complex, knowledge-intensive decisions. My research explores human-AI interaction, trustworthy and explainable AI, with a particular focus on case-based reasoning and similarity-based methods. She aims to build versatile, transparent systems that work across domains and are grounded in real-world use.
You can find my profile on LinkedIn and Xing. A biography is provided here. For more details, see my publications and CV. More information on how to join us in Trondheim can be found on the NorwAI and Norwegian Open AI Lab vacancy pages.
Research Interests
My main focus is developing methods for applied artificial intelligence. While the application domains differ, we are investigating how to make knowledge and experience available through intelligent systems. Moreover, how to build systems that support complex, knowledge-intensive decisions using heterogeneous data sources. My work explores the way how AI systems are built and used. We focus on the interpretability and explainability of the systems as well as the context in which they are deployed.
I enjoy discussing AI methodologies and applications with fellow researchers, but more importantly, teaching it to students and bringing it into multidisciplinary projects and thereby shaping the new digital world.
Society
I believe that AI affects all our lives and hence should be taught early on in schools just like physics, biology, and chemistry. The foundations and capabilities of the technology are changing, so it’s our task as researchers to speak about the development.
Moreover, AI (as well as computer science) is still a male-dominated field, and bringing more women into the field is important to raise awareness and build systems for all genders. I engage in projects supporting this cause such as the AI4EU initiative for gender diversity in AI, NTNU’s IDUN project, or the Jenteprosjekt Ada.
Social Media
You can follow me on social media. My bluesky handle is kerstinbach.bsky.social, and I share snaps on Instagram.