2017: Training outstanding doctoral students at IMPRS-IS – Interview with Rachael Burns

This month, we’re looking back to 2017 when Cyber Valley’s graduate school, the International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems (IMPRS-IS), was founded. IMPRS-IS trains outstanding doctoral students from around the world and supports them in their PhD research so they can use their AI expertise to build a better future in Europe.

Rachael Burns is an alumna of IMPRS-IS. She joined the graduate school in 2018 to work in the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, under the department’s director, Dr. Katherine J. Kuchenbecker. Her PhD research focused on creating a Haptic Empathetic Robot Animal (HERA). HERA uses soft, squishy, custom tactile sensors and a machine learning algorithm to identify the different types of social touches it receives, like tickles or pokes.

In the following interview, Rachael reflects on the unique opportunities offered by IMPRS-IS and her continuing connection to the Cyber Valley research community.

When you look back at your PhD, is there a moment that stands out as a defining highlight? What made it meaningful?

One moment that stands out to me was actually at the very end of my PhD journey, during my defense. When the time came to give my presentation, I was excited to share with my committee all the work we had done. It was a happy and proud moment, not a scary one. And my favorite part was the questions at the end – it was a very thought-provoking discussion! All this to say, I realized that such a confident and positive thesis defense was the result of a wonderful PhD program. IMPRS-IS gave me an excellent education through excellent mentors, and the program really prepared me for the next steps in my research career.

From your perspective, what is unique about IMPRS‑IS? What distinguishes it from other doctoral training programs?

The ‘I’ in IMPRS-IS stands for ‘International’, and it’s very true! I loved how international my experience was. I met researchers and fellow IMPRS-IS scholars from all around the world – from Germany, Italy, and France, to Syria, Turkey, Canada, and South Korea. I am forever grateful that they are my friends and have shared their cultures and experiences with me. These are some of the best and brightest young minds in the field, all gathered together in Baden-Württemberg.

When you joined IMPRS‑IS, what were your expectations for the program and your PhD journey? Were there any surprises – positive or challenging– along the way?

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started my PhD. Before coming to Germany, I had never travelled outside the US before, and lots of things felt different from what I was used to back home! Even though I felt homesick at first, everyone at IMPRS-IS and MPI-IS was so welcoming. I really enjoyed learning the German language and about German culture. The COVID-19 pandemic happened right in the middle of my PhD, which was an unexpected challenge, but we managed to run experiments during periods when the country reopened, and work remotely analyzing the data when it was important to stay home. For a positive surprise, I would say the many research conferences I was able to attend and present at. I had no idea of the amount of travelling I would get to do as part of my PhD!

In what ways did IMPRS‑IS shape your development and how do those experiences influence your work today?

Throughout my PhD program, IMPRS-IS provided many opportunities for me to grow as a leader. There were soft-skills seminars, such as conflict management, public speaking, and cultural awareness training, which helped me thrive in an international setting, be conscientious of others, and become a more confident speaker. There were also many opportunities for scientific growth – many postdocs and established researchers whom I could learn from, guest speakers, and the yearly IMPRS-IS bootcamp, where all the IMPRS-IS scholars gathered together and learned from each other. I carry these skills and memories with me now as I teach my own students, both in the classroom and in the research lab.

How does your work (both during your PhD and current) address real-world challenges and what kind of applications or long-term benefits could it have?

During my PhD, my research focused on giving a robot the ability to understand different types of touch that we use during social interaction. The goal was that this robot could then be a teaching tool that therapists could use to teach children with autism about safe and appropriate touch. Now, as a professor at the University of Tennessee in the US, my students and I are continuing to investigate how social robots with touch sensing can be used to support people in their everyday lives, whether that be a robot teammate conducting safety inspections in a warehouse, or a robot animal providing comfort and companionship. Hopefully, this research will lead us to robots that are much better equipped to work alongside humans, with much more natural interaction approaches than current robots.

IMPRS-IS is the graduate school of Cyber Valley, a network of leading research institutions, industry partners and start-ups working in AI and robotics. How has being part of this network influenced your development, whether in your research, skills, or career direction?

Being part of Cyber Valley has actually played a large part in my career direction! This past year, I was honored to be selected as a Max Planck Partner Group leader, and my research lab – the Social Tactile & Assistive Robotics and Intelligence (STARI) Lab – is affiliated as a Max Planck Partner Group. This award means that for the next few years, my lab will remain part of the MPI-IS community and the Cyber Valley ecosystem. We are continuing to collaborate with the excellent research community here, such as with researchers at MPI-IS and clinicians at the University of Tübingen hospital. I am looking forward to several years of exciting and fruitful research!

To celebrate Cyber Valley's ten-year anniversary, we'll be sharing a variety of content across our website and social media channels reflecting on milestones from the last decade. Stay tuned for the next installments!