Dr. Ilse Hagerer | Research and Science Management | Best Researcher Award

Postdoc at Technical University of Munich, Germany

Ilse Karoline Hagerer is a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher specializing in higher education organization, digital transformation, diversity management, and science management. With a Ph.D. in Economics and Business Administration, her work focuses on organizational change, leadership development, and digitalization within academia. She has held multiple academic and administrative roles at renowned institutions such as Osnabrück University and the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Hagerer is also an experienced lecturer and project leader, known for her contributions to research, teaching, and diversity initiatives in higher education.

Publication Profile

Orcid

Educational Background

2024–2026: Science Management Training, TUM Career Design
2015–2021: Ph.D. in Economics and Business Administration, Osnabrück University
- Dissertation on organizational change in German universities post-New Public Management reforms
2011–2014: M.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration, FernUniversität Hagen
- Graduated among top 10%
2008–2011: B.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration, FernUniversität Hagen
2002–2007: Magistra Artium in German Philology, Philosophy, and Sociology, LMU Munich
1992–2001: Abitur, Maximiliansgymnasium München

Professional Experience

Since 2022: Postdoc / Research Assistant, Chair of Research and Science Management, TUM
- Focus: Diversity & AI, digitalization, mentoring programs, thesis supervision
2020–2022: Postdoc / Research Assistant, Chair of Strategy and Organization, TUM
- Project leadership: MINT@Work, PlayMINT
- Teaching: Project Management, Career Design, Strategy & Org., thesis seminars
2015–2020: Lecturer / Research Associate, Osnabrück University
- Taught organizational studies and academic skills
- Coordinated interuniversity network (ATLANTIS), tutorials, and faculty council duties
2010–2011: Marketing & Sales Manager, Verlagshaus GeraNova Bruckmann
2009–2010: Trainee in Strategic Procurement, Daiichi Sankyo Europe
2008: Legal Assistant, Baker & McKenzie
2006: Tutor for Empirical Research Methods, LMU Munich

Research Interests

Higher education management and reform
Organizational learning and structure
Diversity and inclusion in academia
Digital transformation in science and education
Leadership and career development in STEM
AI bias and ethical digitalization

Awards and Honors

Mentee of Prof. Dr. Georg Krücken in the mentoring program of the GfHf (Society for Higher Education Research)
DFG-funded project (2024–2026): Digital transformation in higher education
- €667,573 total funding, with €377,478 own contribution
BMWi-funded project (2021): Corporate purpose in SMEs
- €366,361 total funding, €124,086 own contribution
BMBF-funded project (2021): H2-Reallabor Burghausen / ChemDelta Bavaria
- €420,000 own contribution in a €39 million initiative

Conclusion

Ilse Karoline Hagerer is a distinguished academic professional bridging research, education, and practice in the domains of organizational development, digital change, and diversity management. Her multidisciplinary background, hands-on project leadership, and substantial publication record establish her as a forward-thinking contributor to academic innovation. With a firm foundation in both humanities and economics, she continues to shape the future of science management and higher education policy.

Publications

PlayMINT—an effective digital learning game for leadership competencies of female STEM students
Computers and Education Open, 2025-06
DOI: 10.1016/j.caeo.2025.100256
Author: Ilse Hagerer
Digitale Transformation im Wissenschaftsmanagement
Personal in Hochschule und Wissenschaft entwickeln 2, 2024-05-28
Author: Ilse Hagerer
It is still about bureaucracy in German faculties
Tertiary Education and Management, 2022-12
DOI: 10.1007/s11233-022-09112-9
Author: Ilse Hagerer
Universities act differently: identification of organizational effectiveness criteria for faculties
Tertiary Education and Management, 2019-05-18
DOI: 10.1007/s11233-019-09031-2
Author: Ilse Hagerer
Diversity bias in artificial intelligence
The Digital and AI Coaches’ Handbook, 2024-06-28
DOI: 10.4324/9781003383741-23
Authors: Eva Gengler, Ilse Hagerer, Alina Gales
PlayMINT: Still Playing or Already Leading?
13th International Conference on Game Based Learning (ECGBL), 2020-09-24
ISBN: 9781912764709
Author: Ilse Hagerer
What Matters Most for German Faculty Management: Identifying Contextual Factors of Faculty Organization
PACIS 2020 Proceedings. 65., 2020-06-22
Author: Ilse Hagerer
Faculty management after higher education reforms
6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’20), 2020-06-02
DOI: 10.4995/head20.2020.11239
Author: Ilse Hagerer
German Universities as Actors in Organizational Design – A Qualitative Study
HEAD 2019 Conference, 2019-06-26
DOI: 10.4995/HEAD19.2019.9333
Authors: Ilse Hagerer, Uwe Hoppe
Analysis of the use of digital media to design a blended learning environment
IMSCI 2017 – International Multi-Conference on Society, Cybernetics and Informatics, 2017
EID: 2-s2.0-85034245846
Authors: K. Vogelsang, I. Hagerer, K. Liere-Netheler, U. Hoppe

Mr. Vincent Zakka | Human Behaviour Analysis | Young Scientist Award

Postgraduate Research Student of Aston University, United Kingdom

Vincent Gbouna Zakka is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at Aston University, specializing in human behavior analysis in smart environments. His research has applications in ambient assisted living, human-robot collaboration, and user-centered building system control. With a Master’s in Mechatronic Engineering from Zhejiang University and a Bachelor’s in Electronics Information Engineering from Liaoning University of Technology, Vincent has gained valuable experience as a Research Assistant at institutions like The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Westlake University. His expertise spans activity recognition, vision-based monitoring technologies, and smart building systems. He has received several awards, including Best Paper Runner-Up at the International Conference on AI in Healthcare (2024), and has contributed to numerous publications in high-impact journals.

Publication Profile :

Educational Background :

Vincent Gbouna Zakka is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at Aston University, where he focuses on human behavior analysis in smart environments, with key applications in ambient assisted living, human-robot collaboration, and user-centered building system control. He holds a Master of Engineering in Mechatronic Engineering from Zhejiang University (2018-2021) and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics Information Engineering from Liaoning University of Technology (2014-2018).

Professional Experience :

Professionally, Vincent has been a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant at Aston University since October 2022, where he also mentors students and engages in research. Prior to this, he served as a Research Assistant at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2021-2022) and Westlake University (2021). His dedication to academia is reflected in his contributions to several high-impact conferences and journals, earning recognition such as the Best Paper Runner-Up Award at the 2024 International Conference on AI in Healthcare and the Best Paper Award at the 22nd International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality in 2022.

Research Interests :

Vincent’s research interests include activity recognition, user trust in monitoring systems, vision-based technology acceptance in home environments, human-robot collaboration, and smart building systems. His innovative work spans publications on privacy-preserving ambient assisted living, thermal comfort modeling, and IoT-enabled robot skin systems. He actively reviews for leading conferences and journals in his field, such as IROS and ISIE.

Publication Top Notes :

Darras, K., Balle, M., Xu, W., Yan, Y., Zakka Gbouna, V., Toledo, M., Sheng, D., Lin, W., Zhang, B., Lan, Z., Li, F., & Wanger, T. (2024). Eyes on Nature: Embedded Vision Cameras for Multidisciplinary Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring. Method in Ecology. Accepted.

Zakka Gbouna, V., Dai, Z., & Manso, L. J. (2024). Hierarchical Temporal Convolution Network: Towards Privacy-Centric Activity Recognition. 16th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence. Accepted.

Zakka Gbouna, V., Lee, M., Zhang, R., Huang, L., Jung, S., & Hong, T. (2024). Non-invasive vision-based personal comfort model using thermographic images and deep learning. Automation in Construction, 105811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2024.105811

Zakka Gbouna, V., & Lee, M. (2024). A generalized thermal comfort model using thermographic images and compact convolutional transformers: Towards scalable and adaptive occupant comfort optimization. Building and Environment, 112118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112118

Zakka Gbouna, V., Dai, Z., & Manso, L. J. (2024). Action Recognition for Privacy-Preserving Ambient Assisted Living. International Conference on AI in Healthcare, 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-67285-9_15

Xie, K., Lee, M., Khalid, R., & Zakka Gbouna, V. (2023). The impact of personal environmental control on the performance of thermal systems: Building energy consumption, occupant thermal comfort, and productivity. Energy and Buildings, 113552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2023.113552

Zakka Gbouna, V., & Lee, M. (2022). An Integrated Design of Energy and Indoor Environmental Quality System for Effective Building Performance Management. Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality.

Zakka Gbouna, V., Pang, G., Yang, G., Hou, Z., Lv, H., Yu, Z., & Pang, Z. (2021). User-interactive robot skin with large-area scalability for safer and natural human-robot collaboration in future telehealthcare. IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 3082563. https://doi.org/10.1109/JBHI.2021.3082563 (Featured on Cover Paper)

Zakka Gbouna, V., Hou, Z., Pang, G., Yang, H., & Yang, G. (2021). IoT-Enabled Robot Skin System for Enhancement of Safe Human-Robot Collaboration. International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications, 43. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89098-8_43

Heng, W., Pang, G., Zakka Gbouna, V., Pang, Z., Yi, K., & Yang, H. (2019). Facile Fabrication of Highly Soft Tactile Sensor based on Porous Sponge with Geometry Effect on Sensing Characteristics. 2nd IEEE International Flexible Electronics Technology Conference. https://doi.org/10.1109/IFETC46817.2019.9073774

Ilse Hagerer | Research and Science Management | Best Researcher Award