Patrick Van Der Smagt
Head Of AI Research at Foundation
Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Summary
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Senior🎓
Top SchoolPatrick Van Der Smagt is Head of AI Research at Foundation and a Full Professor in Machine Learning with over 13 years of experience bridging academic rigor and industrial impact. He has led machine learning and robotics labs at Volkswagen, DLR, and multiple universities, translating biomimetic insights into deployable AI and robotic systems. As a serial founder and research director, he blends startup agility with large-organization leadership, currently steering etami while holding faculty roles at LMU and Eötvös Loránd University. His work spans theoretical ML, robot dynamics control, and assistive robotics, informed by a PhD in mathematics and computer science and postdoctoral stints in the US and Netherlands. Colleagues describe him as a pragmatic scientist who avoids hype—focusing on reproducible research and real-world systems rather than pitching. Based in Munich, he brings a rare mix of deep theory, hands-on robotics experience, and cross-sector leadership.
13 years of coding experience
13 years of employment as a software developer
Master of Science (M.Sc.) Computer Science, Master of Science (M.Sc.) Computer Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam)Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Mathematics and Computer Sciences at University of AmsterdamDoctor of Philosophy - PhD theoretical biophysics, Doctor of Philosophy - PhD theoretical biophysics at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
python, c++, javascript, c, perl, matlab, shell scripting, tex, mathematica, javaGithub contributions (5)
smagt/LaTeX
Jan 2013 - Jan 2023
Contributions:19 commits, 14 pushes in 10 years 1 month
smagt/smagt.github.io
May 2024 - Nov 2024
Contributions:342 PRs, 4102 pushes, 347 branches in 6 months
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