Daniel Leidner earned his doctorate in artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Bremen in 2017 and afterwards headed the Semantic Planning and Fault-Tolerant Autonomy Architectures groups at the German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics. From October 2023 to July 2024, he was seconded to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWK), where he was the first and only consultant to the German government on all aspects of robotics. There, he played a crucial role in shaping the national strategy for AI-based robotics.

Daniel Leidner’s research focuses on the development of robust and resilient robotic systems that can operate autonomously in complex and dynamic environments. He is interested in the possibility of not only preparing machines for predetermined scenarios, but also enabling them to react flexibly to unforeseen events and still successfully achieve their goals. His research, which is funded by the RECOVER.ME ERC Starting Grant, therefore not only examines technological innovations, but also seeks to understand underlying principles of human resilience known as metacognition, and analyze how these can be incorporated into robotic systems.

“The decision to come to Bremen and join the University of Bremen was easy for me because the city has a long tradition in space research that fits perfectly with my interests. It has a unique ecosystem of scientific institutions and innovative companies that are world leaders in their fields,” says Leidner. The University of Bremen’s close connection between basic and applied research that combines robotics, artificial intelligence, and space technology was a deciding factor as well.