Report 2013/2014 14 15 16 17 18 3 Report 2013/2014 4 Directors Prof. Dr. Thomas Lengauer Prof. Dr. Kurt Mehlhorn Prof. Dr. Bernt Schiele Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Seidel Prof. Dr. Gerhard Weikum Scientifi c Advisory Board Prof. Dr. Trevor Darrell, University of California, Berkeley, USA Prof. Dr. Nir Friedman, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Prof. Dr. Pascal Fua, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland Prof. Dr. Thomas A. Funkhouser, Princeton University, USA Prof. Dr. Jürgen Giesl, RWTH Aachen, Germany Prof. Dr. Alon Halevy, Google Research, Mountain View, USA Prof. Dr. Renée Miller, University of Toronto, Canada Prof. Dr. Yves Moreau, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Prof. Dr. Nicole Schweikardt, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany Prof. Dr. François Sillion, INRIA Rhône-Alpes, Grenoble, France Prof. Dr. Emo Welzl, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland Prof. Dr. Gerhard J. Woeginger, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands Curatorship Board Hon. Adv. Professor (Tsinghua) Dr. Reinhold Achatz, Head of Corpo- rate Technology, Innovation & Quality, Thyssen Krupp AG, Essen Dr. Siegfried Dais, Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, Stuttgart Christiane Götz-Sobel, Head of the editorial department of Science and Technology ZDF, Munich Prof. Dr. Joachim Hertel, CEO of Denkprozess GmbH, Saarbrücken Prof. Dr. Henning Kagermann, President of the National Academy of Science and Technology (acatech), Munich Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Saarland Prime Minister, Saarbrücken Prof. Dr. Volker Linneweber, President of Saarland University, Saarbrücken Prof. Dr. Wolf-Dieter Lukas, German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Bonn Dr. Nelson Mattos, Vice President Engineering, EMEA, Google, Zurich, Switzerland Prof. Dr. Wolffried Stucky, Institute of Applied Informatics and Formal Description Methods (AIFB), University of Karlsruhe Prof. Dr. Margret Wintermantel, President of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Bonn 5 CONTENTS 7 PREFACE 8 THE MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATICS: OVERVIEW 14 DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW DEPARTMENTS 14 DEPT . 1 ALGORITHMS AND COMPLEXITY 16 DEPT . 2 COMPUTER VISION AND MULTIMODAL COMPUTING 18 DEPT . 3 COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND APPLIED ALGORITHMICS 20 DEPT . 4 COMPUTER GRAPHICS 22 DEPT . 5 DATABASES AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH GROUP 24 RG . 1 AUTOMATION OF LOGIC 25 THE MAX PLANCK CENTER 26 EXCELLENCE CLUSTER «MULTIMODAL COMPUTING AND INTERACTION» 28 THE RESEARCH AREAS 30 UNDERSTANDING IMAGES & VIDEOS 42 BIOINFORMATICS 58 GUARANTEES 66 INFORMATION SEARCH & DIGITAL KNOWLEDGE 80 MULTIMODAL INFORMATION & VISUALIZATION 92 OPTIMIZATION 100 SOFTWARE 102 IMPRS-CS 104 ALUMNI 124 NEWS 144 THE INSTITUTE IN FIGURES 146 JOINT ADMINISTRATION 148 INFORMATION SERVICES & TECHNOLOGY 152 COOPERATIONS 154 PUBLICATIONS 158 DIRECTIONS 6 PREFACE 7 PREFACE The Max Planck Institute for Informatics regularly publishes a report for the general public. Now again, we would like to take this opportunity to present some of the cur- rent topics, goals and methods of modern informatics. We introduce the work of our Institute and hope to arouse your interest, in the fascinating world of our science. The Max Planck Institute for Informatics aims to be a beacon of research in infor- matics. We aim to have impact in the following ways: First, through our scientifi c work, which we disseminate mainly through publications and books, but also in the form of software and Internet services. Second, through the training of young scien- tists, particularly during their doctoral and postdoctoral phases. We are educating future leaders in science and industry. Third, by assuming a formative role in our fi eld. We initiate and coordinate large research programs, and serve on important commit- tees. Fourth, by attracting talent from within and outside the country. About half of our research staff of over 180 scientists comes from abroad. Fifth, through the transfer of our results into industry. These transfers take place through collaborative projects, spin-offs, and people. Sixth, by building a world-class competence center for infor- matics in cooperation with our partners: Saarland University with its departments of Informatics and Computational Linguistics as well as its Center for Bioinformatics, the German Research Center for Artifi cial Intelligence, and the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems. We have continued to be very successful in all of these under- takings. Our success has become more visible through the erection of many new buildings around the Platz der Informatik on the Saarbrücken campus. In the next few months, the building for the Center of Internet Security, Privacy and Account- ability (CISPA) will be fi nished at the East corner of Stuhlsatzenhausweg. We are in the fi nal phase of the projects funded through the German Excellence Initiative – the Cluster of Excellence “Multimodal Computing and Interaction” and the “Saar- brücken Graduate School of Computer Science”. The recent evaluation of the Insti- tute by our Scientifi c Advisory Board has, once more, been very positive. This report is structured as follows: After an overview of the Institute and its depart- ments and research groups, we present the main areas of recent work. These topics span several departments and will also be the focus of our work in the next years. This part is followed by a section on our alumni and a brief overview of current events. The last part of the report contains a selection of recent scientifi c publications and a compact presentation of the Institute through key indicators. We wish you much enjoyment reading this report. Thomas Lengauer Managing Director 8 OVERVIEW The Max Planck Institute for Informatics, an Overview Information technology infl uences all aspects of our lives. Computer systems, hardware, soft- ware, and networks are among the most complex structures that have been constructed by man. Computational thinking is a new way of studying the universe. Basic research in informatics is needed to cope with this complexity, to lay the foundations for powerful computer systems, and to further develop computational thinking. 9 OVERVIEW Basic research in informatics has Goals Fifth, by transferring our results to indus- led to dramatic changes in our everyday The Max Planck Institute for Infor- try. These transfers take place through lives in recent years. This has become matics aims to be a beacon of research collaborative projects, spinoffs, and particularly clear in the last two decades: in informatics. We aim to have impact in people. Intel founded the Intel Visual The worldwide web, search engines, the following ways: Computing Institute in 2009 together compression processes for video and with the UdS (Saarland University), the music, and secure electronic banking First, through our scientifi c work, DFKI (German Center for Artifi cial In- using cryptographic methods have re- which we disseminate mainly through telligence), the Max Planck Institute for volutionized our lives just a few years publications, but also in the form of soft- Software Systems, and the Max Planck after their discovery at universities and ware and internet solutions. Presently, Institute for Informatics. research institutes. we are concentrating on algorithms for very large, multimodal data. Multimodal To establish a start-up culture and The Max Planck Society, the lead- includes text, speech, images, videos, support start-ups and licensing agree- ing organization for basic research in graphics, and high-dimensional data. ments, the Max Planck Society and Saar- Germany, reacted to these challenges land University jointly created the IT by founding the Max Planck Institute for Second, through the training of Inkubator GmbH, located at the Starter- Informatics (MPI-INF) in Saarbrücken young scientists, particularly in the zentrum of Saarland University. The IT in 1990. In 2005, the Max Planck Insti- doctoral and postdoctoral phases. We Inkubator GmbH focuses on supporting tute for Software Systems (MPI-SWS) are educating future leaders for research scientists in founding and fi nancing high- was established with sites in Saarbrück- and business. Over 180 researchers are tech start-ups, as well as marketing the en and Kaiserslautern. There are depart- working at our Institute and remain with research results to industries nationally ments with a strong emphasis on infor- us for three years on average. In this way, and internationally. The offi cial kick-off matics in other Institutes of the Max we provide the society with over 60 well- event took place in March 2015 and was Planck Society as well. The restructuring trained young scientists each year. attended by Saarland Governor, Annegret of the Max Planck Institute for Metal Kramp-Karrenbauer; the President of Research into the Institute for Intelligent Third, by our role in the scientifi c the Max Planck Society, Prof. Dr. Martin Systems has further strengthened infor- fi eld. We initiate and coordinate large re- Stratmann; and the President of Saarland matics within the Max Planck Society. search programs and serve on important University, Prof. Dr. Volker Linneweber. Given the importance of the area, the committees, e.g., the “Wissenschaftsrat” establishment of further Institutes for or DFG Review Boards. The Institute Sixth, by building a world-class informatics or related areas is desirable. has played a signifi cant role in forming competence center for informatics in the Excellence Cluster “Multimodal cooperation with our partners, Saarland Computing and Interaction”