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Steffi Beckhaus

Email:
steffi.beckhaus (at) uni-hamburg.de
Consultation-hour:
by arrangement
Professional career
since 2011
Professor at TU Darmstadt, IAD, (W2, Guestprofessor)
since 2009
Management Consultancy, Coaching, Training
2004-2011
Professor at University of Hamburg (W1, Juniorprofessor), head of im.ve group
2002-2004
senior research scientist, Fraunhofer IMK
1997-2001
research scientist, GMD IMK
1994-1997
IT consultant and engineer, Ing. Buero Messing, Essen
1991-1993
physics engineer, S. A. S. Systems, Essen
1989-1991
research assistant, S. A. S. Systems, Essen
Research interests
CV and current work

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Steffi Beckhaus was Juniorprofessor at University of Hamburg from february 2004 to 2011. The focus of her group interactive media.virtual environments is on innovative Human-Computer Interaction, Virtual Environments, Computer Graphics, Media Art and Storytelling. Since 2009, she has her own company. Here, she does management consultancy, personal training, coaching and research. Since October 2011, she ist Guestprofessor at Technical University of Darmstadt. She is associated with the Institute of Human Factors and Ergonomics. Her major focus will be on researching and designing tools and methods for a successful human-technology balance with a special focus on the work environment of the future.

Until March 2004 she worked as a research scientist at the Competence Center Virtual Environments at Fraunhofer IMK. Areas of research at IMK were Virtual Reality, Computer Graphics, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Interface Design, Storytelling, and Virtual Showcases. She was project leader at IMK for the BMBF project alVRed, and was involved in the projects VRIB and the EU project "Virtual Showcase". Work experience in the Industry include 3 years part-time work at a research company for sound analysis and design. Following, she spent five years at an information technology consulting company, working in the fields of IT consulting, planning, and programming, with an emphasis on database applications

She holds a B.Sc. in Physical Engineering (Diplom Physikingenieurin) from the University of Essen (1991), and a Masters Degree in Computer Science (1993) from the University of  Newcastle in Tyne, England.  In 1997 she joined Ph.D Program at GMD.IMK, and 1999 startet working in the Virtual Environments (VE) Group. Her work, "Dynamic Potential Fields for Guided Exploration in Virtual Environments" was supervised by Prof. Thomas Strothotte at ISG, University of Magdeburg and by Prof. Heinrich Müller, University of Dortmund (2nd supervisor). In September 2002 she was awarded her Ph.D. in Magdeburg. For her thesis, she received the "Fakultätspreis 2002" of the faculty of computer science of Otto-von-Guericke Universität, Magdeburg and the "KTW Software Award 2003", a PH.D award for women in IT. In 2010, she received the "Frauenförderpreis" of University of Hamburg for the program "Anna Logica" (see below).

Among other things, she is currently reviewer for the EU, for journals like Virtual Reality, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, IEEE Intelligent Systems, and conferences like IEEE Virtual Reality (PC), ACM CHI, TEI, Virtual Storytelling, ISMAR, Intetain, Computer Science and Magic, and Edutainment. She co-organized conferences (GCDC, CSAM), workshops (Mensch&Computer - Kooperative Spiele, Innovative Computerbasierte Musikschnittstellen, GI - Workshop Methoden und Werkzeuge zukünftiger Computerspiele), and the exhibition "Entgrenzung: Digitale Kunst zwischen Algorithmik und Interaktion" in Linz. She is co-editor of the Virtual Reality Journal special issue "CVEs for Creative People" and a special issue on "playful computing" of the journal i-com . Besides paper presentations on conferences she was invited to give talks at TU Graz, DAIMI Aarhus, Lomonosov Moscow State University, IMIS Lübeck, and Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel, and a keynote talk at Mensch&Computer 2005. In 2004, she together with Ernst Kruijff gave a course on "Unconventional Human Computer Interaction" at Siggraph, Los Angeles. She is initiator and designer of the program "Anna Logica" which supports studying women in Computing Science and in the MIN-faculty of University of Hamburg. For this she was awarded the "Frauenförderpreis der Universität Hamburg 2010". Her own art work and jointly conducted art & science projects with students were exhibited at Siggraph Art Gallery, Ars Electronica Festival, and in Kunsthalle Bremen. The latest project Granulatsynthese received the Eurographics John Lansdown award for interactive digital art and was exhibited at the TEI 2008 conference in Bonn. Currently, 8 diploma students and 2 phd students work with her, together forming the im.ve group.

Teaching
Lectures
Projects
Current projects

Completed projects
Publications

You'll find a complete listing on the publications-page