Patrick Ebel appointed professor of Computational Interaction at HPI

• Prof. Dr. Patrick Ebel and his team develop computational user models that simulate human behavior
• The findings are intended to improve human–computer interaction, for example in automated driving
• At HPI, models of cognition and biomechanics are to be combined for the first time 

The Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) is expanding its expertise in human–machine interaction. Since March 1, 2026, Prof. Dr. Patrick Ebel has been heading the new "Computational Interaction" department at the joint Digital Engineering Faculty of the HPI and the University of Potsdam.   

Patrick Ebel is an expert in optimizing interactions between humans and machines. He earned his doctorate at the University of Cologne in 2023 with a dissertation on the data-driven evaluation of information systems in vehicles. Following this, he led a research group focused on the development of computer-based user models at the Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (ScaDS.AI), a competence center for artificial intelligence, data science, and big data run by the universities of Leipzig and Dresden.  

To model how people interact with computers, smartphones and in-vehicle information systems forms the core of his work. Such systems are becoming increasingly intelligent and complex. The work of Prof. Ebel’s research group is intended to help develop intelligent interactive systems in a way that aligns with users’ goals, abilities, and intentions. To this end, Ebel uses models that simulate human perception, cognition and motor control. With the help of these models, interactive systems can be evaluated quickly and cost-effectively to develop user-friendly technology.  

"At HPI we aim to advance computational user models toward ‘simulated users‘ that integrate models of cognition, perception, and biomechanics and learn human-like interaction behavior. I am looking forward to working with HPI's excellent researchers and talented students and hope I can offer a new perspective on how to design and build interactive systems," says Prof. Ebel.  

The research group led by Prof. Patrick Ebel works at the intersection of machine learning, cognitive modeling, and human–computer interaction. To this end, the team develops both data-driven models and so-called reinforcement learning models. In the latter, the systems learn through trial and error using "reward" mechanisms.