Ressort Presse

• 18.02.2025

There are 800 postdocs conducting research in Princeton. Each year, the elite American university awards 12 of them a Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. These fellows are considered so talented that important contributions in their respective fields can be expected from them. Dr. Mohamed Kari is one of the fellows. The 30-year-old studied business information systems at the UDE and completed his PhD in computer science. Since last October, he has been conducting research on augmented reality at Princeton.

Mr. Kari, how do you become a Princeton Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellow?
You have to be already accepted as a postdoc at Princeton and then you can apply for the internal fellowship. That's the formal side of it. In terms of “selling points”, I was probably able to score by having already published some research results in relevant publication venues as a PhD student, and by having good references – with Professor Reinhard Schütte as my supervisor, through research stays with other professors and at innovative companies.

Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up in Essen, graduated from the Alfred-Krupp-Gymnasium, then studied business information systems at the UDE, where I obtained both my bachelor's and master's degrees. During my master's studies, I completed various internships at a MediaTech startup in Potsdam, at Accenture in strategy consulting, and at Porsche in Stuttgart in the field of data science. I also spent a semester in Los Angeles as a Fulbright scholar. I wrote my master's thesis at Porsche on Connected Fleet Learning, i.e. the application of machine learning to vehicle data.

During this time, Professor Schütte asked me at some point which office I wanted my desk in after graduating with my master's degree, and so, without overthinking, I started my PhD – half at the UDE, half at Porsche. That was a very exciting time. Because of Covid, the internal vehicle pool was always well stocked with the most amazing models. My closest colleague and friend there and I inspired each other, wrote papers, patented inventions, hired working students, regularly recorded and internally published a podcast with the company’s PhD students, and briefed managers on the digital vehicle experience of the future with our ideas and initial prototypes.

During the second half of my PhD, I did a lot of work abroad. First, I was part of a young and ambitious research group at ETH Zurich, then at Apple in Zurich and at Meta in the greater Seattle area. This time particularly shapes my research of today.

What is your current research on?
I like to summarize my research with the mission: getting closer to computer systems that seamlessly blend with a user's space and mind. More specifically, I invent, implement, and study techniques for augmented reality systems. These techniques allow us to capture the user's environment using cameras and integrate virtual objects into it. My research focuses on semantic integration, which means integrating virtual content in a way that makes sense and is useful from the user's perspective. This makes it possible, for example, to conduct a 3D augmented call instead of a video call, in which the digital 3D twin – e.g., a photorealistic avatar – of the conversational partner takes a seat on the physical couch in the room.

How do you like it in Princeton?
I feel very comfortable here. Research is highly valued in the United States. Eight of the top ten universities with the most Nobel Prize winners are American, including Princeton. This naturally attracts talent from around the world. Of the 6,000 students who all live in on-campus housing, there are approximately 2,800 PhD students, 800 postdocs, and 900 professors.

Also, in the Computer Science Department, we often have VIPs from leading universities and innovative companies visiting. Recently, one of the two Snapchat founders, a Silicon Valley icon, visited our team and tried out two of my research prototypes with great enthusiasm.

What do you think was crucial in your life?
For any success, you probably need a combination of willpower, talent, and a bit of luck.

In terms of luck, we tend to underestimate the importance of our childhood and parents. My parents have always supported me and encouraged my curiosity. I was also lucky enough to meet Professor Schütte during my bachelor's degree. He has had a lasting influence on me and played a significant role in shaping who I am today.

Then, I certainly have the will to work with the best in the field on forward-thinking, technically challenging problems and find solutions.

And as for talent: I have noticed that I am good at thinking my way into formal constructs and the real world at the same time – and bringing the two together.

Where will your path lead you?
My strength is: I am universally enthusiastic. I almost always allow myself the freedom to work on the topic that I find most exciting at the moment. I like reinventing myself, changing my mind and venturing into new things once I've completed my current task.

That's why I can't say yet. On the one hand, I like the in-depth mentor-mentee relationship that exists between a professor and a doctoral student. On the other hand, I'm attracted by the impact that a product can achieve at larger scale.

So, my future options include a professorship, a responsible or technical role in an innovative company, or setting up my own business. But I know from experience that the most fruitful approach is to give your best in the here and now and trust that everything else will fall into place in sometimes unexpected ways.

For more information:
https://mkari.de/