About

Hi there πŸ‘‹ I’m Daniel, a Research Scientist and PhD Student based in Karlsruhe, Germany, working on the mobility of tomorrow. My current focus is on anomaly detection in multimodal data for autonomous driving. I am also deeply interested in the societal implications of autonomous vehicles in the (near) future.

What I'm Doing

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    Future Mobility

    I am experienced in shared mobility, especially carpooling, and autonomous driving. Personally, I love travelling by foot, bike, and train.

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    Deep Learning

    I work on anomaly detection for autonomous driving. I focus on multimodal world models and model contradictions in simulation.

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    Project Organization

    I enjoy planning projects with a high degree of uncertainty and many unknowns. Above all, I like breaking them down into actionable measures.

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    Entrepreneurial Thinking

    I was already self-employed at the age of 18 and founded a startup at the end of my studies. I still carry that spirit with me, every day.

My Path

Resume

Education

  1. PhD Computer Science

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
    2021 β€” Present

    PhD on anomaly detection for autonomous driving. My supervisor is J. Marius ZΓΆllner. I am with the research group Applied Technical Cognitive Systems (ATKS) within the Institute of Applied Informatics and Formal Description Methods (AIFB).

  2. MSc & BSc Computational Engineering Science (CES)

    RWTH Aachen University
    2011 β€” 2019

    The program lies at the intersection of mathematics, computer science, and technology. My focus was first on mechanical systems and shifted towards machine learning later on.
    β€’ MT: Web-based Multi-sided Ride-Sharing Platform | RWTH TIME
    β€’ BT: Path Planning for Automated Valet Parking | RWTH IKA
    β€’ PT: Prototype for Wavefront-based Alignment of Optical Systems | Fraunhofer IPT

Experience

  1. Research Scholar

    University of Michigan
    2024 β€” 2025

    I am a visiting researcher at the Mcity makerspace, working on the Mcity data engine to curate large and diverse training data sets.

  2. Small Entrepreneur

    Daniel Bogdoll IT Services
    2023 β€” Present

    Website development for modern and minimalistic external presentations.

  3. Research Scientist

    FZI Research Center for Information Technology
    2020 β€” Present

    I am a member of the group for Technical Cognitive Systems (TKS). My focus is on deep learning based anomaly detection for autonomous driving. I am involved in three consortium projects, including work package lead.

  4. Co-Founder & CEO

    SAYM Mobility GmbH
    2018 β€” 2021

    Enterprise platform for carpool commutes, used by >15 clients like Ford, National Instruments, and local tech companies with combined >4,000 employees. Backed by two early-stage funds.

  5. Software Engineer

    National Instruments (NI)
    2017 β€” 2019

    Development of a function for the computation of enclosed areas between curves in C++, including testing, documentation, and GUI design. The feature was shipped in the 2019 release of DIAdem.

  6. Research Intern

    Ford USA
    2017

    During this opportunity in the Silicon Valley, I developed a method for sensor data augmentation with virtual objects to create new test scenarios for autonomous driving. Our work was published and patented.

  7. Software Engineer

    Ecurie Aix
    2016 β€” 2017

    Our team participated in the first driverless Formula Student competition with our eace04.d vehicle. I was involved in concept designs, hiring procedures, hardware selection, and prototyping for trajectory planning.

  8. Science Assistant

    RWTH Institute for Automotive Engineering (IKA)
    2016 β€” 2017

    Created >100-page SotA report on 16 approaches suitable for autonomous valet-parking. Integrated A* trajectory planner into an ADTF framework, which was further developed and later deployed in a vehicle.

  9. Research Intern

    Bosch Engineering
    2015 β€” 2016

    Realized prototypical ESP function with in-vehicle deployment. Designed, developed, and deployed major update of the cross-departmental toolbox for simulation tools, as well as improvements of individual tools.

  10. Editor

    Allround-PC
    2013 β€” 2014

    Writing articles on technical topics and creating product reports.

  11. Science Assistant

    RWTH Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Systems (IFAS)
    2012 β€” 2015

    Assembly and commissioning of test benches and organization of exhibition appearances.

  12. Intern

    Getrag Ford Transmissions (GFT)
    2011

    Support in decision making for measurement technology in prototype production.

  13. Intern

    Ford Germany
    2010

    Overview of research, prototyping, and production processes.

  14. Lifeguard

    Velbert Municipal Utility
    2010 β€” 2011

    Involvement in water and operational supervision.

  15. Small Entrepreneur

    danielbogdoll
    2010 β€” 2015

    Self-employed as DJ, graphic designer and event manager.

  16. Intern

    S&H Computer Store
    2009 β€” 2010

    IT services, customer support, and marketing.

Volunteering

  1. Mountain Bike Course Instructor

    KIT University Sports
    2022 β€” Present

    Co-organization and supervision of weekly trips in the Karlsruhe area.

  2. Audit Committee and Sub-Commission for Teaching CES

    RWTH Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
    2016 β€” 2019

    Member of the Student Council, regular meetings with professors to discuss student concerns and the advancement of the CES program.

  3. Swim and Lifeguard Instructor

    German Life Saving Association (DLRG)
    2007 β€” 2017

    Active member in the local groups Velbert, Aachen, and Stuttgart to teach swimming and life saving.

Advancement

  1. Leadership Talent Academy

    Karl Schlecht Stiftung
    2024
  2. Facilitator Masterclass

    Facilitator School
    2022
  3. Graduate School UpGrade Mobility

    KIT Mobility Systems Center
    2021 β€” Present

    Elected representative of PhD students as part of the operational management from 03/2022 - 10/2024.

  4. Machine Learning Nanodegree

    Udacity
    2020
  5. Corporate Mobility Management

    IHK Aachen
    2018

Awards

  1. Research Travel Grant

    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
    2024
  2. Founder's Scholarship NRW

    NRW State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy
    2020
  3. EXIST Business Start-up Grant

    German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
    2019
  4. Alan Mulally Leadership in Engineering Scholarship

    Ford Motor Company
    2018
  5. e-fellows.net Scholarship

    e-fellows
    2017
  6. 3rd place "Autonomous Design"

    Formula Student Germany
    2017
  7. Talent Program students@bosch

    Robert Bosch GmbH
    2016

Activities

Talks

  1. Poster: Autonomous Driving - Detect Rare Situations

    KIT Knowledge Week Mobility
    05/2023
  2. Guest Talk: How to Fail a Startup After Graduation

    RWTH School for Simulation and Data Science Seminar
    06/2022
  3. Lecture: The Second Most Important Thing of Your Startup

    MCI Entrepreneurship Course
    03/2021
  4. Guest Talk: Mobility Startups and Corona

    AIXhibit Webmonday Series
    06/2020
  5. Lecture: Mobility Perspectives

    RWTH Leonardo: Meeting Global Challenges
    05/2020
  6. Workshop: Swarm Mobility for Commuters

    P3 DiCo Convention
    11/2019
  7. Podcast: Team Buildup - Becoming Known Without Acquaintances

    FounderFlow
    09/2019
  8. Guest Talk: Why You Should Start Your Own Startup

    AISA at RWTH: Career After Graduation
    06/2019

Academic

  1. Selected Participant

    DAAD Workshop on Integrated Engineering for Future Mobility
    03/2023
  2. Session Chair

    IEEE SMC - Intelligent Transportation Systems I
    10/2022
  3. Session Chair

    VEHITS - Poster Session 2A
    04/2022
  4. Reviewer / Program Committee

    2025: SAFE-ROL β€’ ICRA
    2024: SAIAD β€’ CVPR β€’ FISTS β€’ AVAS β€’ ITSC β€’ ICRA
    2023: RA-L β€’ T-ITS β€’ ML4AD β€’ ITSC β€’ SAIAD
    2022: ML4AD β€’ IV
    03/2022 β€” Present

Publications

Projects

Open Source

Research