The University of Münster has published its 2025 annual portrait series “Twelve Months, Twelve People”. With this publication, the Communications and Public Relations Office highlights the diversity of the university and presents several outstanding personalities from the past year.

Among them is Prof. Jan vom Brocke, Director of the Department of Information Systems, Chair of Information Systems and Business Process Management, and Director of the European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS). He is internationally active in the field of Information Systems and currently serves as President of the Association for Information Systems (AIS). In the annual portrait, he reflects on his journey from being a student in Münster to becoming an internationally connected researcher. He also discusses his research on business processes, artificial intelligence, and the responsible use of these technologies. The full portrait offers insights into his work and motivation.

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Portrait of Jan vom Brocke “Information systems: making the world a better place”

Read the other articles from the brochure “Twelve Months, Twelve People” here

Download the full brochure

In February, the DFG research unit “Future Digital Towns” at the Department of Information Systems welcomed its Mercator Fellow, Prof. Dorothea Kleine.

Dorothea Kleine is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Sheffield (UK), Director of the Institute for Global Sustainable Development (IGSD), and head of the research group “Digital Technologies, Data and Innovation”. Her research focuses on sustainable human development, global justice, and the role of digital technologies in advancing these goals.

Within the research unit, she contributes her expertise on the Capability Approach, which serves as a central theoretical framework for the group. In doing so, she provides important impulses for shaping digital measures in socially inclusive and public-interest-oriented ways.

Over the course of the year, Prof. Kleine will visit three times for one month each, working closely with the research unit on current and future topics.

Funded by the German Research Council (DFG), the research unit "Future Digital Towns" investigates how medium-sized towns can address the challenges of digitalization. Its aim is to develop digital tools that strengthen their liveability.

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Prof. Dorothea Kleine

Future Digital Towns

How do forests grow in different regions of the world? With ECHOSAT, this question can now be systematically answered on a global scale and over multiple years.

While previous tree height maps only represented individual years, ECHOSAT (Estimating Canopy Height Over Space and Time) tracks forest growth, disturbances, and regrowth over multiple years, providing important data for CO₂ monitoring and climate protection efforts.

Jan Pauls, Dr. Karsten Schrödter, Sven Ligensa, and Prof. Fabian Gieseke from the Chair of Machine Learning and Data Engineering at the Department of Information Systems develop ECHOSAT together with international partners: Martin Schwartz and Philippe Ciais (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE), France), Berkant Turan and Max Zimmer (Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB)), Sassan Saatchi (Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, USA), and Sebastian Pokutta (Technical University of Berlin).

The research team combines multi-sensor satellite data with a specialized vision transformer model. A self-supervised growth regularization ensures that the estimated tree heights follow biologically plausible growth curves, including gradual increases as well as abrupt declines due to fire or deforestation.

For example, in Les Landes (France), ECHOSAT clearly reveals the cycles of logging and regrowth, while large parts of the Amazon rainforest remain stable over the observed period. Both patterns are detected automatically, without additional post-processing.

ECHOSAT is part of the AI4Forest project, a German-French research cooperation. Recognizing the critical importance of forest ecosystems for climate and biodiversity, the initiative investigates how state-of-the-art artificial intelligence methods can be used to better understand, monitor, and respond to climate-driven environmental changes.

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Access the full paper here.

The maps are publicly available here.

More information about the AI4Forest project can be found here.

In mid-November, ten students of the School of Business and Economics took part in the German American Conference (GAC) at the Harvard Kennedy School. The GAC is the largest student-organized conference focusing on transatlantic relations and annually brings together students, academics, and representatives from politics, business, and society. The aim of the conference is to strengthen transatlantic dialogue and to examine current global challenges from multiple perspectives.

Participation took place as part of the interdisciplinary seminar “Leadership for Digital Entrepreneurs in a Global Society”, led by Dr. Thomas Haskamp with the involvement of Raphaela Kuhlmann, which was designed for bachelor’s and master’s students in Information Systems as well as related economics and business programs. The seminar was complemented by a cooperation with the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), where David Hahn supervised the HPI students, who also participated in the seminar and the conference. As part of the academic preparation and reflection, participants visited the campuses in Münster and Potsdam. The seminar focused on a reflective engagement with the topic Leadership, which was stimulated through conducting interviews and ultimately deepened in academic seminar papers.

The highlight and central element of the reflection process was the active participation in the German American Conference itself, including involvement in the Essay Competition, participation in discussion rounds, and interactive workshops. As part of their preparation, students also visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) prior to the conference, where a lecture with a discussion component was held as part of the seminar. Under the theme “Transatlantic Relationship at a Crossroads,” the GAC began with an opening event and initial keynotes in the Harvard Yard (Memorial Church), featuring contributions by Hazel Brugger (comedian), Wendy R. Sherman (former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State), and Dmytro Kuleba (former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine). Over the following two days, the main program took place at the Harvard Kennedy School, where keynotes, panels, workshops, and informal exchange formats such as Coffee Chats and Conversation Tables provided numerous opportunities for academic discussion and networking. The conference concluded with a reception at the Prudential Tower overlooking Boston.

Participation was made possible thanks to the support of Alumni e.V., the Department of Information Systems at the University of Münster, and HPI Engine at the Hasso Plattner Institute under the direction of Dr. Frank Pawlitschek, Managing Director of HPI Engine.

Since January 2026, Marieke Schwarz has been working as Department Secretary at the Department of Information Systems, succeeding Monika Rohe. After successfully completing her vocational training as an Office Management Specialist at the University of Münster, she has now joined the department as a permanent staff member.

Marieke completed her training in a shortened period of two and a half years. During this time, she gained experience across several units of the University of Münster, including the Institute of Egyptology and Coptology, the Faculty of Law’s Dean’s Office, and the Rectorate’s Office. In addition, she worked temporarily at the Department of Information Systems, allowing her to become familiar early on with the department’s structures and processes.

In her new position, she is responsible for tasks at both department level and at the Chair of Information Systems and Business Process Management, headed by Prof. Jan vom Brocke. Her responsibilities include room bookings, catering, and financial transactions for the department, as well as the organization of appointments, travel expense reimbursements, and expense claims at the chair. She is also involved in the organizational preparation of conferences and events.

She is particularly interested in the further development and digitalization of internal processes. Among other things, she aims to promote the increased use of Confluence and contribute to the optimization of existing procurement processes. Working full-time allows her to focus on theses tasks.

“I am very happy to now be working permanently at the department after completing my training. I particularly appreciate the variety of tasks and the direct interaction with people,” says Marieke Schwarz.

The Department of Information Systems warmly welcomes Marieke Schwarz and looks forward to working with her in the future.

The Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS)  is considered the oldest scientific conference in the field of information and system sciences. In its 59th edition in January 2026, it once again brought together researchers from around the world to discuss current developments and innovative research.

The Department of Information Systems was represented at the conference with three research contributions:

• Marie Griesbach presented her paper “Towards Simulating User Behavior for Automating Usability Tests by Employing Large Language Models” (co-authors: Janina Lütke Stockdiek, Hendrik Winkelmann, and Christian Grimme) in the Human-Computer Interaction track. The paper examines the usability testing capabilities of LLMs by employing it to autonomously navigate and interact with applications in order to complete tasks. The generated streams of thought are then compared with human think-aloud protocols.
• Mara Burger presented her paper “Designing Explainable AI: The Case of Dashboard Design for Fraud Detection in Public Transport Ticketing Systems” (co-authors: Hans-Henning Näscher, Gregor Kipping, Michael Gau, and Jan vom Brocke), which focuses on the design of an algorithm for fraud detection in public transport ticketing systems.
• The paper “Law Meets GenAI: Using Artificial Intelligence to Derive Conceptual Models from Legal Regulations” by Binh An Patrick Nguyen, Hendrik Scholta, David Roth-Isigkeit, Christian Djeffal, and Friedrich Chasin examines the use of generative AI to derive conceptual models from by administration lawyers. Notably, the German word “doch (but)” prompted the AIs to perform actions that, according to their statements, had not previously been possible, such as creating process models. 

At the beginning of January, around 35 students took part in this year’s ski seminar at a mountain hut in the Kleinwalsertal (Austria). The ski seminar was held in cooperation with the University of Koblenz and was organized by Prof. Patrick Delfmann (University of Koblenz), with support from Prof. Dennis Riehle (University of Koblenz) and Janis Elmer from the Department of Information Systems (University of Münster).

Four seminars from Münster participated: “Flow Factory: Processes & AI” as both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s seminar, “Digital Enablers of the Circular Economy”, and “Ski Seminar on Vision Transformer”.

As part of the Bachelor’s seminar “Flow Factory: Processes & AI”, led by Prof. Jan vom Brocke, Janis Elmer, Sandro Franzoi, and Tobias Zimmermann, students explored the use of artificial intelligence for analyzing, controlling, and optimizing business processes. After an introduction to the fundamentals of scientific research methods, they worked in small groups on current research projects at the Flow Factory. The aim was to gain new insights at the intersection of processes and AI and to prepare these findings scientifically.

In the seminar “Digital Enablers of the Circular Economy”, Master’s students investigated how information systems can support the transition toward a circular economy under the supervision of Dr. Michael Koddebusch, Celine Poppe, and David Stanlein. They developed research questions on topics such as Green IT/IS, digital platforms, and circular product design and completed a full academic conference cycle – from preparing a research paper and receiving peer reviews to presenting and revising their work. In doing so, they deepened both their subject-matter knowledge of the circular economy and their academic research and writing skills.

In the Master’s seminar “Vision Transformer”, led by Jan Pauls and Dr. Karsten Schrödter, students deepened their understanding of transformer architectures and examined current vision transformer models for semantic segmentation. They implemented the models using PyTorch and discussed different architectures as well as their current applications in computer vision, gaining insights into modern research trends and application areas of vision transformers.

In the Master’s seminar “Flow Factory: Processes & AI”, led by Prof. Jan vom Brocke, Janis Elmer, Sandro Franzoi, and Tobias Zimmermann, students examined the use of artificial intelligence in business process management. After learning advanced research methods, they investigated how human–AI collaboration can improve process efficiency, how predictive analytics can anticipate bottlenecks, and which ethical and practical challenges arise when implementing AI in complex process landscapes.

In addition to engaging final presentations, the seminar also offered ample opportunities for sporting activities: under excellent weather conditions, participants enjoyed skiing together and exchanging ideas in an alpine setting.

With the research project SMARD-GOV, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen–Nuremberg (FAU), the University of Münster, and the software and consulting company Prosoz Herten GmbH are investigating the use of data protection compliant Large Language Models (LLMs) in public authorities. The aim is to develop secure and legally compliant AI-based decision-making systems, exemplified by applications in the area of building permit procedures. The project combines technical, legal, and social science research and takes into account the specific requirements of public administration.

Prof. Paulina Jo Pesch from FAU coordinates the project and, together with her team, analyzes the legal framework for the use of LLMs in data protection and AI regulation. Prosoz, represented by CDO and AI expert Christian Rupp and his AI team, contributes its practical experience in software development for municipalities and supports the project through its professional network. At the University of Münster, the IT Security research group led by Prof. Rainer Böhme conducts training sessions and tests to evaluate the effectiveness of data protection measures in LLMs. In addition, the Chair of Digital Innovation and the Public Sector, headed by Prof. Tobias Brandt, is conducting empirical research into the use of LLMs in public authorities.

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) from 2025 to 2027 and will make an important contribution to the privacy-compliant use of modern AI technologies in the public sector.

The project “BEAM” (Belonging, Empowerment, Access & Mentorship), part of the Women+ in Information Systems Initiative, was awarded the 2025 Gender Equality Award at the New Year’s Reception of the University of Münster. The prize is awarded every two years by the Rectorate and recognizes projects that make an outstanding contribution to equal opportunities and gender equality.

This year, the Gender Equality Award was split between two projects, with each project receiving €10,000: the “Administrative Professionals Day Empowerment Program for University Secretariats” from the SUN – Office Network, and the BEAM project, which will use the funding to further implement and expand their activities.

BEAM is part of the newly established Women+ in Information Systems Initiative, founded by Fumi Kurihara (Assistant Professor at the Department of Information Systems). The initiative is dedicated to empowering female students in Information Systems and fostering a strong sense of community from the start of their studies. It aims to help students make their time in Information Systems feel more connected, supportive, and inspiring. The initiative aims to foster environments where friendships can flourish, ideas can evolve, and future paths can emerge together.

As part of BEAM, a variety of formats are planned, including mentoring programs, workshops, networking events, panel discussions, and informal meetings. These activities aim to address three key challenges: 1. lack of role models, 2. limited self-confidence, and 3. experiences of isolation.

Women+ welcomes everyone who wants to contribute to a more diverse and inclusive Information Systems community. The initiative is built on the belief that meaningful progress toward gender diversity is only possible when students of all genders are included, and all voices are heard.

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More information about Women+ in Information Systems

Video of the 2025 Gender Equality Award+

More information about the Gender Equality Award

Fumi Kurihara receiving the Gender Equality Award (© Uni Münster - Thomas Mohn).

© Uni Münster - Peter Leßmann

Over the last few days, several members of our department attended the 46th ICIS – The International Conference on Information Systems 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee, one of the most prestigious conferences in the Information Systems community.

• Prof. Jan vom Brocke took part in the panel “A discussion with the AIS presidents”. Together with his co-authors André Sagodi, Benjamin van Giffen, Johannes Schniertshauer, and Klemen Niehues, he received the AIS Senior Scholars Best IS Publication Award 2025 for their paper “How Audi Scales Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing – MIS Quarterly Executive”.
• Shariga Sivanathan presented her research with Michael Schüngel and Tobias Brandt on digitalization initiative in healthcare at the pre-ICIS workshops SIG Health and SIG Adit. As part of the AIS Entrepreneurial Innovation Fellowship, she also presented her research with Tobias Brandt on failure of digital ventures. In addition, she was served as lead chair for the AIS Doctoral Student Corner and played a key role in organizing all activities for the PhD students. Shariga received the AIS Doctoral Student College Volunteer Service Award 2025 for outstanding service and was elected as the next AIS Doctoral Student President.
• Dr. Timo Strohmann joined the SIG AI workshop, contributing to discussions on trustworthy conversational agents in finance. He also received the AIS Senior Scholars Best IS Publication Award 2025, together with his co-authors Ricarda Schlimbach, Bijan Khosrawi-Rad, Tim C. Lange, and Susanne Robra-Bissantz, for their CAIS paper “Design Knowledge for Virtual Learning Companions from a Value-centered Perspective”.
• Daria Stumkat presented her research in the IS for Sustainability track, focusing on how IT strategy and sustainability strategy can be aligned in organizations.
• Robin Killewald contributed to the MSQE workshop on future of AI.
• Ronja Dobler and David Stanlein participated at the Paper-a-Thon and the SIG Green Workshop.

Furthermore, Fumi Kurihara and Josephine Moritz from the Flow Factory joined the ICIS to exchange ideas and connect with the international IS community.