Pawel Knap's Biography
I was born in Krosno, Poland, in October 2000, but I grew up in the nearby village of Rogi in the Low Beskids Mountains, whose beauty is depicted in the image below. In 2020, I graduated from the Electrical and General Education (ZSEiO) High School in Krosno, achieving outstanding grades and great final exam results. During my time there, I achieved notable success in the National Olympiads of Electric and Electronics Knowledge, earning a laureate position (5th in 2019) and double finalist status (2nd in 2020 and 12th in 2019).
I have spent the whole final year of high school working at KPU University in Krosno on Dr. Boguslaw Wisniewski's electric car project. Following graduation, I commenced an integrated master's degree in Electronics with AI at the University of Southampton, UK. This period was distinguished by academic achievements, including excellent grades, as well as engaging in extracurricular activities.
My bachelor's dissertation, focusing on utilizing Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning algorithms for controlling energy storage in the Smart Grid, received excellent reviews, and was presented at the MLinPL 2023 and ICEEEP 2024 Conferences. Additionally, I made productive use of each summer break, working at Clas-SiC in 2021 and 2022, and at OculAI in 2021. During my last summer vacation, I collaborated with Dr. Hansung Kim on a project of a Real-Time Omnidirectional 3D Multi-Person Human Pose Estimation system. This experience provided me with valuable research experience but also resulted in my first published peer-reviewed paper, presented at CVMP 2023 and ICEIC 2024 Conferences.
Currently, I am pursuing a PhD with Prof. Harald Binder at the University of Freiburg in the Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics. My research focuses on dynamic modeling with time-resolved neuron image data, combining differential equations with AI techniques for representation learning. This work is part of the Collaborative Research Center IN-CODE, where we collaborate closely with biomedical researchers to develop novel modeling workflows that can lead to breakthrough discoveries in understanding how information is encoded in the brain.
Beyond academics and work, I have a wide range of interests. I actively practice callisthenics, run, swim, and play table tennis and football. Mountains hold a special place in my heart, and I love hiking. I also enjoy reading, travelling, and experiencing different cultures. Trying new activities and meeting people during my travels provide unforgettable memories and valuable personal growth experiences. As a devoted foodie, I take pleasure in exploring diverse culinary delights and enjoy cooking. I'm keenly interested in current world affairs and Polish politics. Looking ahead, I aspire to learn new languages, particularly German and Italian. I dream of learning to play musical instruments, especially the piano and guitar, due to my love for classical music and sung poetry. Additionally, I hope to engage more in sports, including regular gym sessions, learning to ski, and refreshing my ice skating skills.
Short Biography
Pawel Knap is a PhD student at the University of Freiburg, Germany. He holds both an MEng and a BEng in Electronic Engineering with Artificial Intelligence from the University of Southampton. Pawel is the first author of several papers on human pose estimation. His current academic focus is on computer vision, with a particular emphasis on medical/neuroscience image data analysis. Additionally, he has published work on reinforcement learning and has contributed to real-time object detection and satellite image segmentation projects in the private sector.