Cognitive Science BSc — incoming Human Factors Engineering MSc @ TU Munich
Fit the system
to the person.
Finishing my BSc in Cognitive Science, off to TU Munich for Human Factors next winter.
Selected work 2024—2026
Three studies exploring human attention, cognitive limits, and information processing.
Studies
Featured study — bachelor's thesis · HCI × machine learning · 2026
Iterative Optimization of
Joystick Transfer Functions
using Gaussian Processes
fig. 01 — fitts's law task
How do you make a joystick feel right? Not by guessing. Gamepads control everything from drones to surgical tools, but the optimal settings differ for every hand. Instead of forcing users through trial and error, I built an intelligent system that automatically finds their ideal fit. The application measures a user's performance in real time and uses machine learning to dynamically recommend the best settings, delivering a personalized control experience in just a few steps.
Method
A closed human-in-the-loop system in Python/Pygame: a Fitts's law tapping task (ISO 9241-9) with 13 targets, a Gaussian-process surrogate (Matérn ν = 2.5), and Bayesian optimization that re-tunes the joystick every block.Metric
Effective throughput (TPe) fuses speed and accuracy into a single reward signal, so the optimizer isn't fooled by the speed-accuracy trade-off.Takeaway
Manual sliders make users settle for a comfort zone. A sample-efficient GP search finds a personal curve in a handful of rounds — person in the loop, model doing the guessing.About
Designing for the
human mind.
System development for physical products is where I want to work — cockpits, cars, industrial machines, control devices. I measure where a system strains the person using it, and make that strain visible so it can be designed out.
The way I work: watch how people actually use things, then design those things around the person instead of the other way around.
Focus: physical systems, not software — how cockpits, cars, and controls fit the people who use them.
Timeline
Military service
Bundeswehr — Air Force · 9 months (FWD)
BSc Cognitive Science
University of Tübingen — nearly finished
MSc Human Factors Engineering
TU Munich — Incoming · winter semester
Goals
Submit the bachelor's thesis at Tübingen — joystick study intact.
Start the HFE master at TUM without losing sleep.
Work on physical systems — cockpits, cars, machines — where people don't end up feeling like the problem.
Your goal here — this slot is yours.
Involvement
Student council
University of Tübingen · September 2025 - present
- · Representing students at faculty meetings
- · Coordinating academic events and mentoring programs
Skills
Research
usability testing cognitive task analysis interviewing think-aloudDesign
prototyping ergonomics sketching graph paperAnalysis
statistics R research writingTechnical
python pygameResearch — thesis
Making a joystick feel right — with math
Thesis: "Iterative Optimization of Joystick Transfer Functions using Gaussian Processes." Bachelor's at University of Tübingen, supervised by Prof. Dr. Niels Henze — my first interdisciplinary HCI study, half cognitive science, half machine learning.
01 — Measure
An ISO 9241-9 tapping task turns "how it feels" into a single reward number.
02 — Learn
A Gaussian-process surrogate models performance across the curve parameters, uncertainty included.
03 — Optimize
Bayesian optimization proposes the next curve every block, until the stick feels like it belongs to one hand.
Contact
Let's design the
human bit.
Whether you’d like to discuss research, collaborate on a project, or just say hello – my inbox is open.