PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Andrea Sipka

Andrea Sipka is a data scientist whose work spans trustworthy AI and data science for public services. She earned degrees in mathematics and computer science at Southampton and data science at Padua, and spent four years at IBM in software engineering and release leadership. In 2019, she managed a Data Science for Social Good transportation project in the West Midlands, then pursued doctoral research at Zurich and RPTU. Her 2025 work includes X-Hacking, which shows how AutoML can find desired explanations among similarly predictive models, and a knowledge-based debugger for trustworthy AI. As of October 2026, she is deputy head of DFKI's Data Science and its Applications department.

Now at
DFKI
Links
Google Scholar

Timeline

  1. 2010–2013

    Mathematics and computer science

    She earns a BSc in Mathematics with Computer Science at the University of Southampton in 2013.

  2. 2015

    Storage software at IBM

    In 2015, she presents IP-based replication for IBM's SVC/Storwize Copy Services as a software developer at the UK Hursley lab. Her four years at IBM Systems R&D include software engineering and release leadership.

  3. 2017–2019

    A data science master's

    She earns an MSc in Data Science at the University of Padua in 2019.

  4. 2019

    A transportation equity project

    In 2019, she manages a Data Science for Social Good project on transportation access in the West Midlands. The team aims to measure gaps in transport access and create a data product for policy makers.

  5. 2020–2022

    Doctoral research in Zurich

    From 2020 to 2022, she works toward a PhD in Informatics at the University of Zurich as a doctoral researcher in Social Computing.

  6. Since 2022

    Computer science at RPTU

    Since 2022, she pursues a PhD in Computer Science at RPTU.

  7. 2025

    X-Hacking and a knowledge-based debugger

    In X-Hacking, she and her coauthors show how AutoML can search among similarly predictive models for a desired explanation. She also coauthors Actionable Trustworthy AI with a Knowledge-based Debugger, a 2025 paper.

  8. As of October 2026

    Deputy head at DFKI

    As of October 2026, she is deputy head of DFKI's Data Science and its Applications department and a data scientist.

Career

  1. NowDFKIDeputy Head
  2. 2020–2022University of ZurichDoctoral researcher in Social Computing
  3. IBMSoftware developer; release leadership

Education

  1. 2022University of ZurichPhD in Informatics
  2. From 2022RPTU University Kaiserslautern-LandauPhD in Computer Science
  3. 2019University of PaduaMSc in Data Science
  4. 2013University of SouthamptonBSc in Mathematics with Computer Science

From the biography.

  1. Nonprofit roles are 2.3 times as common in AI safetyIncludes DFKI. We estimate where people focused on safety, alignment and evaluation work. Nonprofit roles appear for 25.1% of safety people with known affiliations, compared with 11.0% in other areas.
  2. The top 10 organizations employed 22% of people shaping AI in 2025: 51% of company researchers and 21% of university researchersIncludes DFKI. We estimate the share of people shaping AI who worked at the top 10 organizations each year from 1955 to 2025, comparing concentration across companies, universities, and institutes and labs.
  3. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIIncludes DFKI. We estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes DFKI. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Andrea Sipka yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Andrea Sipka — Data Science and its Applications dsa.dfki.de. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. IBM Systems Technical University - Day 4 Sessions and Meet the Experts community.ibm.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Understanding and Reducing Inequities in Transporation in the West Midlands dssgfellowship.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Women in Computing sfbtrr161.de. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. X-Hacking: The Threat of Misguided AutoML dsa.dfki.de. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. [2401.08513] X Hacking: The Threat of Misguided AutoML arxiv.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Actionable Trustworthy AI with a Knowledge-based Debugger dsa.dfki.de. Checked 20 October 2026.
  8. Team | Data Science and its Applications dsa.dfki.de. Checked 20 October 2026.