The Independent Research Groups at Hertie AI extend the scientific reach of our departments in a deliberate way — adding new perspectives, fresh research directions, and early-career ambition to an already strong institutional foundation. 

Within this structure, we support outstanding postdoctoral researchers as they take the decisive step toward scientific independence. We back scientists leading their own research group for the first time — giving them the freedom and resources to pursue new directions in data science and artificial intelligence, and to advance their own research agendas at the intersection of neuroscience and clinical application. Through targeted knowledge exchange and access to current algorithms, computational infrastructure, and interdisciplinary expertise, we create an environment where emerging scientists can tackle complex questions — both scientific and clinical — while laying the groundwork for a long-term independent career.

The Hertie AI Fellow Program extends this logic further outward. By bringing outstanding researchers from leading institutions worldwide into the Hertie AI community as affiliated members, the program strengthens the Hertie AI network. Fellows contribute their own expertise, perspectives, and research agendas — enriching the scientific environment of Hertie AI , and reinforcing the culture of openness and rigorous exchange that defines the way Hertie AI operates.