Eyke Hüllermeier

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Research Area

Our current research is focused on methodological foundations of computational intelligence, with a specific emphasis on machine learning and data mining as well as approximate reasoning and reasoning under uncertainty. Our vision and ambition is to develop methods that are both theoretically well-founded and effectively applicable, thereby bridging the gap between theoretical foundations and practical applications.

Application-oriented research in bioinformatics and the life sciences constitutes another focus of our group. Here, the goal is to utilize computational intelligence and machine learning methods as tools for supporting biological research, especially in data-intense fields such as molecular biology. Problems in the life sciences typically entail problem-specific constraints and specific demands, necessitating the development of methods and algorithms specifically tailored for the problem at hand. In this regard, we aim to combine foundational, methodological and application-driven research to derive novel solutions for concrete bioinformatics problems.

Research Projects within SYNMIKRO

Within SYNMIKRO, we are mainly involved in the areas "biochemistry and structural biology" as well as "comparative genomics".

In the former field, our current focus is on the comparative analysis of protein structure data or, more precisely, protein binding pockets. The understanding of the biochemical function of the involved proteins is a key  prerequisite for the achievement of long-term goals in synthetic microbiology,  such as the engineering of biochemical pathways and the definition of a minimal cell. This requires methods to determine the relationship between proteins and to identify proteins that carry out similar functions. In this respect, the three-dimensional arrangement of functionally important sites typically located on the protein surface is more important than sequential homology, as the function of a protein is mainly determined by its structure. In close cooperation with the group of Prof. Klebe, we are therefore interested in the development of efficient algorithms for the comparison of protein binding sites.

In the second field, we are involved in the comparative analysis of the proteomes of different compartments and organisms, namely diatom species that are extensively studied in the group of Prof. Maier. Diatoms provide excellent model organisms to study the internalization and reduction of symbionts in host cells. A prerequisite for a comprehensive comparison of proteomes of different compartments is a method to predict the sub-cellular localization of proteins. While such prediction methods are already available, their performance varies largely with target species and compartments, necessitating the development of novel, problem-specific approaches. Another focus of our group is the comparative analysis of genomes. In this regard, we are interested in genomic comparisons of the reduced nucleus of internalized symbionts that can be found in different algae species to study the adaption to an intracellular lifestyle.