Field of Work
Intelligent and AI-powered assistive technologies have become ubiquitous—not only in everyday life, but also in education, aviation, and healthcare. Wirzberger and her team conduct research on the opportunities and risks of such assistive systems, particularly in these fields as well as at the interdisciplinary intersection of human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, and applied cognitive psychology.
The focus is on various facets of the responsible, human-centered design and integration of intelligent technical systems. At the same time, however, it also addresses human requirements, characteristics, and cognitive diversity as core elements of technical development processes. Using empirical and simulation-based methods, Wirzberger examines the critical reflection on opportunities, risks, and changes arising from the use of such technologies for individuals, organizations, and society. From this, she also develops approaches for the critically reflective development of teachers’ competencies in the fields of computer science and media education.
Personal Information
Maria Wirzberger (born in 1983 in Lohr am Main) has been at the University of Stuttgart since March 2020—initially as a tenure-track professor and head of the Department of Teaching and Learning with Intelligent Systems, and since March 2026 as a professor at the Institute for Visualization and Interactive Systems (VIS). As a scientist at the interface between informatics and psychology, her research is characterized by an interdisciplinary perspective. Since its founding in February 2021, she has served as spokesperson for the Interchange Forum for Reflecting on Intelligent Systems (IRIS) at the University of Stuttgart—an interdisciplinary network of members from various faculties dedicated to critically reflecting on the ethical and social implications of intelligent systems in research, teaching, and public dialogue.
From June 2021 to June 2022, she represented the University of Stuttgart on behalf of the European Commission, contributing to the development of ethical guidelines for educators on the use of AI and data for teaching and learning purposes. In addition, she is a member of the board of directors of the Artificial Intelligence Software Academy (AISA) and, in this role, helps to make technical skills accessible to educators and students. In May 2022, she was accepted as a fellow into the prestigious Elisabeth Schiemann College of the Max Planck Society.