Hi, I am Samira Huber.

PhD Student in Robotics.

I am a PhD candidate in embodied AI and robot learning at the Visual Computing and Artificial Intelligence Lab at Kiel University, supervised by Sören Pirk, where I research world models and foundation models for real-world robotic autonomy. I develop and evaluate learning-based systems in simulation and deploy them on physical robots using ROS2. My first-author work has been published at CoRL and IROS.

Before my PhD, I co-founded EcoCheck, where I build AI-powered CO₂ accounting systems, and worked as a freelance software and AI developer. That background shapes how I approach research: translating complex technology into systems that work in practice.

Robotics Social Robotics Vision-Language-Action Models (VLAs) Robot Learning

Resume

PUBLICATIONS

Preprint

Evaluating Early Multimodal Fusion in Discrete Latent World Models for Robot Navigation

Mohammad Safwan Mondal², Mohammad Nazeri², Ruben Hammele¹, Samira Huber¹, Alexandyr Card², Anuj Pokhrel², Daeun Song², Sören Pirk¹, Xuesu Xiao²

¹Kiel University, Germany · ²George Mason University, USA

We compare five multimodal fusion mechanisms (Shift, Scale, FiLM, Cross-Attention, and AdaLNZero) within Hydra, a discrete latent World Action Model for robot navigation, both offline and in 100 closed-loop physical robot trials under modality dropout. High-capacity operators excel offline but often degrade under physical sensor dropout, whereas restricting fusion to bounded element-wise scaling preserves the discrete latent structure and reaches up to 80% success under sensor loss.

PDF

CoRL 2026

COOL: Curiosity-Driven Object Ownership Learning for Personalized Robotic Assistance

Samira Huber^1,*, Ruben Hammele^1,*, Sören Pirk¹

¹Kiel University, Germany · ^*Equal contribution

We present COOL, a robotic framework for autonomously learning object ownership from everyday observations and maintaining a long-term spatial memory of its environment. COOL uses an agent-based curiosity-driven data collection strategy that guides the robot toward the most promising locations to gain information and refresh stale observations, enabling ownership-conditioned navigation and task execution.

Project Page Arxiv PDF Code

Preprint

Hydra: A Navigation World Action Model with Discrete Latent Planning and Continuous Flow-Matching Execution

Mohammad Nazeri², Alexandyr Card², Samira Huber¹, Anuj Pokhrel², Yujun Wang², Ruben Hammele¹, Daeun Song², Sören Pirk¹, Xuesu Xiao²

¹Kiel University, Germany · ²George Mason University, USA

We present Hydra, a discrete World Action Model for robot navigation that learns a shared latent space over visual states, physical poses, and control actions, compressed into discrete vocabularies via vector-quantized bottlenecks. Candidate plans are sampled and ranked in this space through Discrete Latent Planning, and conditional flow matching turns the selected discrete intents into smooth, continuous trajectories, outperforming current navigation world models on two physical robot platforms.

Project Page Arxiv PDF

IROS 2026

HUMEMBR: Learning Human Routines for Predictive Embodied Navigation

Samira Huber¹, Klaas Pelzer¹, Duc M. Nguyen², Xuesu Xiao², Sören Pirk¹

¹Kiel University, Germany · ²George Mason University, USA

We introduce Human-Centered Memory for Embodied Robots (HUMEMBR), a system for embodied question answering and routine-conditioned navigation. HUMEMBR integrates continuous memory construction with parallel retrieval and querying, enabling embodied agents to accumulate structured representations of human routines while supporting interactive, user-driven queries.

Project Page Arxiv PDF Code

EDUCATION

2025 —
Present

PhD in Computer Science

Kiel University

Research group Visual Computing and Artificial Intelligence, supervised by Sören Pirk. Focus on robotics, deep learning, and machine learning.

2020 —
2022

M. Sc. Computer Science

University of Lübeck

Specialization in Entrepreneurship and Machine Learning. Thesis: Development of a mobile application to address the barriers to climate-friendly behavior in food shopping.

2017 —
2020

B. Sc. Computer Engineering

Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW)

Thesis: Implementation of a recommender system for web-based trainings.

EXPERIENCE

Sept 2025 —
Present

PhD Candidate: Robotics

Kiel University · Kiel, Germany

PhD student at the Visual Computing and Artificial Intelligence Lab, researching robotics, deep learning, and machine learning.

Nov 2021 —
Present

Co-Founder and CEO

EcoCheck · Lübeck, Germany

Building AI-powered tools that make sustainable living accessible. Led international teams, conducted NLP and LLM research, and deployed an app used by over 10,000 people.

May 2022 —
Present

Computer Science Freelancer

Hanse Hub · Lübeck, Germany · Remote

Helping startups turn ideas into MVPs — from sleek front-end interfaces and robust back-end systems to cutting-edge AI integrations.

Nov 2021 —
Mar 2022

UX Design and Development Working Student

Tesla · Grünheide, Germany

Designed and developed an internal production tool from scratch, collaborating with cross-functional teams to streamline workflows and deliver a user-centric solution in a fast-paced environment.

Oct 2020 —
Nov 2021

Software Developer Working Student

Abusix, Inc. · Karlsruhe, Germany

Built a React-based web frontend for an email security product, implementing responsive components and integrating with backend services to deliver a cohesive user experience.

Sept 2020 —
May 2026

Photographer

Self-employed · Lübeck, Germany

Freelance photography spanning natural light, events, and portraits — capturing authentic moments and stories through the lens.

May 2018 —
Sept 2020

Full Stack Web Development Working Student

Intelligent Media Systems AG · Karlsruhe, Germany

Developed a white-label corporate e-learning platform across the full stack. Built a recommender system using Azure, Python, and machine learning to deliver personalized content suggestions.

Oct 2017 —
Apr 2018

Mechatronics Working Student

Schaeffler · Bühl, Germany

Researched innovative sensor technologies for automotive clutches, including prototyping, testing, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The work resulted in a successful patent registration.

TEACHING

Foundations of Deep Learning

Kiel University, Winter 2026/27

Teaching the foundations of deep learning, including neural network architectures, optimization, and practical implementation.

Foundations of Deep Learning

Kiel University, Winter 2025/26

Teaching the foundations of deep learning, including neural network architectures, optimization, and practical implementation.

AWARDS, TALKS & MEDIA

Podcast

Europa-Podcast: Buy European

Discussed the Buy European app, strategic autonomy in IT, defense, and industry, and how consumer choices can scale from the supermarket to the EU level.

Listen Spotify

Media

Lübecker Nachrichten: EcoCheck Feature

Interviewed about the founding story of EcoCheck, how the startup developed, and what to expect from EcoCheck this year.

Read

Funding

State funds the Lübeck-based EcoCheck project with around €170,000

The state of Schleswig-Holstein is funding the EcoCheck AI project with around €170,000 to help consumers make more sustainable grocery choices.

Read

Media

BNN | Badische Neueste Nachrichten: EcoCheck Feature

EcoCheck featured in the BNN, highlighting how anyone can eat more climate-friendly — especially timely with the recent severe weather and flooding in southern Germany.

NDR Schleswig-Holstein Magazine: EcoCheck Feature

Media

Schleswig-Holstein Magazine: EcoCheck on NDR

Samira Huber and Ruben Hammele make sustainable shopping possible with EcoCheck. NDR accompanied the founders on a shopping trip and showed how the app displays the emissions of purchased groceries.

Watch

Media

Tagesschau: EcoCheck Report

A friend spotted an EcoCheck article in the Tagesschau app. Following last week’s NDR interview, several formats were produced — with more coverage coming soon.

Media

Consumer Advice Center: EcoCheck App Test

The consumer advice center tested EcoCheck and praised the app for transparently and consistently communicating climate protection and sustainability — while looking great, too.

Read

Media

Lübecker Nachrichten: EcoCheck and the Story Behind It

In the June 2/3 edition, the Lübecker Nachrichten published an exciting article about EcoCheck and the story behind it, featuring Ruben Hammele and Samira Huber.

Accelerator

Impact Hub Berlin: Sustainable Food Innovators

EcoCheck was featured as one of the Sustainable Food innovators in Impact Hub Berlin's Impact Accelerator, alongside startups advancing urban farming, upcycled food, and vertical farming.

Get ticket

Award

Startup Days Lübeck 2024: Impact Award

EcoCheck won the Impact Award at the StartUp Days Lübeck 2024 pitch competition, competing against innovative startups from across Schleswig-Holstein.

Media

Galileo: EcoCheck on TV

EcoCheck was featured on Galileo, presenting the project to a nationwide TV audience and sparking a wave of positive feedback and rising downloads.

Podcast

BNE Digital: Interview with Ruben Hammele

Students interviewed Ruben Hammele about the EcoCheck story for BNE Digital, resulting in a multimedia online article with a podcast episode.

Read & listen

Award

Sparkasse zu Lübeck Founder Prize 2023

EcoCheck won the Sparkasse zu Lübeck 2023 founder prize and its €10,000 award for making hidden emissions visible and helping consumers make more sustainable purchasing decisions.

Read

Partnership

Holiday Inn Lübeck x EcoCheck: CO₂-Labels on the Menu

Holiday Inn Lübeck and EcoCheck partnered to add CO₂ labels to every dish on the new “Kochwerk Lübeck” menu, giving guests transparent information to make more sustainable choices.

Media

Klartext für Start-ups: EcoCheck Interview

Samira Huber and Ruben Hammele talk about the challenges they overcame in their early startup journey in the GründerCube video series “Klartext für Start-ups”.

Watch

Funding

EcoCheck receives EXIST founder scholarship

EcoCheck will be supported over the next year by the EXIST founder scholarship. Thanks to GründerCube for the continuous support!

Panel talk

DiWoKiel: Silicon Valley x Start-ups

Samira Huber joined the DiWoKiel panel talk on “Silicon Valley x Start-ups: Accelerate your Success” — a great opportunity for networking and learning during Digital Week Kiel.

Accelerator

Impact Factory by Anthropia

EcoCheck spent five months in the Impact Factory in Duisburg, joining a strong community of startups focused on social and economic sustainability through coaching and team exchange. Now entering the Scale-Up phase.

Panel talk

Transatlantic Innovation Week 23: Kiel x San Francisco

Samira Huber joined a panel talk during the Transatlantic Innovation Week 23 organized by The Bay Areas e.V., discussing the transatlantic city partnership between Kiel and San Francisco and sharing insights from the recent Silicon Valley trip as winner of the Überflieger Prize.

Panel talk

Netlight Code Pub: Women in Tech

Samira Huber shared her experiences at Netlight’s Code Pub, a meet-up for women and non-binary people interested in IT, alongside Sophie-Catherine Ohlsen and Sandra Roggow.

Media

IHK Magazine: EcoCheck on the Cover

Samira Huber and Ruben Hammele are featured on the cover of the IHK magazine as one of the Lübeck startups from the GATEWAY49 program.

Award

Überflieger 2022: Trip to Silicon Valley

EcoCheck was selected as one of the Überflieger 2022 winners, earning an intensive week in Silicon Valley and San Francisco with investor meetings and networking.

Media

SWR3: Sustomer on the Radio

Samira Huber was interviewed by SWR3 about Sustomer (now EcoCheck), sharing how the startup helps people make environmentally friendly choices.

Media

Badische Neueste Nachrichten & Badisches Tagblatt: EcoCheck in the Newspaper

EcoCheck was featured in the Badische Neueste Nachrichten and Badisches Tagblatt, with a noticeable boost in downloads showing that print media still reaches many readers.

Award

Female StartAperitivo: Finalist

Samira Huber pitched EcoCheck at the Female StartAperitivo finale in Hamburg, celebrating a supportive community of female founders and connecting with investors.

Media

BUDNI Die Perle: EcoCheck in the Customer Magazine

EcoCheck (then Sustomer) is featured in the BUDNI customer magazine “Die Perle” on page 55, explaining how the app makes sustainable shopping easier and how the idea came about.

Accelerator

GATEWAY49: Batch 4 Winner

EcoCheck was selected as one of the winning teams for GATEWAY49 Batch 4 after a pitch marathon with 32 teams, joining the accelerator program at Technikzentrum Lübeck.