Published on 27.05.2025
Helmholtz Imaging Newsletter Issue No. 21
Dear Imaging Enthusiast,
The Helmholtz Imaging community continues to grow, connect, and innovate. In this edition, we invite you to join us in Potsdam for the Helmholtz Imaging Conference 2025, cast your vote in the Best Scientific Image Contest, and explore new opportunities through our Project Call 2025.
You’ll also find exciting updates from across the network: new tools and AI-driven projects, community workshops, award highlights, and more.
Here’s what’s inside this issue:
- Helmholtz Imaging Conference 2025: Registration and poster abstract submission are open until June 1! Join us.
- Best Scientific Image Contest 2025: Vote now and help decide this year’s Public Choice Award winner.
- Helmholtz Imaging Project Call 2025: Submit your proposal by July 30 & join our second in-formation session on July 17.
- Image Data Integrity: Learn why image prevalidation is essential for reproducible science.
- UTILE Success Story: AI-driven tools are accelerating clean energy materials research.
- Award Spotlight: Congratulations to Tim Roith, recipient of the Dr.-Klaus-Körper Prize.
- CytoData 2025: Image-Based Profiling in Focus: Join the community in Berlin-Buch this November.
- HMC Conference Recap: Highlights from the first in-person Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration event in Cologne.
- AI for Science: Key takeaways from the HFMI–ELLIS Workshop on foundation models in re-search.
- Incubator Workshop at DESY: A look back at this spring’s cross-platform exchange, and a farewell to Helmholtz President Prof Dr Otmar Wiestler.
- Meet Us: Catch Helmholtz Imaging team members at scientific events, including our Helmholtz Imaging Conference and the Helmholtz AI Conference in June.
- Partner Updates: Discover the latest from HIDA, HIFIS, and HMC.
- Opportunities: Explore new funding calls, recent publications and job postings.
We hope this issue sparks new ideas, collaborations, and conversations. As always, feel free to share your imaging-related news and events with us at katharina.kriegel@helmholtz-imaging.de.
Happy reading!
Your Helmholtz Imaging team
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Helmholtz Imaging Conference 2025: Registration & Poster Abstracts Still Open!
Join us in Potsdam, June 25–27, for three exciting days of imaging science with keynotes by Robert Haase, Laura Waller, and Manuel Guizar-Sicairos. Expect lively discussions, posters and unconference session, and plenty of networking!
Registration and poster abstract submission are open until June 1. Abstract submission for talks is now closed.
• Explore the program: all talks are now published online.
• Register now.
• Submit your poster abstract.
• Submit your topic for our “Bring your own imaging challenge”.
• Host or attend a pre-conference workshop (June 25, 9:00–12:00 CET).
Let’s shape the future of imaging together. We look forward to seeing you in Potsdam.
Cast Your Vote: Best Scientific Image Contest 2025
Public voting is open for the Helmholtz Imaging Best Scientific Image Contest 2025! Explore 95 stunning entries that highlight the diversity and creativity of imaging across the Helmholtz Association, and help decide who wins this year’s Public Choice Award.
Vote until May 30, 2025Winners will be announced at the Helmholtz Imaging Conference (June 25–27 in Potsdam).
Dive into the images and cast your vote now and help us spread the word. Every vote counts!
Helmholtz Imaging Project Call 2025 – Now Open
IThe Helmholtz Imaging Project Call 2025 is now open to all employees working at Helmholtz Centers. This is a great opportunity to submit bold, interdisciplinary project ideas at the interface of imaging and data science. This year, Helmholtz Imaging offers additional funding for reusable, cross-domain imaging solutions that are scalable, well-documented, user-friendly, and FAIR4RS-compliant.
To learn more about the call and application process, join our second virtual information session on Thursday, July 17, 2025 (10:00–11:30 CEST).
Looking for collaborators? Explore matchmaking opportunities at the Helmholtz Imaging Conference (June 25–27 in Potsdam) and connect with the community on Mattermost.
We look forward to seeing you at one of our events, and to your proposals.
Why Does Image Data Integrity Matter?
At the Helmholtz Reproducibility Workshop, our Engineering & Support Unit at the Max Delbrück Center explored a key question for modern research: how can we ensure that our image data is reliable before we analyze it?
Their answer: image prevalidation, a crucial yet often overlooked step that can significantly improve reproducibility and strengthen open science practices across disciplines.
Learn how prevalidation helps researchers detect issues early, avoid wasted effort, and build trust in their data.
Read the full story and interview with Ella Bahry, Research Software Scientist at Helmholtz Imaging
UTILE: AI-driven Image Analysis for Clean Energy Technologies
How can we accelerate breakthroughs in hydrogen, battery, and materials research? The Helmholtz Imaging project UTILE is answering that question with a powerful combination of deep learning, software solutions, a cloud-based platform, and cross-institute collaboration. From automating image analysis to enabling real-time collaboration via the ViMiLabs cloud platform, UTILE empowers researchers to focus on innovation instead of infrastructure.
Discover how UTILE is making imaging science faster, smarter, and more open.
Tim Roith receives Dr.-Klaus-Körper Prize
Congratulations to Tim Roith from our Research Unit at DESY, who was awarded the Dr.-Klaus-Körper Prize by GAMM on April 7, 2025, for his outstanding dissertation “Consistency, Robustness and Sparsity for Learning Algorithms.”
Tim’s work advances modern machine learning by establish-ing a solid mathematical framework for the reliability and robustness of learning algorithms and by developing methods to train efficient, compressed neural networks. The award was presented at the GAMM Annual Meeting in Poznań, Poland, and honors exceptional PhD research in applied mathematics and mechanics.
CytoData 2025: Image-Based Profiling in Focus
Join CytoData 2025, November 17–21 at Campus Berlin-Buch! The event kicks off with a hackathon (November 17–19), followed by the symposium (November 20–21), bringing together researchers interested in image-based profiling of biological phenotypes.
Topics include assay development, image analysis, and application of image-based profiling. Con-firmed speakers: Fabian Theis, Carolina Wählby, Shantanu Singh, and more.
Helmholtz Imaging at HMC’s First In-Person Conference
From May 12–14, Helmholtz Imaging joined the first in-person Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration (HMC) Conference in Cologne, contributing to vibrant discussions on FAIR-compliant metadata, imaging data generators, and scientific image databank requirements, lively exchanges at our booth on HMC’s impact on imaging. Highlights included keynotes by Simon Hodson and Till Korten. The conference wrapped up with a scenic Rhine river cruise, offering space to reflect and connect.
AI for Science: Helmholtz Imaging at the HFMI-ELLIS Workshop
On March 18–19, 2025, the HFMI-ELLIS Workshop in Berlin brought together leading voices in AI and science, from Helmholtz Centers to ETH Zurich, Meta, and Microsoft. Hosted with support from Helmholtz Imaging, the event focused on the potential of large language models (LLMs), multi-modal AI, and recent advancements in AI model development.
Helmholtz Imaging contributed actively through welcoming remarks, a scientific presentation, ses-sion chairing, and community engagement. A follow-up HFMI Community Meeting built seamlessly on the momentum established during the HFMI-ELLIS workshop, creating a productive atmosphere for in-depth exchanges and collaborative planning.
Helmholtz Imaging plays a central role in HFMI, co-leading the Synergy Unit and contributing to the pilot projects The Human Radiome Project and AqQua.
HFMI is now on LinkedIn! Visit their profile.
Read more about this workshop on our website
Spring Edition of the Helmholtz Incubator Workshop at DESY
On April 14–15, 2025, the Helmholtz Incubator Workshop brought together researchers and plat-form leaders at DESY for two days of dynamic exchange in Information & Data Science. As the five Helmholtz Information and Data Science (HIDS) platforms move toward institutionalization, discus-sions focused on future data hubs, new funding instruments, and revitalizing the Incubator spirit.
A special moment marked the farewell of Prof Dr Otmar D. Wiestler, attending his final workshop as Helmholtz President. His vision and leadership in launching the HIDS platforms have shaped digi-tal science at Helmholtz and beyond.
Meet Helmholtz Imaging
Say hello to Helmholtz Imaging team members at the following events:
- Say hi at our 5th Helmholtz Imaging Conference on June 25-27 in Potsdam. Looking forward to seeing many of you there! Registration and call for posters is open until June 1.
- Meet Philipp Heuser, Engin Eren & Hans Werners from our Engineering and Support Unit DESY at the Helmholtz AI Conference in Karlsruhe as they unveil the Helmholtz Model Zoo for the very first time, a new resource for sharing and reusing AI models in Helmholtz. Join the journey and come to the “Helmholtz Model Zoo” session during the unconference on June 2, at 15:00-16:30, or talk to us at the Helmholtz Imaging booth (space #4) in the coffee breaks.
- Say hello to Dasha Trofimova from our Engineering and Support Unit DKFZ, who will give a tutorial on “Guided Evaluation of Adaptation Strategies” at the Prologue Day during the Helmholtz AI Conference on Monday, June 2, 10:30-12:00.
- Say hello to Thomas Roßberg from our Engineering and Support Unit MDC who will join the Living Planet Symposium in Vienna from June 23-25, 2025.
News from our Partner Platforms
HIFIS
Helmholtz Cloud Survey: Results are In!
We asked, you answered: 1,648 Helmholtz researchers shared their thoughts on future services for the Helmholtz Cloud. Curious about the results? Check if you agree with the top wishes and let us know if you have other ideas.
Image: Screenshot of a video from GLORIA@HEMERA large stratospheric balloon campaign
HIDA
Lecture: LLMs in Healthcare
How are clinical language models transforming healthcare? Using Norwegian models like NorDeClin-BERT and NorBERT as case studies, this lecture explores real-world applications, key challenges, and emerging AI trends. Join us on June 12 to discover how ethical, innovative LLMs are shaping the future of medical AI.
HMC
FAIR Friday Lectures: FAIR Data Insights – Join HMC FAIR Friday!
Get involved in the world of FAIR data with HMC FAIR Friday! The seminar series brings together national and international experts to share insights on metadata and open science.
Funding Opportunities & Awards
Helmholtz Benchmark Projects – Call UNLOCK 2025: Submit your project to initiate a community of practice for benchmarking. The deadline for applications is May 30, 2025.
ScienceServe – Boosting Research Software at Helmholtz: Submit your project that drives innovation, promotes exchange between developers and scientists, and fosters good prac-tices in the field of research software. Deadline for submissions: June 30.
DFG funding for Methods in Artificial Intelligence: The DFG invites highly qualified research-ers in early career phases in the field of Artificial Intelligence to submit proposals. Deadline for submissions: June 11.
DFG funding for the development of data corpora for training artificial intelligence: The DFG invites proposals for projects aimed at preparing and providing data as a foundation for the development or advancement of AI in research. Deadline for submissions: July 30.
External events
- 10th Data Science Symposium 2025: Building bridges between methods, applications and infrastructure: September 3-4, 2025, Geesthacht. Abstract submission is open now until June 13.
- Ultrafast X-ray Summer School UXSS-2025: June 30-July 3, 2025, Paul-Scherrer-Institute (Switzerland). Registration is possible until June 1.
- Forum Wissenschaftskommunikation: Topic: Algorithms, Platforms, and AI: Science Communication in the Digital Age. December 3-4, 2025, Stuttgart.
- 16th XTOP Biennial Conference on High-Resolution X-Ray Diffraction and Imaging: September 21-25, 2026, Karlsruhe.
Do you know of any imaging-related events that could be of interest to our imaging community? We’d love to hear from you. Share the details with us at Katharina.Kriegel@helmholtz-imaging.de.
New publications
Deep learning segmentation of soil constituents in 3D X-ray CT images by Maxime Phalempin, Lars Krämer, Maik Geers-Lucas, Fabian Isensee, Steffen Schlüter
Learning a Sparse Representation of Barron Functions with the Inverse Scale Space Flow by Tjeerd Jan Heeringa, Tim Roith, Christoph Brune and Martin Burger
Discover all publications by Helmholtz Imaging
Job openings
AWI
Postdoc “Interferometric SAR Data Processing and Analysis for Implementation in the 3D-ABC Foundation Model”
FZ Jülich
Postdoc for Quantum Computing – Algorithms, Benchmarking and Simulations
GFZ
Postdoctoral researcher – Machine Learning and Numerical Analysis in Space Physics
Helmholtz Munich
Postdoc positions in Computational Health