GI Dissertation Prize for Dr. Bo Xiong

For his outstanding dissertation at the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at the University of Stuttgart, Dr. Bo Xiong has been awarded the joint dissertation prize of the Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), the Austrian Computer Society (OCG) and the Swiss Informatics Society (SI).

Complex life science data structures, knowledge graphs, and ontologies pose major challenges for AI. Traditional methods quickly reach their limits when logical or relational patterns such as symmetry, hierarchies, and negation have to be taken into account. In his dissertation Geometric Relational Embeddings, which was submitted to the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at the University of Stuttgart, Dr. Bo Xiong develops novel geometric models that map symbolic data structures onto algebraic and geometric representations. This makes it possible to greatly improve the precision of machine inferences and enhance relational learning for a wide range of applications from knowledge modeling to answering logical queries. For this outstanding research achievement, he has been awarded the GI Dissertation Prize, which is awarded jointly by the Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), the Austrian Computer Society (OCG), and the Swiss Informatics Society (SI).

“Dr. Xiong’s dissertation impressively demonstrates how theoretically grounded concepts of geometry and logic can expand the capabilities of machine learning. His work combines sophisticated knowledge modeling with practical implementation and opens up new perspectives for dealing with complex data and knowledge structures,” says Christine Regitz, President of the GI.

The award ceremony will take place as part of INFORMATIK 2025, the annual conference of the German Informatics Society, on September 18, 2025 in Potsdam. Xiong will connect digitally from the United States, where he is currently conducting research at Stanford University in California.

About the dissertation prize of GI, SI, and OCG
The joint dissertation prize awarded by the Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), the Austrian Computer Society (OCG), and the Swiss Informatics Society (SI) recognizes outstanding work by early-career researchers. The aim is to make important scientific advances visible to the public and to promote the transfer of knowledge from universities to technology, business, and society. All universities in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with the right to award doctorates in computer science are eligible to nominate candidates.