Christina Niklaus
Christina Niklaus
Assistenzprofessorin für Databases and Data Engineering
Büro 61-550
Rosenberstrasse 30
9000 St. Gallen
Natural Language Processing
Artificial Intelligence
Context-Aware Natural Language Generation
Computational Argumentation
Knowledge Extraction & Representation
Automatic Text Simplification
Argument Quality Assessment
Computational Writing Support
Responsible AI
Open Information Extraction
Sentence & Discourse Representation
Automatic Short Answer Grading
Natural Language Inference
- Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Passau, Germany (2022)
- M.Sc. in Computer Science, University of Passau, Germany (2016)
- B.Sc. in Applied Computer Science, University of Bamberg, Germany (2011)
- Database Systems (Bachelor Computer Science)
- Advanced Databases (Master Computer Science)
Conversational AI: Dialogue-based Adaptive Argumentative Writing Support (SNSF Basic Research, 2022-2026)
- Best Paper Award for "Argumentative Writing Software: Perceptions of Undergraduate Students toward Artist Prototype" (ECEI, 2024)
- Best Paper Nomination for "Computer Supported Argumentation Learning: Design of a Learning Scenario in Academic Writing by Means of a Conjecture Map" (CSEDU, 2023)
- Nominee for best German/Swiss/Austrian Computer Science Dissertation (GI-Dissertationspreis 2022)
- Winner of the delina innovation award in the category of "University" for the project "Improving the Argumentation Skills of Students through Machine Learning" (LEARNTEC, 2021)
- Honourable Mention Award for "AL: An Adaptive Learning Support System for Argumentation Skills" (CHI, 2020)
- Best Survey Paper for "A Survey on Open Information Extraction" (COLING, 2018)
I am passionate about developing AI systems that bridge the gap between complex information and human understanding, fostering accessibility, inclusivity, and trust. Central to this vision is the creation of intelligent systems that not only process and organize knowledge but also communicate it in a way that is ethical, user-centered, and actionable.
This vision is realized through the following interconnected areas of research:
- Knowledge Extraction and Representation: I focus on transforming unstructured data into a structured representation to support intelligent reasoning at scale.
- Context-Aware Natural Language Generation: I design adaptive systems that simplify complex information while ensuring fairness, inclusivity, and ethical integrity.
- Computational Argumentation: I work to improve the quality and accessibility of arguments, creating tools that empower critical thinking, informed decision-making, and effective communication.
More information: