Team

Hala Attig is an engineer focused on machine learning applications. She is particularly interested in using NLP and data analysis to make information more accessible. Before joining DW as an Innovation Manager, Hala worked as a software developer and R&D project manager for other media companies.

Ipek Baris Schlicht is a computer scientist and innovation manager with both university and industry research experience in AI. A lot of her work is about using technology to facilitate fact-checking processes. In general, she loves to derive meaningful questions (and answers) from social data. Next to her work for DW, Ipek is pursuing her Ph.D. on early detection of fake news and hatespeech in the health domain.

Julia Bayer is an investigative journalist who dives deep online using OSINT. As a ReCo innovation manager, Julia is involved in a number of verification projects. She also trains journalists in OSINT techniques and digital verification.

Ruben Bouwmeester brings concept development skills, profound graphical expertise, and an urgent drive to get things done. He has a background in project management, concept development, and design, holding a B.A. from The Hague University. As a ReCo innovation manager, Ruben specializes in UGC, verification, and HLT. He also trains journalists at DW Akademie.

Andy Giefer is a ReCo innovation manager in love with good design and new technology. He creates smart, artistic applications and has a background in telecommunications engineering. Before joining DW, Andy worked for the BBC’s R&D department.

Birgit Gray specialises in future media and their impact on content providers and creators. She explores emerging technologies, market and content developments as well as innovation and transformation approaches. As a strategic consultant to European media companies, Birgit can look back at more than 15 years of professional work in London and Berlin. She has an industry background in broadcasting and holds a Master’s in communication and business studies.

Nico Heise‘s focus is on interdependencies between social media and news. At DW ReCo, he has also specialized in drones. Nico is a former media industry top executive, holds a PhD in European law, and has worked as a media lawyer for more than 15 years. He teaches as a Professor for Media Law in Potsdam.

A web developer at DW ReCo, Hina Imran is crazy about Linux and likes to work with angular.js and react.js. With great passion, she develops data-driven web applications such as dashboards, maps, and charts. Hina was also involved in the development of Datawrapper.

Lynn Khellaf is a data scientist with a background in AI. They have a passion for smart applications, computer vision, neural network design, and making sense of complex data systems. In the past, Lynn has mainly worked at universities and is now happy to apply their skills in the domain of disinformation detection and other projects here at DW.

As innovation manager at DW Lab, Marie Kilg has found her dream job at the intersection of product management and journalism. Passionate about words and machines, she has birthed bots for media companies and universities, helped create the German personality for Amazon’s Alexa, and co-founded the Turing Agency (which aims to encourage conversations about AI in society). In her free time, Marie enjoys reading, live music and practicing martial arts.

Tim Koch has worked with the DW ReCo team since the early days. He has extensive knowledge in fundraising and the management of EC co-funded projects. Tim holds a diploma in mineralogy, which makes him the steady rock in the surf of innovation.

Eva Lopez is an innovation manager at DW ReCO and also part of DW’s data journalism team. She’s fascinated by numbers – and a news junky, absorbing what’s going in the analogue and digital world. No wonder she decided to go for an interdisciplinary education that allowed her to dive in to the world of natural sciences, analytics, and journalism. Eva holds a Master’s degree in data journalism from Tilburg University.

Mirko Lorenz is a hands-on journalist with software development skills. For the last 15 years, he has worked on technologies for newsrooms. In the international DDJ community, he is best known for launching the acclaimed chart creation tool Datawrapper. Mirko is also a co-author of the Data Journalism Handbook. Before joining DW, he worked for a variety of media companies in Germany and the US.

Kay Macquarrie is an innovation manager for DW ReCO and holds a Master’s in multimedia production. He is very much into archives — and unlocking their power with state-of-the-art digital technologies.

Tilman Miraß is a full-stack developer and innovation manager for the ReCo team. Combining hands-on experience in web technology with an academic background in political science is at the core of his approach. Before joining Deutsche Welle, Tilman was a freelancer (and volunteer) for a number of social, cultural, and political projects.

A prolific creator of concepts and tools, Nico Patz has carried out research projects for ages. His focus is usually on topics like e-learning, interactive media, collaboration, and inclusive user experiences. Nico’s M.A. in English literature and History of Arts goes back to his passion for storytelling, his skills in AV production originate from more than three decades in the performing arts. Prior to his job at DW innovation, Nico worked for public service broadcaster rbb and TU Berlin.

Alexander Plaum is an online editor, concept creator, and media consultant with a keen interest in IT, pop culture, and politics. Before joining DW ReCo as an innovation manager, Alex worked for several other organizations in the media, tech and education business. Ages ago, he also obtained an M.A. in literature studies, sociology, and political science.

Axel Primavesi is a journalist. He has worked for DW for more than a decade, putting a focus on adventurous reporting in recent years. As much as adventure, Axel loves innovation. At ReCo, he gives projects a journalistic reality check and brings his storytelling skills to the table.

As the head of DW’s ReCo team, Wilfried Runde is responsible for the overall planning and coordination of projects and budgets – and always striving to improve journalism’s creative toolset. Wilfried worked as an information specialist, freelance print and TV journalist, and online editor before joining DW. In his leisure time, he loves to “spin a tune”.

Anna Schild is an innovation manager for DW ReCo and holds a degree in media and communication studies. She believes in the power of verification with OSINT. Anna is always eager to manage projects that translate research into practical tools: for journalists, human rights activists, and everyone else who needs to verify information.

As a senior editor, reporter and producer, Ksenia Skriptchenko has developed and managed very successful social media formats for DW. As an innovation manager, she focuses on extended reality (XR) and human language technology (HLT) projects, aiming to enhance user experiences and drive innovation within the journalism ecosystem. Ksenia holds a diploma in industrial engineering and management from TU Berlin.

Jochen Spangenberg is the deputy head of DW’s ReCo team. He has been involved in dozens of R&D projects for DW in various capacities since 2003. Previous to that, Jochen worked for the BBC in London and had an exciting time in the new (media) economy at the turn of the century. His passions are (digital) journalism, verification, media literacy, and human rights issues. Jochen also lectures at Freie Universität Berlin.

Daniela Späth is a project manager at DW Lab – and a DW-trained reporter, video journalist, and social media editor. She loves to experiment with new platforms, technologies, and code. Prior to joining DW, Daniela freelanced for SPIEGEL Online and Gruner + Jahr. Daniela is a fellow of MIZ, DAAD, FCP, and a graduate of the Erasmus Mundus Master’s in Journalism, Media and Globalisation.

Olivia Stracke is a journalist, literary scholar (B.A.), and Master's student of cultural anthropology. She's very much into immersive media and joined DW Innovation to support the team's XR projects. Olivia has studied in Hamburg, Nantes, and London – and freelanced for a number of renowned German media including UNI SPIEGEL, DIE ZEIT, and NDR.

Peggy van der Kreeft joined DW EU projects even before the innovation team was formed. She is a brick in the wall when it comes to language, thesauri and user validation. In her leisure time she teaches French and English.

Tilman Wagner is an explorer of the deep sea of internet data – and an innovation manager at DW ReCo. He is always on the lookout for treasures like new tools, gems of information visualization, best usability practices and audiovisual jewels. With a diploma in media technology and a Master’s in international media studies, he combines tech savviness with a sound knowledge of the media landscape and current trends.