Prof. Dr. Klaus Dieter Schwarz

Research Focus
My research centres on the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity, with
three interconnected strands: (1) advanced zero-shot and multimodal classification ar-
chitectures for real-time intelligence applications; (2) application and software security,
including penetration testing, firmware analysis, and IoT security; and (3) automation of
Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) for large-scale data analysis in disaster management,
defence, and operational security contexts. I also maintain an active research interest
in automotive mechatronics, autonomous systems, and sensor fusion, grounded in my
professional background as a certified Automotive Mechatronics Technician.
Current Research Projects
• ODET — Open-Source Intelligence Disaster Event Tracker
Principal investigator and architect of a modular, real-time intelligence platform that
processes thousands of social media data streams to generate automated situa-
tional awareness reports for disaster management and operational security. ODET
employs a multi-agent pipeline combining text embedding, community-based cluster-
ing, zero-shot classification, knowledge graph construction, and retrieval-augmented
generation (RAG). Evaluated on Hurricane Harvey and the 2023 Turkey earthquake
case studies, achieving AlignScore of up to 0.89 against reference sources. Berkeley
Protocol compliant for privacy-preserving OSINT. Funded through EU Horizon 2020
(REMESH, Grant No. 823759). Platform now maintained and extended by a successor
doctoral researcher.
DR. KLAUS DIETER SCHWARZ — ACADEMIC CV — PAGE 3 OF 11
• Zero-Shot Multimodal Crisis Classification
Extension of the ODET framework to multimodal (text + image) classification using
vision-language models in a training-free, zero-shot configuration. Achieved F1 scores
of 0.84 for informativeness detection across 18,082 multimodal samples from seven
natural disaster types, with consistent cross-disaster generalisation (standard devia-
tion < 0.031). Demonstrates immediate deployability without task-specific training
data — directly relevant to time-critical emergency response.
• AI-Based Currency Prediction (AUD/USD)
Research programme supervising 15 students exploring AI-based trading strategies,
quantitative finance applications, and predictive modelling for foreign exchange
markets using machine learning and deep learning architectures.
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
[1] D. Hagen, K. Schwarz, R. M. Creutzburg, and D. V. Gaeva, “Ai-based tools for efficient
event network communication: Transformation and potentials,” in Multimodal Image
Exploitation and Learning 2025, SPIE, vol. 13457, 2025, pp. 119–127.
[2] S. Islam, K. Schwarz, K. Bollens, M. Hartmann, and R. Creutzburg, “A review of cyber
security and challenges associated with microgrid systems,” Electronic Imaging,
vol. 37, pp. 1–10, 2025.
[3] S. Islam, K. Schwarz, M. Hartmann, and R. Creutzburg, “The role of energy man-
agement systems in addressing microgrid challenges,” Electronic Imaging, vol. 37,
pp. 1–7, 2025.
[4] K. D. Schwarz, “Towards an open source intelligence and machine learning-based
platform for automation in disaster management situational awareness reporting,”
Ph.D. dissertation, Universidad de Granada, 2025.
[5] K. D. Schwarz, R. Creutzburg, F. Schwarz, and K. Bollens, “Multimodal zero-shot
classification for ai applications in cybersecurity,” in Multimodal Image Exploitation
and Learning 2025, SPIE, vol. 13457, 2025, pp. 49–67.
[6] S. Mhatre, F. Schwarz, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Osint-based email investiga-
tion,” Electronic Imaging, vol. 36, pp. 1–17, 2024.
[7] K. Schwarz, K. Bollens, D. Arias Aranda, and M. Hartmann, “Ai-enhanced disaster
management: A modular osint system for rapid automated reporting,” Applied
Sciences, vol. 14, no. 23, p. 11 165, Nov. 2024, ISSN: 2076-3417. DOI: 10.3390/
app142311165. url: dx.doi.org/10.3390/app142311165.
[8] K. Schwarz, R. Creutzburg, M. Hartmann, and D. Arias-Aranda, “Harnessing osint
in disaster management: Transforming microblogging posts into insightful data
through text embeddings,” in International Conference on Theoretical and Applied
Computing, Springer Nature Singapore Singapore, 2024, pp. 195–213.
[9] K. Schwarz, F. Schwarz, K. Brandis, and R. Creutzburg, “Ai-based cybersecurity
management consulting–a new disruptive technology for the future,” Electronic
Imaging, vol. 36, pp. 1–6, 2024.
[10] K. Arudpiragasam, T. R. K. K. Kannuri, K. Schwarz, M. Hartmann, and R. Creutzburg,
“Improvement of vehicles accident detection using object tracking with u-net,”
Electronic Imaging, vol. 35, pp. 1–10, 2023.
[11] K. Arudpiragasam, T. R. K. K. Kannuri, K. Schwarz, M. Hartmann, and R. Creutzburg,
“Real-time pedestrian detection using radar-camera fusion and clustering,” in Mul-
timodal Image Exploitation and Learning 2023, SPIE, vol. 12526, 2023, pp. 89–
103.
DR. KLAUS DIETER SCHWARZ — ACADEMIC CV — PAGE 4 OF 11
[12] T. R. K. K. Kannuri, K. Arudpiragasam, K. Schwarz, M. Hartmann, and R. Creutzburg,
“Generative adversarial networks (gans) and object tracking (ot) for vehicle accident
detection,” Electronic Imaging, vol. 35, pp. 1–12, 2023.
[13] N. Mansoor, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Importance of osint/socmint for modern
disaster management evaluation-australia, haiti, japan,” Electronic Imaging, vol. 35,
pp. 1–14, 2023.
[14] P. K. Narasimhan, C. Bhosale, M. H. Pervez, et al., “Open-source intelligence (osint)
investigation in facebook,” Electronic Imaging, vol. 35, pp. 1–12, 2023.
[15] K. Schwarz, D. A. Aranda, and M. Hartmann, “Towards automated situational aware-
ness reporting for disaster management—a case study,” Sustainability, vol. 15,
no. 10, p. 7968, 2023.
[16] A. Sklyar, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Practical osint investigation in twitter
utilizing ai-based aggressiveness analysis,” Electronic Imaging, vol. 35, pp. 1–15,
2023.
[17] S. K. Swamy, K. Schwarz, M. Hartmann, and R. Creutzburg, “Rgb and ir imagery
fusion for autonomous driving,” in Multimodal Image Exploitation and Learning
2023, SPIE, vol. 12526, 2023, pp. 165–173.
[18] V. Vishnevskaya, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Practical osint investigation-
similarity calculation using reddit user profile data,” Electronic Imaging, vol. 35,
pp. 1–10, 2023.
[19] K. A. Kannuri, T. R. K. Kanth, K. Schwarz, M. Hartmann, and R. M. Creutzburg,
“Multimodal realtime pedestrian detection using radar-camera fusion with clustering,”
in Multimodal Image Exploitation and Learning 2022, SPIE, 2022, PC1210005.
[20] F. Schwarz, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Autonomous self-driving vehicles-
design of professional laboratory exercises in the field of automotive mechatronics,”
Electronic Imaging, vol. 34, pp. 1–7, 2022.
[21] F. Schwarz, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Improving detection of manipulated
passport photos-training course for border control inspectors to detect morphed
facial passport photos-part ii: Training course materials,” Electronic Imaging, vol. 34,
pp. 1–8, 2022.
[22] M. Richter, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Conception and implementation of
professional laboratory exercises in the field of ics/scada security part ii: Red teaming
and blue teaming,” Electronic imaging, vol. 33, pp. 1–13, 2021.
[23] M. Richter, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Conception and implementation of pro-
fessional laboratory exercises in the field of ics/scada security-part i: Fundamentals,”
Electronic imaging, vol. 33, pp. 1–13, 2021.
[24] F. Schwarz, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Improving detection of manipulated
passport photos-training course for border control inspectors to detect morphed
facial passport photos-part i: Introduction, state-of-the-art and preparatory tests
and experiments,” Electronic Imaging, vol. 33, pp. 1–9, 2021.
[25] F. Schwarz, K. Schwarz, D. Fuchs, R. Creutzburg, and D. Akopian, “Firmware vul-
nerability analysis of widely used low-budget tp-link routers,” Electronic Imaging,
vol. 33, pp. 1–11, 2021.
[26] K. Schwarz and R. Creutzburg, “Design of professional laboratory exercises for effec-
tive state-of-the-art osint investigation tools-part 1: Riskiq passive-total,” Electronic
imaging, vol. 33, pp. 1–7, 2021.
DR. KLAUS DIETER SCHWARZ — ACADEMIC CV — PAGE 5 OF 11
[27] K. Schwarz and R. Creutzburg, “Design of professional laboratory exercises for effec-
tive state-of-the-art osint investigation tools-part 3: Maltego,” Electronic Imaging,
vol. 33, pp. 1–23, 2021.
[28] K. Schwarz and R. Creutzburg, “Design of professional laboratory exercises for effec-
tive state-ofthe-art osint investigation tools-part 2: Censys,” in Proceed. Electronic
Imaging Symposium, 2021, pp. 2470–1173.
[29] F. Schwarz, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Conception of a secure remote mainte-
nance procedure using dedicated hardware,” Electronic Imaging, vol. 32, pp. 1–7,
2020.
[30] F. Schwarz, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “New methodology and checklist of wi-fi
connected and app-controlled iot-based consumer market smart home devices,”
Electronic Imaging, vol. 32, pp. 1–15, 2020.
[31] F. Schwarz, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Security and privacy investigation of
wi-fi connected and app-controlled iot-based consumer market smart light bulbs,”
Electronic Imaging, vol. 32, pp. 1–11, 2020.
[32] K. Schwarz, “Conception and implementation of professional laboratory exercises in
the field of open source intelligence (osint) for use in english and german training
market for security authorities,” M.S. thesis, Master Thesis, Technische Hochschule
Brandenburg, Department of Computing . . ., 2020.
[33] K. Schwarz, F. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Conception and implementation of
professional laboratory exercises in the field of open source intelligence (osint),”
Electronic Imaging, vol. 32, pp. 1–10, 2020.
[34] B. Yüksel, K. Schwarz, and R. Creutzburg, “Ai-based anomaly detection for cyberat-
tacks on windows systems-creation of a prototype for automated monitoring of the
process environment,” Electronic Imaging, vol. 32, pp. 1–13, 2020.
SIGNIFICANT DISTINCTIONS AND AWARDS
• 2025 – Multimodal Image Exploitation and Learning Best Paper Award; SPIE Defense
& Commercial Sensing; “Multimodal zero-shot classification for AI applications in
cybersecurity (13457-28)”
• 2022 – Scholarship: Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Türkiye
• 2022 – Best Paper Award: IS&T MOBMU Cybersecurity Conference
• 2021 – Full Scholarship: University of Texas at San Antonio
• 2021 – Research Stipend: University of Texas at San Antonio
RESEARCH GRANTS AND FUNDING
• EU Horizon Europe — VALOR-Ai (Proposal No. 101294826, pending decision)
“A European Framework for AI-Supported Knowledge Valorisation.” Horizon Europe
Coordination and Support Action (CSA), Call HORIZON-CL4-2025-01. 36-month project
with 8 partners across 8 countries (Latvia, Germany, Portugal, Lithuania, Bulgaria,
Slovenia, Italy, North Macedonia). Total budget €2M; SRH allocation €212,500 (20
person-months). Role: Category A researcher and SRH work package lead (WP2:
Conceptual Framework and Requirements Analysis). Submitted September 2025.
• EU Horizon 2020 — REMESH (Grant No. 823759)
External research funding from Universidad de Granada and the European Union’s
DR. KLAUS DIETER SCHWARZ — ACADEMIC CV — PAGE 6 OF 11
Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme supporting the development of
the ODET platform for AI-enhanced disaster management.
• EU ERASMUS MUNDUS — CyberMACS (Project No. 101082683)
European Union co-funded programme in Cybersecurity, Mathematics, and Computer
Science connecting universities across Europe. Supported research on multimodal
zero-shot crisis classification and invited guest lectures at Kadir Has University (Istan-
bul) and Ss. Cyril and Methodius University (Ohrid). cybermacs.eu
• Programme Development — B.Sc. Applied Mechatronic Systems (2021–2025)
Independently conceived, funded, developed, and accredited a full undergraduate
engineering programme at SRH University of Applied Sciences Heidelberg, taught
entirely in English. This programme grew to become one of the institution’s largest
offerings.
INVITED LECTURES AND CONFERENCE ACTIVITY
Invited Lectures
• Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, International Applied Cybersecurity
Conference, Ohrid, North Macedonia (2025)
• Kadir Has University, CyberMACS Winter School, Istanbul, Türkiye (2025)
• Kadir Has University, CyberMACS Summer School, Istanbul, Türkiye (2024)
• Guest lecture on introductory robotics at Lindenschule Elementary School, Jüterbog,
Germany (2023)
SERVICE, LEADERSHIP, AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
• Founding Lead, IEEE Saxony Section (in progress) — Initiating the IEEE regional
chapter for Saxony, Germany, leading a team of students through the founding process
to support networking and professional development for engineers and researchers
in AI and cybersecurity
• Programme Accreditation Lead — Led the full accreditation process for the B.Sc.
Applied Mechatronic Systems programme at SRH University of Applied Sciences
Heidelberg, including curriculum design, regulatory compliance, and quality assurance
documentation
• Industry Outreach and Collaboration — Maintained consulting relationships and
industry partnerships bridging academic research with enterprise application in AI
and cybersecurity
• Community Engagement — Delivered robotics outreach lecture to elementary
school students (Lindenschule, Jüterbog, 2023), promoting STEM engagement
• ERASMUS MUNDUS CyberMACS — Invited guest lecturer and research contributor
within the EU-funded CyberMACS programme (Project No. 101082683); delivered
cybersecurity workshops at partner institutions in Türkiye and North Macedonia (see
Research Grants and Invited Lectures)
Professional Memberships
• IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
DR. KLAUS DIETER SCHWARZ — ACADEMIC CV — PAGE 7 OF 11
THESIS SUPERVISION
Over 160 graduate and undergraduate theses supervised as first or second supervisor
since 2015. Selected examples below grouped by research domain.
Cybersecurity and OSINT
• “Cyber Security Investigation of Consumer Market Surveillance Camera” (MSc, Com-
puter Science — Cyber Security)
• “IoT-Hacking with Shodan — Investigation of the Possibilities, Potentials, and Risks in
Modern Infrastructure” (MSc, Computer Science — Cyber Security)
• “Towards Better Penetration Testing and Evaluation with Open-source Intelligence”
(MSc, Computer Science — Cyber Security)
• “OSINT Investigation with Social Analyzer” (MSc, Computer Science — Cyber Security)
• “Comparison between Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Procedures in Germany
and USA with Focus on Energy Sector” (MSc, Computer Science)
• “Towards Secure Containerisation Considering NIST800-190 and OWASP Docker Top-10”
(MSc, Computer Science — Cyber Security)
• “Machine Learning in System Event Classification for Agriculture” (MSc, Computer
Science — Cyber Security)
Automotive, Autonomous Systems, and Sensor Fusion
• “Autonomous Real-Time Defect Detection System” (MSc, Engineering and Sustainable
Technology Management)
• “Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and Object Tracking (OT) for Vehicle Accident
Detection” (MSc, Engineering and Sustainable Technology Management)
• “Sensor Fusion in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems — Obstacle Detection from
Dashcams for Autonomous Braking” (MSc, Engineering and Sustainable Technology
Management)
• “Impact of Autonomous Safety Features on Mobility Devices for Cerebral Palsy Patients”
(MSc, Engineering and Sustainable Technology Management)
• “Improvement of Vehicle Accident Detection using Object