TT-Prof. Dr.  Maximilian Förster

TT-Prof. Dr. Maximilian Förster

  • Kaiserstraße 89
    76133 Karlsruhe

Activities

Maximilian Förster is Junior Professor and Head of the Research Group Information Systems IV – Digital Platform & Services at the Institute for Information Systems (WIN) since April 1, 2026.

His research focuses on reflective development, use, and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), including reflective methods in AI (e.g., Explainable AI, Uncertainty-aware AI), AI applications that create economic and societal value, and the challenge to equip individuals with the skills to thrive in the age of AI.

In his free time, Maximilian enjoys hiking in the Alps, being a youth soccer coach, and writing short stories.

Curriculum Vitae

Maximilian was born in 1993 in Wangen im Allgäu (Baden-Württemberg, Germany). He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Physics at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (2012–2015) and his Master’s degree in Physics &. Management at University of Ulm (2016–2018). He wrote his Master’s thesis at the School of Business and Social Sciences at Aarhus University in Denmark. During his studies he was a scholarship holder in the journalism support program of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

From May 2018 to November 2021, he worked as a research associate at the Institute of Business Analytics at University of Ulm. In November 2021, he earned his doctorate with a dissertation titled “Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Social Interaction – Contributions with a Focus on Social Media and Explainable Artificial Intelligence” (supervisor: Prof. Dr. Mathias Klier). From December 2021 to March 2026, Maximilian continued his work at the Institute of Business Analytics as a postdoctoral researcher, where he led a research group in the field of Explainable Artificial Intelligence.

Maximilian‘s research has received multiple awards, including the Südwestmetall Sponsorship Award, the UUG Doctoral Award, and recognition in the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs’ ideas competition“Gemeinsam wird es KI!”. Beyond, Maximilian won first prize at the interdisciplinary Science Slam of the Young Researchers’ Science Day and received the Teaching Award for innovative teaching concepts at the University of Ulm.

Publications


2025
Too old to find employment? A novel approach to leverage the power of digital peer groups for older unemployed
Broder, H. R.; Förster, M.; Klier, J.; Klier, M.; Sigler, I.
2025. Information Systems and e-Business Management, 23 (4), 999–1038. doi:10.1007/s10257-025-00708-3
Improving the use of public e-services through explainability
Fahr, M. C.; Förster, M.; Moestue, L.; Brasse, J.; Klier, J.; Klier, M.
2025. Journal of Business Economics, 95 (4), 553–586. doi:10.1007/s11573-024-01212-9
Tell me more, tell me more: the impact of explanations on learning from feedback provided by Artificial Intelligence
Förster, M.; Broder, H. R.; Fahr, M. C.; Klier, M.; Fink, L.
2025. European Journal of Information Systems, 34 (2), 323–345. doi:10.1080/0960085X.2024.2404028
Unlocking Empowerment: An Empirical Study on the Impact of Explainable AI in Mental Health Apps
Bottesch, S.; Terhorst, Y.; Förster, M.
2025. Proceedings of the 58th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences Hilton Waikoloa Village January 7-10, 2025, 1420–1429. doi:10.24251/HICSS.2025.171
A Taxonomy for Uncertainty-Aware Explainable AI
Förster, M.; Hagn, M.; Hambauer, N.; Jaki, P. K. V.; Obermeier, A. A.; Pinski, M.; Schauer, A.; Schiller, A.
2025. Proceedings of the 33rd European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2025), Association for Information Systems (AIS)
What’s Past is Prologue: A Novel Method to Explain AI-based Time Series Forecasts
Frost, L.; Förster, M.; Klier, M.
2025. Proceedings of the 33rd European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2025), Association for Information Systems (AIS)
Navigating the Rashomon Effect: How Personalization Can Help Adjust Interpretable Machine Learning Models to Individual Users
Rosenberger, J.; Schröppel, P.; Kruschel, S.; Kraus, M.; Zschech, P.; Förster, M.
2025. Proceedings of the 33rd European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2025), Association for Information Systems (AIS)
2024
KI-KIStLe - Einsatz von KI zur Steigerung des Lernerfolgs und der AI Literacy
Förster, M.; Frost, L.; Hofer, S.; Klier, M.; Obermeier, A.; Tille, C.; Zimmermann, S.; Züllig, K.
2024, June
Preparing for the future of work: a novel data-driven approach for the identification of future skills
Brasse, J.; Förster, M.; Hühn, P.; Klier, J.; Klier, M.; Moestue, L.
2024. Journal of Business Economics, 94 (3), 467–500. doi:10.1007/s11573-023-01169-1
Wasn’t Expecting that – Using Abnormality as a Key to Design a Novel User-Centric Explainable AI Method
Jahn, T.; Hühn, P.; Förster, M.
2024. Design Science Research for a Resilient Future – 19th International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology, DESRIST 2024, Trollhättan, Sweden, June 3–5, 2024, Proceedings. Ed.: M. Mandviwalla, 66–80, Springer Nature Switzerland. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-61175-9_5
Exploring XAI Users’ Needs: A Novel Approach to Personalize Explanations Using Contextual Bandits
Schröppel, P.; Förster, M.
2024. Proceedings of the 32nd European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2024), Association for Information Systems (AIS)
Building AI Literacy with Experiential Learning – Insights from a Field Experiment in K-12 Education
Förster, M.; Pitz, K.; Wrabel, A.; Klier, M.; Zimmermann, S.
2024. Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2024), Association for Information Systems (AIS)
Choose Wisely: Leveraging Explainable AI to Support Reflective Decision-Making
Förster, M.; Schröppel, P.; Schwenke, C.; Fink, L.; Klier, M.
2024. Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2024), Association for Information Systems (AIS)
START Foundation: Coping with Bias and Fairness when Implementing and Using an AI System
Schwenke, C.; Brasse, J.; Förster, M.; Klier, M.
2024. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 54, 1036–1047. doi:10.17705/1CAIS.05443
2023
Explainable artificial intelligence in information systems: A review of the status quo and future research directions
Brasse, J.; Broder, H. R.; Förster, M.; Klier, M.; Sigler, I.
2023. Electronic Markets, 33, Article no: 26. doi:10.1007/s12525-023-00644-5
Boosting Benefits, Offsetting Obstacles – The Impact of Explanations on AI Users’ Task Performance
Walter, M. C.; Broder, H. R.; Förster, M.
2023. Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2023), Association for Information Systems (AIS)
2022
Online-Chat ermöglicht Informationsaustausch und gegenseitige Unterstützung : Neue Wege bei Beratung und Arbeitsvermittlung durch Digitalisierung
Bähr, H.; Broder, H.; Dietz, M.; Förster, M.; Klier, M.
2022. Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Leveraging the Power of Peer Groups for Refugee Integration – A Randomized Field Experiment Comparing Online and Offline Peer Groups
Förster, M.; Klier, J.; Klier, M.; Schäfer-Siebert, K.; Sigler, I.
2022. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 64 (4), 441–457. doi:10.1007/s12599-021-00725-9
2021
Capturing Users’ Reality: A Novel Approach to Generate Coherent Counterfactual Explanations
Förster, M.; Hühn, P.; Klier, M.; Kluge, K.
2021. Proceedings of the 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 1274–1283, Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). doi:10.24251/HICSS.2021.155
Future Skills: Welche Kompetenzen für den Standort Baden-Württemberg heute und in Zukunft erfolgskritisch sind
Klier, M.; Heinrich, B.; Klier, J.; Brasse, J.; Förster, M.; Hühn, P.; Moestue, L.
2021. AgenturQ - Agentur zur Förderung der beruflichen Weiterbildung in der Metall- und Elektroindustrie Baden-Württemberg e.V
Same but Different – How Users Benefit in Online Peer Groups Depending on their User Role
Förster, M.
2021. Proceedings of the 29th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2021), Association for Information Systems (AIS)
2020
Evaluating Explainable Artificial Intelligence – What Users Really Appreciate
Förster, M.; Klier, M.; Kluge, K.; Sigler, I.
2020. Proceedings of the 28th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2020), Association for Information Systems (AIS)
Getting to the Heart of Groups – Analyzing Social Support and Sentiment in Online Peer Groups
Bedué, P.; Förster, M.; Klier, M.; Zepf, K.
2020. Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2020), Article no: 2181, Association for Information Systems (AIS)
Fostering Human Agency: A Process for the Design of User-Centric XAI Systems
Förster, M.; Klier, M.; Kluge, K.; Sigler, I.
2020. Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2020), Association for Information Systems (AIS)
2019
Online Peer Groups – A Design-Oriented Approach to Addressing the Unemployment of People with Complex Barriers
Felgenhauer, A.; Förster, M.; Kaufmann, K.; Klier, J.; Klier, M.
2019. Proceedings of the 27th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2019), Association for Information Systems (AIS)