Niklas Paulig
Machine Learning Researcher & Engineer
Professional Experience
Research Associate
Aug 2021 - Feb 2026Dresden University of Technology
Chair of Econometrics and Statistics, esp. in Transportation
- Research cooperation with Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW)
- Development of a Reinforcement Learning-based traffic simulator for the Lower and Middle Rhine
- Teaching: "Statistical Programming Languages" & more..."
Founding Engineer & CTO
Mar 2025 - Nov 2025NEST Mobility GmbH
- Design & development of early digital infrastructure, from zero to seed.
Research Associate
GWT - TUD GmbH
- Consulting on AI-based evaluation of imaging sensors for aviation applications.
Working Student
Jan 2020 - Mar 2021TIER Operation GmbH & Co. KG
- Operations Manager
Working Student
Sep 2016 - Sep 2017foodora GmbH
- Hub Manager
Publications
May 15, 2025
2-Level Reinforcement Learning for Ships on Inland Waterways: Path Planning and Following
Expert Systems with Applications, Volume 274
Martin Waltz, Niklas Paulig, Ostap Okhrin
DOI: 10.1016/j.eswa.2025.126933 →Nov 15, 2024
An open-source framework for data-driven trajectory extraction from AIS data - The α-method
Ocean Engineering, Volume 312, Part 2
Niklas Paulig, Ostap Okhrin
DOI: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2024.119092 →Apr 15, 2024
Robust path following on rivers using bootstrapped reinforcement learning
Ocean Engineering, Volume 298
Niklas Paulig, Ostap Okhrin
DOI: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2024.117207 →Conferences
7th International Conference on Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships
ICMASS 2025, Hamburg • Speaker
BRIDGE to AFRICA - 1er Congress
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria • Speaker
5th International Conference on Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships
ICMASS 2023, Rotterdam • Speaker
Conference on Reinforcement Learning
Dresden • Organizer
Helmholtz AI Conference 2022
Dresden • Speaker
Education
May 2021 - Nov 2025
Ph.D. Dr. rer. pol.
(Defense pending)
Dresden University of Technology
Towards Autonomous Inland Shipping: Reinforcement Learning-Based Control with Data-Driven Validation Schemes
Oct 2018 - May 2021
Economics, M.Sc.
Dresden University of Technology
Focus: Financial Economics, Global Markets, Econometrics
Oct 2014 - Aug 2018
Business Administration and Economics B.Sc.
Dresden University of Technology
Focus: Environmental Management, Energy Economics
Sep 2006 - Aug 2014
Abitur
Graf-Münster Gymnasium Bayreuth
Technical Skills
Programming
ML & Data Science
Data Engineering
Infrastructure
Domain Knowledge
Languages
Activities
Dec 2014 - Sep 2016
AIESEC Dresden
Team Leader Talent Management
2019 - 2021
nms e.V Dresden
Board Member