Hi Hossam! What are you up to in Germany?

What does your internship involve?

"I am working as a data science intern, focusing mainly on computer vision and machine learning. My work includes preparing datasets, training and evaluating models, testing architectures and improving the performance of AI systems used in real industrial applications."

Besides the work, really enjoying the Erasmus experience itself

"Besides the work, really enjoying the Erasmus experience itself. Living in Germany has allowed me to meet people from all over the world, and I have visited more than ten cities in under six months."

How did you find your placement, and how does it connect to your studies at DSV?

"Finding the placement took around five months. I was accepted for opportunities in several countries, but chose Germany because this position matched my future goals most closely."

The placement ties in very well with my master’s programme at DSV

"The placement ties in very well with my master’s programme at DSV because I am working directly with topics related to data science, machine learning and applied AI. Instead of only learning about AI methods in theory, I now work with real datasets, train and evaluate models, and see how AI systems are improved and used in in practical applications."

Which parts of the AI for Health programme have been most useful?

"The curriculum matches the professional work very closely. What I am doing during my internship is strongly connected to what we learned in the programme, especially in areas such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, deep learning, data preparation, model training and model evaluation.”

“I have also used topics covered in our reinforcement learning courses as well as concepts from explainable AI. These topics helped me better understand not only how models perform, but also how their decisions can be interpreted.”

This experience taught me what it means to work professionally with AI

What will you take back that you couldn't have gained through studies alone?

"Practical experience, above all. Studying gives you the foundation, but working in a company teaches you how things actually happen in real projects: communication, deadlines, teamwork and adapting when something does not work as expected. I also gained confidence in applying my skills independently. This experience taught me what it means to work professionally with AI, not only from a technical perspective but also from a human and organisational one," concludes Hossam Shahin.

Text: Carina Bergholm