Benjamin Tag
Germany
CAREER Enrolled in April 2012; Completed master’s degree in March 2014 /
Enrolled in April 2014; Completed doctoral degree in March 2019
After some time in industry, and then at universities, I decided to join a master’s program that focusses on real world applications and collaboration. I had long been interested in politics, emerging technologies, and media, and finally wanted to take the leap to work with decision-makers on progressing our society. My love for punk-rock and politics brought me to contact Prof. Nakamura, who supported my application to KMD. KMD truly taught me the importance of self-directed learning, working, and networking. It is an incredibly well-connected, international school, which had significant impact on my career. I can only recommend every student at KMD to take advantage of that! Through KMD’s networks, I met people with whom I am still working today, some hired me after my Ph.D., and others have introduced me to exciting new research fields.
I am currently working as a Research Fellow in Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Melbourne in Australia, which was only possible through contacts I made at KMD. Interestingly, through the KMD network I also became a startup founder and gained invaluable real-world experiences, e.g., from working with companies or the City of Yokohama, while developing practical skill such as in cinematography.
(This article was written in March 2022.)