Dirk Schnelle Walka
About Dirk Schnelle Walka
Dirk Schnelle Walka is a Research Scientist specializing in Multimodal System Architecture at Modality.AI and a Program Product Owner at HARMAN International. He has authored over 60 publications and has extensive experience in speech technology and interactive systems.
Work at Modality.AI
Dirk Schnelle Walka has been employed at Modality.AI as a Research Scientist in Multimodal System Architecture since 2019. His role involves developing and enhancing systems that integrate multiple modes of interaction, particularly in the context of speech technology. Located in Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Rheinland-Pfalz, Deutschland, he has contributed to various projects that leverage his expertise in multimodal systems.
Current Role at HARMAN International
Since 2021, Dirk Schnelle Walka has held the position of Program Product Owner Audio at HARMAN International. In this role, he focuses on audio product development and management, ensuring that projects align with market needs and technological advancements. His work is based in Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg, Deutschland.
Education and Expertise
Dirk Schnelle Walka earned his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Science from Technische Universität Darmstadt, where he studied from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he completed his Dipl.-Inf. Univ. in Computer Science at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg from 1990 to 1995. His educational background provides a strong foundation for his extensive work in speech technology and system architecture.
Professional Background
Dirk Schnelle Walka has a diverse professional background in speech technology and system architecture. He has worked at Harman/Becker Automotive Systems as Team Lead Speech from 2015 to 2022 and at Telekooperation (TU-Darmstadt) as Area Head from 2008 to 2014. His experience also includes roles at Siemens, S1nn GmbH & Co. KG, and Devoteam GmbH, where he contributed to various projects in speech dialog systems and solution architecture.
Contributions to Open Source and Standards
Dirk Schnelle Walka heads several open source projects related to speech technology, including the open source voice browser JVoiceXML. He chairs the EICS Workshop on Engineering Interactive Systems with SCXML and leads efforts in the W3C Voice Interaction Community Group to standardize intelligent personal assistants. His involvement in these initiatives highlights his commitment to advancing the field of speech technology.