From master studies and a thesis project to international publication

The close contact with teachers and researchers is one of the programme’s greatest strengths, says Anaïs de Graaf.

Image: Anais de Graaf

Anaïs de Graaf is a student alumni at the Master’s Programme in Artificial Intelligence. She moved from the Netherlands to Sweden for studies at Umeå University between 2022 and 2024. Anaïs describes the Master’s Programme in Artificial Intelligence as broad, adaptable and closely connected to real-world challenges. Throughout the courses, they often worked with students at other programmes and in collaboration with external organisations. The practical applications gave the students opportunities to connect AI methods to real-world challenges and societal needs.

"The programme approaches AI in a broad way, with a focus on responsible AI. I really liked it. I had a great time and I learned a lot during my studies" says Anaïs.

"This programme is a good fit for anyone who's interested responsible AI and other related topics, and who want to study in close collaboration with researchers. You get access to a lot of opportunities and freedom to do what you want."

"The teachers are great"

According to Anaïs, the close contact with teachers and researchers is one of the programme’s greatest strengths. Students can easily approach faculty members, discuss ideas and engage with ongoing research.

"The teachers are great. They are very knowledgeable about the subjects. And because the classes are usually really small, the teachers get to know all the students, which is also very nice. It makes it easier to talk to them."

Umeå as a study location also became an important part of the experience. Everything being within biking distance in the city, the proximity between students and staff, and the nature and calm atmosphere of northern Sweden created a study environment that Anaïs remembers fondly.

Continued collaboration and co-authoring a paper

Anaïs’ path into research began during the process of selecting her master’s thesis topic. Researchers presented ongoing projects and possible thesis directions, giving students insight into current research areas at the department.

"When I started my master thesis, the teachers and some other people that had thesis projects did short presentations. I thought the one from Loïs was really interesting, so I continued that topic."

The master thesis by Anaïs is titled “Off the Beaten Path: Modelling Path Uncertainty using Markov Decision Processes” and investigates how AI systems can account for the psychological uncertainty they can create for involved humans when making decisions. The AI system uses this information to adapt its decisions accordingly. For example, the system can select a slightly less efficient plan if it allows avoiding constant monitoring and adaptation as it is applied.

"I thought it was a really fun project, with different aspects of mathematics and psychology and then to bring it together with programming. Afterwards, Loïs contacted me as he wanted to turn it into a paper" says Anaïs.

She chose to be co-author of the paper due to a lot of other things going on at the time. Loïs and Anaïs continued the dialogue and collaborated to write the paper after Anaïs finished her studies, eventually resulting in it being accepted to ICAPS in 2026.

"Original and thorough"

“I was glad that Anaïs found the thesis proposal interesting. She did a very original and thorough thesis work. As I saw the potential in her results, I offered to continue and push her research further to the academic scene. We got the results a few weeks ago, she ended up co-authoring a paper in an A* conference (ICAPS), giving her for a first-class ticket to an academic future if she is interested. It makes me very happy for her and proud that our education programme manages to elevate our students to reach the research frontier.” explains Loïs.

For Anaïs, one of the most rewarding aspects was seeing that her thesis work continued to contribute to ongoing research. 

"I think it's really fun to see that what you did actually could contribute something to the research field and not just ‘write your thesis, be done with it, and never look at it again.’”

Looking ahead

After finishing her studies, Anaïs moved back to the Netherlands, where she works within software development while reflecting on her future direction. Although she currently works outside academia, she explains that she misses the research field.

"Right now I'm actually looking for what I want to do, and I’m thinking that maybe I want to go back to academia."

What continues to motivate her is the possibility of contributing to society through technology and research. Anaïs journey reflects the ambition of Umeå University’s Master’s Programme in Artificial Intelligence: to create a learning environment where education and research are closely integrated, where students can develop both theoretical and practical skills, and where curiosity and initiative can lead all the way to the international research frontier.