About me

I am a Data Science Freelancer and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bonn, working at the intersection of statistical machine learning and large language models (LLMs). My research spans efficient model deployment, robust machine learning for domain-specific tasks, and practical data analytic workflows. I bring experience from both academic research and industry collaborations, supporting data-driven decision-making in complex environments through principled model design and evaluation.

I obtained my doctorate in natural sciences (Dr. rer nat.) from RWTH Aachen University, where my work focused on quantitative analysis methods and data-driven modeling. Prior to my current academic appointment, I have collaborated on projects involving automated data processing, visualization, and machine learning system design for scientific and industrial applications. Alongside my research role, I work as an independent data science consultant supporting interdisciplinary teams in extracting meaningful insights from complex datasets.

Research Interests

• Efficient and Scalable Machine Learning: Methods for model compression and quantization to enable large models to run on commodity hardware without prohibitive computational requirements.
• Large Language Models (LLMs): Evaluation and optimization of LLM behavior for practical NLP tasks such as named entity recognition in specialised domains like law.
• Robust Data Analysis: Statistical and computational strategies for analyzing high-variance scientific data, including medical and biological measurements.

Highlighted Publications

• Generalizing Abstention for Noise-Robust Learning in Medical Image Segmentation W Moustafa, H Elsafty, H Schneider, L Sparrenberg, R Sifa arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.14039, 2026. Accepted at MIDL 2026.

• From Retinal Pixels to Patients: Evolution of Deep Learning Research in Diabetic Retinopathy Screening M Chopra, L Sparrenberg, A Berger, S Khanna, JH Terheyden, R Sifa arXiv preprint arXiv:2511.11065, 2025. Accepted at BigData 2025.

• How Small Can You Go? Compact Language Models for On-Device Critical Error Detection in Machine Translation M Chopra, L Sparrenberg, S Khanna, R Sifa arXiv preprint arXiv:2511.09748, 2025. Accepted at ECIR 2026.

• SynCED-EnDe 2025: A Synthetic and Curated English-German Dataset for Critical Error Detection in Machine Translation M Chopra, L Sparrenberg, R Sifa arXiv preprint arXiv:2510.05144, 2025. Accepted at ECIR 2026.

• Cognitive Fingerprinting of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Subtypes via Artificial Intelligence-Driven Virtual Reality U Yilmaz, C Karadeniz, B Demirkaya, L Sparrenberg, D Toraman, K Yagmurlu, T Hasoglu, C Yuksel, R Sifa, O Albayram AI in Neuroscience 1 (4), 149-157, 2025.

• A survey on current trends and recent advances in text anonymization T Deußer, L Sparrenberg, A Berger, M Hahnbück, C Bauckhage, R Sifa 2025 IEEE 12th International Conference on Data Science and Advanced Analytics (DSAA), 2025.

• Correcting systematic bias in LLM-generated dialogues using big five personality traits L Sparrenberg, T Schneider, T Deußer, M Koppenborg, R Sifa 2024 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (BigData), 3061-3069, 2024.

• Fusing speech and language models for dementia detection T Deußer, AM Siddiqi, L Sparrenberg, T Adams, C Bauckhage, R Sifa 2024 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (BigData), 3908-3914, 2024.

• A comparative study of large language models for named entity recognition in the legal domain T Deußer, C Zhao, L Sparrenberg, D Uedelhoven, A Berger, M Pielka, L Hillebrand, C Bauckhage, R Sifa 2024 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (BigData), 4737-4742, 2024

• Leveraging large language models for few-shot kpi extraction from financial reports T Deußer, C Zhao, D Uedelhoven, L Sparrenberg, L Hillebrand, C Bauckhage, R Sifa 2024 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (BigData), 4864-4868, 2024.

• The Mean Single Molecule Rate (mSMR) in the Analysis of Fluorescence Fluctuations: Measurements on DNA Mixtures of Defined Composition L Sparrenberg, B Greiner, H Mathis Journal of Fluorescence 31 (6), 1883-1894, 2021

• Bleaching Correction for DNA Measurements in Highly Diluted Solutions Using Confocal Microscopy
  L Sparrenberg, B Greiner, H Mathis
  Plos one 15 (7), e0231918, 2020.

Contact Details

If you would like to get in contact, write an Email to sparrenberg[at]bit.uni-bonn.de. You can also visit me at the University of Bonn (Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology) for collaborations or student supervision.