PULSE-AI: Climate, AI & Global Health

Carl Zeiss Stiftung NEXUS Research Group

Global health is increasingly challenged by climate change, with countries in the Global South being particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of extreme heat. Such impacts can compromise health, cognitive performance, and work productivity, leading to heightened mortality rates in these populations.

The Carl Zeiss Stiftung NEXUS research group (PULSE-AI) is a cutting-edge research initiative focusing on the integration of artificial intelligence and graph databases in global health research. Its primary objective is to deepen our understanding of climate change's health implications on at-risk communities and devise strategies to address them.

Within the project, sensor-driven studies are established in existing health and demographic surveillance sites across Africa and Asia. This approach provides a granular view of individual heat exposure. The collected data is organized using graph databases and analyzed using AI techniques to pinpoint risk patterns and formulate targeted interventions.

Dr. Sandra Barteit has been awarded the Carl Zeiss Stiftung NEXUS award of 1.5 Million Euro to focus her research on the application of AI and digital technologies to improve global health, especially in the context of climate change. The research group was established in October 2023 and has a projected timeline of five years.