Our mission of the ELLIS Unit at ISTA is to advance excellence in machine learning research and graduate education, guided by foundational thinking and interdisciplinarity. Our unit emphasizes principled, mathematically rigorous approaches, while embracing curiosity-driven exploration rather than predetermined agendas. Situated within ISTA’s vibrant, world-class research environment, we thrive on collaborations across disciplines such as computer science, mathematics, neuroscience, physics, chemistry, and biology. As part of the ELLIS network, we contribute our expertise, facilities, and spirit of open exchange to strengthen Europe’s AI research community.