GPT-Lab names Tomas Herda to lead new Industrial Advisory Board

The new board aims to strengthen collaboration between AI research and real-world applications.

GPT-Lab, part of Tampere University, has announced the creation of an Industrial Advisory Board to strengthen collaboration between research and industry. The announcement was made in a LinkedIn post, confirming that Tomas Herda will serve as Chairman of the board.

GPT-Lab focuses on generative AI research and development, working across areas including applied AI, prompt engineering, and human–AI collaboration. The new board is intended to act as a strategic forum connecting academic research with industrial needs.

According to GPT-Lab, the Industrial Advisory Board will “serve as a strategic forum to align GPT-Lab’s AI research with industry needs, foster collaboration, and guide the lab’s direction toward practical innovation.” The board will include representatives from industry partners and aims to support research translation into scalable, applied technologies.

Herda, who is Agile Coach at the AI Center of Excellence within Group IT at Austrian Post, specializes in integrating generative AI and agile practices within software engineering. He also leads the AI and Agile conference initiative and contributes to R&D on multi-agent AI systems.

In addition to his role at Austrian Post, Herda is the author of Prompting Blueprints, an open-source playbook on GitHub that includes reusable prompt patterns, AI tool tutorials, and practical guides. He recently served as Workshop Chair for AI and Agile Software Development: From Frustration to Success at XP2025.

GPT-Lab said the appointment reflects its goal of developing “stronger industry connections and advancing human–AI collaboration.”

They added: “To strengthen our industrial impact and bridge research with real-world applications, GPT-Lab is forming an Industrial Advisory Board. The board will help steer our collaboration with industry, ensuring our AI research translates into practical innovation and value.”

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