Kira Koch is an IMPRS-IS Doctoral Researcher in the Robotic Materials Department and Robotic Composites and Compositions Group at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. Her research focuses on programmable mechanical behaviour through jamming and HASEL actuation of active material systems. Before beginning her Ph.D., Kira earned her Masters in Mathematical Physics from the University of Edinburgh. She has experience working in South Africa, England, The Netherlands, Scotland, and Germany, including research and development in immersive technologies, and university teaching.