Interview with Prof. Dr. Michael Schneider
Could you briefly introduce yourself?
Prof. Schneider: I joined RWTH Aachen University as Head of the Deutsche Post Chair – Optimization of Distribution Networks in 2016. Prior to that, I held positions at several universities in Germany, but I really wanted to join RWTH Aachen University as the leading center of excellence for research and teaching on the interface of management and data and optimization technology. I really could not have made a better decision!
How does your research blend into your teaching?
Prof. Schneider: I am doing a lot of research on solving real-world optimization problems in collaboration with companies, among them Deutsche Post DHL Group, Volkswagen AG, or PTV group. Examples include transportation as well as network planning for these companies. The fascinating thing about these projects is that saving some small percentage of operating costs results in huge monetary savings due to the sheer size of the networks operated by these companies or their customers. Clearly, the methods and insights gained find a prominent place in my teaching activities.
You are the academic director of the DDS program: What is your view on the program?
Prof. Schneider: The M.Sc. DDS is the ideal program for ambitious STEM graduates that are already technical experts in their field and want to become leaders at the interface of management, data analytics and optimization. The combination of data science and operations research in one program is highly sought after by the industry, but we are one of only very few universities world-wide that offer a dedicated program fostering this skill set.
You want to know more about our M.Sc. Data Analytics and Decision Science (DDS) at Germany’s leading technical University RWTH Aachen? Please follow this link.
Prof. Dr. Michael Schneider
Deutsche Post Chair
of Optimization
of Distribution Networks;
academic director
of the DDS program
