News

Professorship in AI for "Data-driven Dynamic Optimization and Control"

Thursday, 19th November, 2020

The Department of Mathematics appreciates the approval of a professorship in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bayreuth for the reseach field "Data-driven dynamic optimization and control". The University of Bayreuth receives in total 3 out of 50 new professorships in Artificial Intelligence (AI) as it was announced in Munich at the today's press meeting of Bernd Sibler, the Minister of Science in Bavaria. The university considers the establishment of the professorships as a milestone for the strategic progression in a central emerging field of research.

The principal investigator for the AI professorship in dynamic optimization and control is Prof. Dr. Anton Schiela (Chair of Applied Mathematics).

The three professorships in AI are the following:

"AI in physical-chemical analytics of materials"

in cooperation with "Efficient analysis of big time-dependent data pools with focus on the analytics of materials",
integrated in the profile fields "Polymer and Colloid Science", "Advanced Materials" sowie "Energy Research and Energy Technology"

"Data-driven Dynamic Optimization and Control"

linked with "Resource Aware Artificial Intelligence for Future Technologies",
planned cooperation with the energy research at the University of Bayreuth, especially with the Bavarian Center for Battery Technology (BayBatt)

"Smart Energy Management"

integrated in the focus area "Energy Research and Energy Technology" of the University of Bayreuth,
in close cooperation with the Zentrum für Energietechnik (ZET=Centre for Energy Technology), the Bavarian Center for Battery Technology (BayBatt) and the Fraunhofer FIT Project Group "Wirtschaftsinformatik" [Information Systems]

The Vice President of the University of Bayreuth for the area Digitalization and Innovation, Prof. Dr. Torsten Eymann, commentates on the decision of the Bavarian State Government, "Articial Intelligence turns out to be a central motor of innovation for the 21st century in an increasing extent.". He adds, "Our new professorships in AI are an important boost for the innovative dynamics at the University of Bayreuth. They will draw a line with their priorities in research from a theoretical coined basic research to technological applications of AI in natural sciences. Thus, they include a great potential for common research and development activities with existing companies but they will also initiate the forming of startups which we deliberately promote in Bayreuth."

The new professorship is settled on the boundary of mathematics, computer science and robotics. The aim is to connect technics of machine learning with methods of optimal control and automatic control so that they can also be used in mobile systems. There will be numerous fields of application for the results in this research, e.g., in the development of autonomous vehicles, the deployment of roboters in medicine and efficient green technologies (CleanTech).

Therefore, the cooperation to the energy research at the University of Bayreuth is also planned, especially with the Bavarian Center for Battery Technology (BayBatt). Furthermore, the professorship is part of the network of new professorships in AI in which the Technical University of Munich and the Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt [Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt] are participating.

You may find detailed descriptions of professorships in AI [de] here:

• in the press release "competition in AI: 50 new professorships with focus on artifical intelligence for Bavarian universities " of the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts (no. 119 from 15/05/2020)
• and in the press release "University of Bayreuth is awarded three new professorships for artificial intelligence" of the University (no. 077/2020 from 15/05/2020).