Dear Students,

As of April 1, I will be transitioning to the Technical University of Munich, Heilbronn Campus, where I will take on the professorship for "Advanced Analytics in Manufacturing Management." This marks the conclusion of my five-year tenure in Passau.

I would like to sincerely thank you for your trust, the inspiring discussions, and our collaborative projects. It has been a great pleasure to work with you in both teaching and research. Together, we have accomplished a great deal over these five years.

We offered practice-oriented courses in the field of Operations Management, as well as methodologically sound courses on Mathematical Optimization and Advanced Data Analytics. In collaboration with Prof. Haupt, PD Dr. Schnurbus, and Prof. Totzek, we developed the innovative and tailored master's course "Fundamentals of Business Analytics." Together with Prof. Sauer (FIM), we conducted an interdisciplinary seminar closely tied to several regional and international companies (“Passau’s Companies Improved,” PNP, 07.03.2024).

To date, three theses supervised at our chair have received awards, including one that won the prestigious GOR e.V. Prize (https://www.gor-ev.de/auszeichnungen-der-gor/bachelorpreis-der-gor). This prize is a significant honor in the field of Operations Research, awarded each year to approximately ten students from the DACH countries. This year, one of these awards goes to a graduate of the University of Passau — an outstanding achievement!

Through our colloquia and seminars, we have consistently sought to involve especially motivated students in conferences and company visits. Additionally, we have hosted numerous practice-oriented lectures and courses, delivered by companies (including MCP GmbH, OptWare GmbH, Rohde & Schwarz, ZF) and guest researchers (including Prof. Gendreau, Polytechnique Montréal, Canada; Prof. Mohan, IIT Madras, India; Prof. Rebaine, University of Quebec at Chicoutimi, Canada; Prof. Vigo, University of Bologna, Italy).

None of this would have been possible without your interest and dedication!

A special thanks goes to the current and former staff members of the chair, who played a central role in teaching and administrative tasks: Amir Hosseini, Andrei Nevskii, Ayse Karabayir, Catherine Lorenz, Luis Rocha, Maya Marten, Mohammad Khaki, and Susanne Fritsch!

Teaching and student interests have always been our top priority. Therefore, we are currently working with our program director and academic coordinators to ensure smooth and attractive transitional solutions for the curriculum. Among other things, we are striving to organize a solution for the outstanding repeat exams. The teaching this semester, including exams and supervision, will remain unchanged.

I wish you continued success in your studies, especially in the upcoming exam period!

With warm regards,

Alena Otto