Since 1 August 2021, Ricardo Büttner has been the new Chair of Information Systems & Data Science

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Büttner first studied computer science (Dipl.-Inf.) and industrial engineering (Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing.) at the Technical University of Ilmenau before starting his professional career at BMW AG in Munich. There he worked for a total of nine years in various management positions (project manager in BMW Group Controlling, product manager in BMW Group Marketing, strategy field manager in the BMW Research and Development Department) and most recently as head of the BMW Human Resources Policy and Strategy Department. During this time, Büttner studied business administration part-time at the University of Hagen (Dipl.-Kfm.) and earned his doctorate in business informatics (Dr. oec.) in the DFG Priority Programme 1083 at the University of Hohenheim in the field of artificial intelligence. He then accepted a professorship in business informatics at FOM University in Munich, and subsequently a W3 professorship in data science at Aalen University. During this time, Büttner habilitated in business informatics (Dr. oec. habil., venia legendi) at the University of Trier.

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Büttner’s team at the University of Bayreuth works in research, teaching, and practice on the industrial application of modern machine learning methods. Here, forward-looking research and practical projects converge at the interface with the material sciences, medicine, and the health sciences.

For example, industrial systems for the fully automated detection of material defects in products using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks are being (co-)developed at the research group. The products that can be non-destructively and reliably inspected with them range from bulk goods such as screws to high-quality surgical plasters, batteries for the automotive industry, and aircraft turbines for use in civil aviation. Imaging systems range from simple low-cost light cameras to three-dimensional computer tomographs.

In medicine and health sciences, the research group applies machine learning methods in expert systems, for example for decision support in the diagnosis of specific heart diseases, eye diseases and even in cancer detection.

Thanks to his many years of practical industrial experience, it is particularly important to Prof. Dr. Ricardo Büttner that his students receive excellent preparation for their respective industrial careers as well as for their research careers, and that they can later opt for according to their inclinations. That’s why Büttner makes sure that students in his courses experience relevant links to industrial application, and are involved in research being conducted at the research group at an early stage.