Lambert Schomaker

Prof. dr. Lambert Schomaker is a Full Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Groningen, leading the Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Engineering (ALICE) institute within the Faculty of Science and Engineering. His work spans perceptual intelligence, machine learning, and neuromorphic computing, with significant contributions to handwriting recognition, robotics, and historical document analysis.

• Affiliations: Bernoulli Institute, CogniGron (Cognitive Systems & Materials), and Data Science & Systems Complexity (DSSC) centers.
• Education: M.Sc. (1983) and Ph.D. (1991) in Psychophysiology/Psychology from Nijmegen University.

Research Interests: AI, pattern recognition, neural networks, autonomous systems, and applications in cultural heritage (e.g., the MONK system for handwritten archive indexing). He has pioneered handwriting recognition methods used in modern devices like tablets and led the 30MEuro Target project for large-scale data mining.

Grants & Projects: Includes NWO-funded initiatives (e.g., Catch, TriGraph) and EU projects (MANTIS, MANIC). Current focus areas include neuromorphic computing with electronic materials and AI-driven analysis of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

• Awards: IBM Faculty Awards (2011, 2012), IAPR Best Paper Award (2012), Ching Yee Suen Special Award (2012).

Advising: Supervised over 20 PhD students in AI, robotics, and document analysis. Active in industry collaborations (e.g., HP, Microsoft).

Labs/Teams: Director of ALICE, contributor to CogniGron, and leader of the MONK system team. Current research includes neuromorphic hardware development and AI applications in maintenance systems.