Oliver Thomas

Prof. Dr. Oliver Thomas serves as Head of the Information Management and Business Informatics department within the Department of Economics at the University of Osnabrück. He maintains a dual affiliation with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), where he leads the Smart Enterprise Engineering research group. His academic work bridges theoretical foundations with practical business applications through numerous industry collaborations.

Thomas's research spans multiple interconnected domains focused on information systems, including enterprise architecture management, process management, and information modeling. His recent work increasingly incorporates artificial intelligence applications, particularly examining how generative AI can enhance creativity and how digital tools can address educational equity issues through inclusive MOOCs. He also investigates critical issues of consumer data sovereignty in digital ecosystems and the development of trustworthy AI applications for small and medium enterprises.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward practical AI implementations with social impact, particularly in education and consumer protection domains. Thomas has published multiple high-impact papers in 2025 addressing stereotype threat mitigation through MOOCs, generative AI for creativity enhancement, and consumer data sovereignty tools.

As an educator, Thomas supervises numerous bachelor's and master's theses, with recent disputation appointments for students Daniel Stattkus and Marian Eleks. His department offers collaborative thesis opportunities with companies through the DFKI research group, providing students with real-world experience in information systems development.

Thomas leads several significant research initiatives including ZIRU (Circularity Navigator development), CRAI (trustworthy AI for SMEs), YouCodeGirls (AI platform for girls), NiKo (SME cooperation platform), and COMET (consumer empowerment in smart living), demonstrating his commitment to translating research into practical applications.