Thomas A. Runkler

Thomas A. Runkler is an Adjunct Professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), holding a Chair in the Foundations of Software Reliability and Theoretical Computer Science within the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology. Since 1999, he has taught computer science at TUM while concurrently serving in various expert and managerial roles at Siemens AG, where he currently holds the position of Senior Principal Research Scientist.

His academic journey includes a Master’s and PhD in electrical engineering from TU Darmstadt (1992/1995), followed by postdoctoral research at the University of West Florida (1996–1997). Runkler’s research spans machine learning, data analytics, fuzzy systems, and optimization. He has authored/co-authored over 200 publications, focusing on topics like clustering algorithms, neural networks, and decision-making frameworks.

Professional contributions include leadership roles in organizations such as the IEEE CIS committees and the German Association for Computer Science’s Fuzzy Systems group. His teaching includes courses on Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery. Key publications include foundational works on fuzzy preference structures, Bayesian decomposition of dynamical systems, and interpretable reinforcement learning policies.

Runkler’s work bridges academia and industry, emphasizing practical applications in automation, recommendation systems, and industrial procurement forecasting. His research often addresses challenges in uncertainty handling, algorithm design, and scalable data analysis.