Symposium:
Systems Optimization for Sustainable Resources Utilization
22-24 September, 2026
AIMS Research and Innovation Centre | Kigali, Rwanda
About the Symposium
The increasing complexity of energy, water, agricultural, and mobility systems requires innovative approaches for managing resources efficiently, reliably, and sustainably. Climate variability, uncertain demand patterns, growing urbanization, and increasingly interconnected infrastructures present challenges that cannot be addressed through conventional methods alone.
The symposium provides an international platform for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, industry representatives, postgraduate students, and early-career researchers to exchange ideas and discuss recent advances at the intersection of mathematical optimization, systems and control engineering, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and sustainable resource management.
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Speakers
Prof. Patrick Mäder
Univ.-Prof. Patrick Mäder is Professor and Head of the Group of Data-intensive Systems and Visualization at the Department of Computer Science and Automation at Technische Universität Ilmenau. His research focuses on topics in secure and reliable software; scalable, multi-modal, and explainable machine learning; and computational biology and ecology.
After completing his studies and doctoral research at TU Ilmenau, he contributed to numerous national and international research projects in software engineering and artificial intelligence. His work combines fundamental research with practical applications, including the award-winning Flora Incognita project for AI-based plant identification.
Prof. Thomas Rauschenbach
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Thomas Rauschenbach is Head of the Fraunhofer IOSB-AST (Advanced System Technology) branch in Ilmenau and Honorary Professor for Modeling, Prediction, and Diagnosis of Technical Systems at Technische Universität Ilmenau. His research focuses on control and systems engineering, time series analysis, predictive modeling, and intelligent technologies for complex technical systems.
With more than 19 years of experience at Fraunhofer IOSB, Prof. Rauschenbach has contributed to numerous research and innovation projects in areas including water management, autonomous systems, and critical infrastructures. His interdisciplinary work combines scientific methods with practical applications to develop reliable and sustainable technologies. He is also Associate Professor at Hohai University, Nanjing, China, and actively supports international research collaboration in systems engineering and applied artificial intelligence.
“A central theme of the symposium is optimization and decision-making under uncertainty, including
stochastic and robust optimization, Chance-Constrained Optimization (CCOPT), Model Predictive
Control (MPC), data-driven optimization, and AI-assisted decision-making. These methodologies
provide powerful tools for designing adaptive, resilient, and efficient systems capable of operating
under uncertain and dynamic conditions. The symposium welcomes contributions addressing
theoretical developments, computational methods, experimental validation, and innovative
interdisciplinary applications in areas including sustainable energy systems, water resources
management, intelligent agrifood systems, autonomous and cyber-physical systems, smart mobility,
and sustainable logistics.”
Event Details
The Conference is non-residential and delegates
are requested to make their own accommodation arrangements.
Find all the information you need for your travels to Rwanda.
Contact Us
Thank you for your interest in the Symposium on Systems Optimization for Sustainable Resources Utilization
Please email your queries to iconference@aims.ac.rw.
We’ll route your request to the most appropriate person. You should receive a response within 48 hours.
English