𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐊𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐔𝐓

Last week, on March 13 2025, Professor Wouter Koolen officially began his tenure at the University of Twente with his inaugural lecture, strengthening UT’s expertise in machine learning and statistical theory. His research focuses on interactive learning systems, where statistical learning meets game theory.

At UT, he will further develop "Pure Exploration", a method of sequential hypothesis testing that speeds up learning by allowing systems to select their own experiments. His work contributes to fields such as optimisation, non-convex saddle-point problems, and robust statistical analysis.

In addition to his role at UT, Professor Koolen is a senior researcher in the Machine Learning group at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI). With an academic background spanning UvA, Royal Holloway, QUT Brisbane, UC Berkeley, and UC Santa Cruz, he brings a wealth of expertise to Twente.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗧 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆!

Photo: M. Slotboom

Dean EEMCS Prof. prof.dr.ir. B.R.H.M. Haverkort opening the Inaugural ceremony.

Photo: Charles Kuijper Fotografie

Photo: Charles Kuijper Fotografie

Photo: Charles Kuijper fotografie

Photo: Charles Kuijper fotografie

prof.dr.ir. B.R.H.M. Haverkort congratulates Prof.dr. W.M. Koolen after his in augural speech

This article can also be found in the LinkedIn post of the University of Twente.