From Probability Theory to AI-Powered Football Predictions
Interview with Gerhard van Dijkhuizen (AM'93, PhD'98) by Diana Dalenoord (UT Alumni Officer).
Lees hier het interview in het Nederlands.
A Wonderful Time in Enschede
For Gerhard van Dijkhuizen (AM'93, PhD'98), studying Applied Mathematics at the University of Twente was about far more than attending lectures. He looks back on his student years with great fondness, remembering a time when academic life, sport and social activities went hand in hand.
Alongside his studies, he was actively involved with the Abacus study association, worked as a student assistant, and spent countless hours at v.v. Drienerlo, both on the football pitch and in the sports hall. Many of the friendships he made there remain strong to this day. Recently, he even reunited with several former classmates for a 45+ football tournament in Utrecht.
Choosing a Practical Career
After graduating, Gerhard continued his academic journey with a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Management. During his doctoral research, however, he realised that an academic career was not for him.
He knew he did not want to become a professor, nor was he interested in climbing the corporate ladder through successive management roles. For him, enjoying his work has always been the priority.
That decision eventually led him into industry, where he could apply his analytical skills to practical business challenges.
Fascinated by Uncertainty
Many of the concepts Gerhard learned during his studies still shape his work today. In particular, probability theory left a lasting impression. The combination of data, forecasting and uncertainty has been the common thread throughout his career.
His first role was at Wehkamp, where he worked in purchasing, inventory control and supply chain management. The challenge was to forecast demand months in advance and decide how much stock to order without knowing exactly what customers would buy.
Making informed predictions based on incomplete information is exactly what motivates him.
From Credit Risk to Data-Driven Decision-Making
After Wehkamp, Gerhard moved into the world of credit management and payment risk. At a debt collection company, he was responsible for risk analysis, portfolio valuation and product development.
In that role, he helped lay the foundations for the Acceptgirodienst, now known as Riverty (formerly AfterPay).
He later spent almost ten years at a data company, where he developed predictive models for fraud detection and payment risk. During this period, he further expanded his expertise in data analytics, risk management and business intelligence.
Football, Data, and AI
After many years working in data, Gerhard decided to start his own business. A few years later, this led to a unique assignment with PEC Zwolle, where he combined his passion for football and data as a freelance data engineer and analyst.
Working alongside Opta, he built a player-level database containing metrics such as passing accuracy, expected goals and other performance indicators. These insights were presented through dashboards and visualisations to support the club's technical staff in making informed decisions.
This project became the foundation for his work as an independent football data specialist under the name Matchematics.
Artificial intelligence now also plays an important role in his work. With a little help from AI, he developed his mathematical model to predict football matches and recently built his crypto trading bot.
Data-Driven Decisions
Today, Gerhard runs his own company, de3ds, which stands for data-driven decisions. He helps organisations unlock greater value from their own data, public datasets and external information sources.
His clients operate across a wide range of sectors, including financial services, e-commerce, sport and logistics. His work covers areas such as fraud detection, customer segmentation, risk management and business intelligence.
Advice for Today's Students
Gerhard has a clear message for current students: discover what you genuinely enjoy and build your career around it.
In his view, it is important not to focus solely on career prospects, but also on what gives you energy and satisfaction. He believes the job market offers abundant opportunities for Applied Mathematics graduates.
His own career illustrates just how diverse those opportunities can be. From inventory management and payment risk to football analytics and artificial intelligence, one challenge has remained constant throughout: understanding uncertainty and using data to make better decisions.
Winning the Dutch National Student Indoor Football Championships (NSK) with Felix Sangers (AM'94), Ivo Pothof (AM'95), and the brothers Gerhard (AM'93/PhD'98) and Johan (AM'94) van Dijkhuizen during their AM study.