Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering
Research institutes

Department of Advanced Computing Sciences

The Department of Advanced Computing Sciences - sometimes abbreviated as DACS - is Maastricht University’s largest and oldest department broadly covering the fields of artificial intelligence, data science, computer science, mathematics and robotics.

We maintain a large network of public and private partners through our research collaborations and through the award-winning KE@Work programme. In addition, our staff teaches approximately 900 bachelor’s and master’s students in specialized study programmes in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science.

The Department of Advanced Computing Sciences is the new joint identity of the Institute of Data Science (IDS) and the former Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering (DKE).

Research

Research at the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences spans the disciplines and interfaces of artificial intelligence, data science, computer science, applied mathematics and robotics.

We develop new tools and methodologies to advance these fields. At the same time, we collaborate with a wide range of institutes both within and outside of Maastricht University and work on diverse applications, including in the fields of health and medicine, logistics, biology, art, physics, agrifood, smart industries, neuroscience and education.

We also offer an exchange programme for students looking to study abroad.

News

  • On 09 November, Maastricht University hosted the Dutch Day on Optimisation. At this one-day workshop speakers from Amsterdam, Twente and Brussels presented some of the latest research in this exciting field.

  • Nikola Prianikov came from Kyiv to study Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Maastricht. He talks about how UM’s Foundation Programme opens doors for international talent, how he enjoyed his study experience despite war and pestilence, and how the Netherlands has come to seem like a viable...

  • On October 25, the international research consortium iCARE4CVD was established. The consortium aims to gain more insight into cardiovascular diseases and future ways to prevent and cure them.

More news items
  • Remzi Celebi, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Data Science (IDS) and technical co-coordinator for the AIDAVA project, discusses how Artificial Intelligence, data curation automation and knowledge graphs are used to give patients more control of their health data.

  • Much to his surprise, Stefan Maubach, a math teacher at the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences, discovered that making educational videos enabled him to turn education theories from abstract concepts into practical tools.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI): is it an amazing technology that we need to implement absolutely everywhere, or a boogeyman that could spell the end of humanity?

  • Special Chair of Text-Mining Jan Scholtes on how ChatGPT actually works, why it’s an amazing achievement and where we should probably exercise a bit of caution.

  • The programme, which will boost fundamental research in artificial intelligence through public-private collaborations, has a total budget of over 87 million euros. ROBUST will include 17 new labs across the Netherlands and recruit 170 new PhD candidates.

  • Computers are already capable of making independent decisions in familiar situations. But can they also apply knowledge to new facts? Mark Winands, the new professor of Machine Reasoning at the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences, develops computer programs that behave as rational agents.

  • How do you teach children empathy? The new research consortium JOINclusion, launched on 1 May, aims to help increase social inclusion among children between 7 and 12 years old, especially in multicultural classrooms.