Quantic Student Spotlight: Patrick Glauner

In today’s job market, having a competitive resume means having solid work experience and degrees from top educational institutions. However, there comes a time when many people are forced to choose between continuing their studies or adding to their work experience in order to advance their careers. Fortunately, Quantic’s mobile-friendly MBA allows students to do it all.

Alumnus Patrick Glauner is a perfect example of this. While he was earning his MBA, Patrick was also working towards his PhD in computer science.

Patrick graduated as Valedictorian from Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences in 2012, where he earned his B.Sc. in computer science. At that time, he was hired by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, where he worked for 3 years. He then went on to earn his M.Sc. in machine learning from Imperial College London in 2015 and his PhD in computer science from the University of Luxembourg in 2019. He first became interested in computer science as a kid, and taught himself how to program, and later, spent time in high school reading books about data structures and algorithms.

While he was in the final year of his PhD studies, Patrick saw that the depth and focus of the degree could lead to a narrow career trajectory and he was unsure if being a specialist was right for him. That’s when he decided that he wanted to earn his MBA — to gain knowledge that would position him to move into management roles where he would oversee cross-functional teams and fast-forward through speed bumps slowing others down. With this, he chose to enter the workforce and secured a management job with a major mechanical engineering company, Krones.

“Having done the MBA was certainly very helpful from finishing the PhD and to going into management in a major company,” said Patrick. He went on to say, “I felt that I was only able to do that so quickly because I had done the MBA in addition to my technical training.”

When Patrick was able to complete his PhD, he became a full professor of artificial intelligence at Deggendorf Institute of Technology in Germany at the young age of 30. He became a professor after discovering an affinity for teaching while working as an adjunct lecturer. However, he witnessed other professors’ careers slowing down at points when real world work experience became essential to have in order to teach certain topics. He decided that continuing his work in artificial intelligence was vital to being at the top of his game as a professor.

“When I knew I wanted to do a professorship, I knew I wanted to do something on the side that kept me linked to the real world. I wanted to work with companies and not just write papers,” said Patrick.

Patrick started his own artificial intelligence consulting company, skyrocket.ai, with the purpose of teaching company executives about artificial intelligence and helping them develop strategies to implement it effectively. As an expert on AI technology, Patrick believes that many small to mid-size companies in almost any industry could benefit greatly if AI is implemented properly. He also believes that if companies don’t invest in AI, then they could very well be out of the market within the next 10 years.

However, Patrick also said that AI could have negative effects for individuals. He brought up the dilemma that companies face when deciding to use AI or a human.

“We’ve seen automation for a long time. But what had happened in the past is that we automated repetitive tasks,” said Patrick. “Humans are great at making very different decisions all day long, but it is also very slow. AI enables us to automate that kind of work.”

When Patrick had just started his company, he quickly secured a major client. The board of a top-30 company in Germany with over a 100,000 employees hired his company to put on a workshop about AI to help them develop strategies and implement them. Starting a business is no small feat, and having a major company be one of your first clients is a testament to Patrick’s expertise. But how did Patrick manage to do all this so quickly?

“One of the things that proved to be very helpful was that I had experience in the industry and that I’ve worked in consulting before. It made it very easy to start my own business because I had a network, the skills and expertise, and I knew how to sell things,” said Patrick.

In addition, his newly acquired knowledge from Quantic’s MBA was beneficial, as it gave reliable support for his already acquired industry experience. Patrick’s advice for up-and-coming entrepreneurs? Have a clear business plan and make sure that you build trust with other businesses. Patrick stressed the importance of prior work experience and how that plays into building credibility and a positive reputation. His advice once again demonstrates the importance of the intersection of education and extensive work experience.

Patrick has published many papers and articles from his extensive research in academia. A major study on AI by McKinsey cited his research, and a journalist from New Scientist interviewed him about his AI technology research. However, when asked about what accomplishments he’s most proud of, Patrick immediately responded that the recent birth of his child is his crowning achievement. Congrats to Patrick and his wife, a fellow Quantic student, on their new baby!