Mathematics Graduate Wins Prize for Her Master's Thesis

How to Plan Working Hours despite Unknown Tasks?

Piperno';s work focuses on algorithms for stochastic online planning problems on parallel computers. In these problems, tasks appear gradually and unpredictably. Additionally, the exact processing times are unknown until the tasks are completed. “The challenge is to decide which task should be processed next on each machine in order to minimize the overall processing time, despite the uncertainty about future tasks and their duration,” she explains.

Such problems arise frequently in practice, for instance, in hospitals where patients arrive without warning and require treatments of uncertain duration. In her thesis, Piperno investigated both the theoretical performance guarantees of existing methods and their behavior in extensive simulation studies.

Starting a Career after Studying at TUM

The award ceremony took place during the opening ceremony of the GOR Annual Conference on Operations Research in Bielefeld from September 3 to 5, 2025. The award included participation in the conference, where Marta Piperno had the opportunity to present her research and contribute to the conference proceedings. She also received a building block flower set as a personal token of recognition.

After graduating from the TUM School of CIT, Piperno embarked on a career in applied mathematics and now works as a mathematical consultant. “I chose this position because it allows me to apply the full range of skills I developed during my master’s, from statistics and machine learning to optimization, while continuing to explore new areas of mathematics,” she says. What motivates her most is the real-world relevance: “It’s rewarding to see how mathematical insights can solve concrete problems and make a tangible impact.”

Piperno’s award and career path exemplifies the wide range of applications of modern mathematics and the relevance of precise theoretical work for real-world decision-making processes.