People / Students / Class of 2024
Jakob graduated from Cooperative State University Stuttgart in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in International Management for Business & Information Technology. During his undergraduate studies, he became proficient in programming with java and python, algorithms and database development, while also gaining a solid foundation in international business operations, agile management and state-of-the-art leadership. As a research assistant in the university’s institute for artificial intelligence, he discovered his passion for data. To augment his data skillset, he subsequently led a student research team to analyze the potential of social-media data analytics to mitigate natural disasters. Furthermore, Jakob extended his international network by studying in Guangxi, China as a fellow of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation, volunteering for six months with underprivileged children in Nicaragua and carrying out UX research during a semester abroad at Karlstad University in Sweden. These experiences enabled him to achieve fluency in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese while shaping his cultural understanding and global mindset. Throughout his studies, he had the opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge in six global assignments at the company Mercedes-Benz. After designing an automated test process for the sales devision and evaluating the efficiency of system integrations in the IT department, Jakob focused his assignments on data science projects. In the Mercedes-Benz R&D department in Beijing he analyzed V2X autonomous driving use cases, developed a web app to visualize the data on traffic incidents and participated in a quantitative research study regarding accident patterns on Chinese suburban roads. For his Bachelor Thesis at the Start-Up company MBition in Berlin, he investigated vehicle usability optimization through a large-scale data-mining research on sequential patterns in Vehicle Interaction Data. Following graduation, Jakob accepted a full time offer at Mercedes-Benz Human Relations, where he spent three years developing data-driven HR products and leading project teams to scale those solutions globally. His responsibilities included conceptualizing and developing a statistical simulation based on a multivariable regression model to predict employee fluctuation. Moreover, he led a cross-functional team to establish the HR KPI Dashboard, a reporting and analysis tool that provides the Mercedes-Benz Board of Management with steering-relevant KPIs. Both solutions significantly facilitate the decision-making process regarding hiring campaigns, diversity policy and human resource strategy at Mercedes-Benz. In addition, he became a certified Data Scientist through a comprehensive training by Stackfuel. Through Northwestern’s MLDS program, Jakob aims to solidify his knowledge in un-supervised machine learning while simultaneously extending his leadership experience. He wishes to extend his professional network and explore the application of data science in various domains. As recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship, he is looking forward to becoming an ambassador for global collaboration. Apart from his professional life, he is engaged in various volunteering activities, enjoys meeting people from diverse backgrounds and explores the outdoors via rock climbing, mountaineering and scuba diving.
