Research areas:

Focusing on ball sports and professional sports, we aim to use statistics and machine learning methods to analyse sports data. Our research seeks to provide evidence-based insights into hypotheses and trends in sports, ensuring  an objective foundation. The goal is for our findings to offer actionable insights, supporting and potentially automating processes in sports.
While we focus on football (soccer), we also aim to apply our findings to other ball sports, such as handball, tennis, golf, and more. Potential research topics within or across these sports include tactical analysis, data-driven load management, and the quantification of performance at both player and team levels.

Theses in Sports Analytics:

Students interested in sports analytics are welcome to reach out regarding theses. Please send your CV, a transcript of records, your preferred sport and/or broader topic, or, if available, a proposal describing the scope of your thesis in 1-2 sentences (including references) to  pascal.bauer(at)uni-saarland.de. Please use the e-mail subject “Thesis Request Sports Analytics | Your Name | Desired Start of the Thesis”.
Based on your information, we will provide a list of potential thesis topics or feedback on your submitted proposal.
For all theses, at least a basic motivation to implement code (e.g., in Python or R) is desirable. Interdisciplinary projects, such as those involving the faculties of computer science and mathematics, are encouraged.
Students interested in writing a thesis are encouraged to join the reading group (see below) to gain a better understanding of potential research topics.

Office Hour:

Office hours will be held every Friday from 16:00 PM to 17:00 PM during the semester, preferably in person in the sports analytics office. Please provide some notes on the topic or question you would like to discuss by 10:00 AM the day before the office hour via pascal.bauer(at)uni-saarland.de. Please use the e-mail subject “YYYY-MM-DD | Office Hour Sports Analytics | Your Name | Remote/Onsite” with the dater of the office hour you want to adress your question as well as an indication on whether you prefer to chat remote or onsite.