Mathijs has a master's of mathematical engineering and a PhD in Control and Optimization from KU Leuven. During his PhD, he explored to incorporate learning into planning and decision algorithms. In doing so, he gained knowledge and experience in several disciplines, such as machine learning and statistics, numerical optimization, and optimal control.

Panos is an associate professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT) of KU Leuven, Belgium. In 2014 he was a visiting professor at Stanford, and an assistant professor at IMT Lucca, Italy, before that. With over a decade of experience in cutting-edge research in optimization, including collaborations with several companies, he has sharpened the skill of rapidly identifying mathematical challenges and corresponding solutions to any given problem.