A professional approach

Multicriteria Decision Processes –
a personal CV description or an attempt to find a motto for the George Leitmann Lecture

Multicriteria Decision Processes – even if it doesn't seem strictly scientifically accurate, I would like to initially place George Leitmann's entire body of scientific work under this heading within the context of his personal biography. "Multiple objectives" is, of course, meant metaphorically here: How can several demands be considered simultaneously, what disciplinary connections exist between different disciplines, and how must institutions collaborate nationally and internationally to meet major scientific challenges? His biography is characterized by the fact that George Leitmann repeatedly sought out and mastered such major challenges.

Control theory, dynamical games, optimal control, and the calculus of variations on the one hand; stability of nonlinear systems, dynamic programming, equilibrium theory, and the modeling of uncertainty on the other. He was not only involved in developing new methods but also repeatedly in opening up new scientific fields. For example, he was one of the first in the 1990s to address the control of pandemic processes and is currently developing a dynamic model to describe current violent conflicts. Perhaps, however, this comprehensive body of scientific work should not be placed under any single heading, as one might inevitably overlook some areas. This task could be left to the interested reader to explore for themselves by studying the pages of the George Leitmann Lecture. Perhaps, however, these few pages and the George Leitmann Lecture itself could be grouped under a single title (if the entire body of work cannot be so easily categorized)?

A motto for the George Leitmann Lecture

Pandemic processes (here we are again, somewhat unjustifiably, singling out a scientific field) are characterized by the "uncontrolled" crossing of borders. And today's global crises also demand "optimal" solutions that reduce potential violence at borders while simultaneously building new human relationships ("bridges"). One could say that today's problems are primarily such "multi-objective problems" as were frequently investigated by scientists in mechanics, physics, and process engineering in the second half of the last century: It makes no sense to consider only one criterion in isolation. In particular—and this must be emphasized—historical developments must not be ignored. When George Leitmann himself states "that we all live on this planet and would do well to get along with one another," this can be derived as a motto for the George Leitmann Lecture. It is an attempt

"...forward-looking responsibility with a past face..."

to integrate into a comprehensive problem-solving process. Of course, mathematical and engineering expertise will be and must be drawn upon – but it is not sufficient. This is my personal, very brief, description of George Leitmann's biography, including 300 publications, prizes, awards, and honors, and also the proposed motto for the George Leitmann Lecture. The lecture aims to express his scientific life's work and his ideas and to place them in the possible interrelationship described above.

I have deliberately refrained from listing and evaluating individual publications here. This would risk overlooking something or even leading to an incorrect weighting. However, it should be mentioned that one publication and entry in the chronological presentation "stand out" both in terms of content and title. The translated book "Mantel of Dreams" doesn't fit into the overall body of scholarly work, and the last entry in the CV, which describes his collaboration with "ARTSHIP" ("a small arts foundation in San Francisco…"), is initially perplexing… or does it perhaps point to the legitimacy of the motto chosen above?

The George Leitmann Lecture is intended to stimulate reflection. Therefore, it takes place in locations connected to George Leitmann's life, milestones, and ideas. Perhaps you too will have the opportunity in the future to discuss his thoughts and dreams with George Leitmann at one of these locations. Then you can choose your own motto for this special lecture.

You are cordially invited.