Welcome Back Blerim Emruli as a 2026 Qlik Academic Program Educator Ambassador!

[ElizCayirli]

We are delighted to once again recognize Blerim Emruli, Assistant Professor at Lund University, as a returning Qlik Academic Program Educator Ambassador. Over the years, Blerim has been a strong advocate for data literacy, analytics education, and the integration of industry tools into academic programs. His work continues to make a meaningful impact at the Lund University School of Economics and Management (LUSEM), where he teaches courses such as Decision Support Systems, Business Intelligence, and Business and Artificial Intelligence, helping students develop the analytical skills required in today’s data-driven world.

[ElizCayirli]

Within the Master’s Program in Information Systems, Blerim`s students enrolled in the mandatory Business Intelligence course explore the foundations of data-driven decision-making. The course introduces a broad spectrum of business intelligence concepts, including technologies, applications, and processes that allow organizations to gather, store, access, and analyze data effectively. A strong emphasis is placed on practical applications, enabling students to work with real-world datasets and develop analytics applications that support decision-making and generate actionable insights. For example, by integrating data from sources such as Inside Airbnb, students build interactive apps that uncover patterns, explore trends, and provide meaningful recommendations based on data.

Hands-on learning is central to Blerim’s teaching philosophy. Rather than relying solely on theoretical explanations, his courses encourage students to work directly with data, perform data exploration, design analytical workflows, and develop solutions to real-world challenges. This approach allows students to strengthen both their analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities while gaining experience with tools commonly used in industry.

Blerim mentions that students also have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized qualifications that complement their academic studies. Through partnerships with analytics platforms such as Qlik and KNIME, his students can gain valuable credentials that enhance their professional profiles.

Blerim also emphasizes the importance of connecting academic learning with industry practice. His courses regularly incorporate real business cases and insights from practitioners to ensure students gain exposure to real-world analytics challenges. He points out that guest lectures and workshops play an important role in this process. Recently, Stavros Orfanoudakis from Qlik delivered a workshop in the Business Intelligence course, sharing insights on the evolution of modern data platforms—from traditional data warehouses to open Lakehouse architecture. The session explored current challenges in data integration and demonstrated how organizations manage data on a scale.

“The lecture sparked strong engagement from students, many of whom continued the discussion even after the session ended, highlighting their interest in modern analytics architectures and industry practices.” Blerim says.

Beyond the classroom, Blerim is also actively involved in the global Qlik community. In 2025, he attended the Qlik Luminary Meetup 2025 in Lund where members of the Qlik ecosystem such as MVPs, Educator Ambassadors and Luminaries gathered to exchange ideas and discuss the latest developments in analytics. During the event, Blerim contributed as a subject matter expert in one of the workshops, collaborating with fellow educators, partners, and analytics professionals.

Through his continued involvement in the Qlik Academic Program, Blerim remains committed to preparing students for a future where data literacy, analytics, and artificial intelligence play an increasingly central role in decision-making. By combining academic foundations with hands-on analytics projects, industry collaboration, and qualifications he continues to equip students with the skills needed to succeed in the evolving data-driven economy.

We are proud to have Blerim Emruli as a longstanding member of the Qlik Educator Ambassador community and look forward to seeing the continued impact of his work at Lund University and beyond.

📢 Educators and students can access free Qlik software, training resources, and qualifications by joining the Qlik Academic Program: qlik.com/academicprogram