Preface: the practice and theory of automated timetabling (2022)

Udine (2016), Vienna (2018), and most recently Leuven (2022).Over the years, PATAT has grown into a distinguished forum at the multidisciplinary intersection of theory and practice in timetabling.In 2020, the 13th International Conference on Practice and Theory of Automated Timetabling (PATAT) was planned for Bruges, Belgium, to celebrate its 25th anniversary.However, due to the pandemic, it was postponed and eventually held in the historical Irish College at the center of Leuven from August 30 to September 2, 2022.Hosted by the CODeS research group, Department of Computer Science at KU Leuven and the Sports Scheduling Research Group at the University of Gent, this silver edition successfully revived the biennial tradition after the disruptions caused by the pandemic.Despite the uncertainties, about 80 participants from around the world, including four plenary speakers and laureates of two international competitions, gathered for four days of engaging, intensive, and fruitful high-quality interactions.