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Electrical Engineering and Information Technology

Kategorie: ‘Auszeichnungen’

German Study Award: Silver goes to Dominik Šišejković

August 25th, 2023 | by
Young man smiles in frontal portrait shot.

Award winner Dominik Sisejkovic ©David Ausserhofer

His excellent dissertation, Development of trustworthy microelectronics – from theory to practice, will be honored by the Körber Foundation with the German Study Award 2023 on November 27 at the German Parliamentary Society in Berlin. Dominik Šišejković will receive the second prize in the Natural and Technical Sciences section from Bundestag President Bärbel Bas.

The focus of his doctoral thesis is the question of how hardware can be protected against decentralized modifications. This is all because hardware Trojans represent one of the greatest security threats of the modern age. Such a carefully designed modification allows attackers to gain access to critical infrastructure, extract secret information or even shut down systems at the worst possible moment.

“In this work, we take a step-by-step approach to understanding logic encryption, from its basic mechanics to software implementation to an in-depth analysis of its security properties in the age of machine learning,” explains Dominik Šišejković, a PhD student at RWTH Aachen University in the Department of Electrical Engineering.

One possible solution is hidden in logic encryption, a leading technique for securing hardware. The results were bundled into an industry-proven encryption method that provides a secure way to protect hardware.


The German Study Award is one of the most highly endowed prizes for young scientists in Germany. Each year, it honors outstanding young scientists from all disciplines. The Körber Foundation awards prizes totaling more than 100,000 euros for excellent dissertations of particular social significance.

The Reichart Prize 2023 goes to Dr.-Ing. Weihan Li

August 22nd, 2023 | by
The prizewinner, standing between the award recipients, holds the award in the form of a certificate.

Prof. Frank Hellwig and Prof. Peter Scharff award Dr. Weihan Li the Reichart Prize 2023 © Mathias Brösicke

A remarkable contribution to application-oriented science was honored when Dr.-Ing. Weihan Li received the coveted Reichart Prize on June 24, 2023. The junior research group leader at the Center for Ageing, Reliability and Lifetime Prediction for Electrochemical and Power Electronics Systems (CARL) at RWTH Aachen University was recognized for his pioneering work in digitizing battery use with a digital twin. This innovative approach aims to provide greater clarity on battery aging processes, safety and reliability.

Named after Christian Reichart, a versatile Erfurt resident, the prize awarded annually highlights outstanding graduate work in various scientific fields. The cooperation between the state capital of Erfurt, the University of Erfurt and the University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt ensures that this prize promotes talented young scientists whose work has a clear link to applicability. In doing so, it honors the legacy and vision of Christian Reichart, who already distinguished himself in the 18th century as a pioneer of interdisciplinary research and non-profit applications. The award committee, consisting of representatives from these institutions, selects the winners and acknowledges promising research approaches with prize money of 2,000 euros and strengthens interdisciplinary exchange. This award underlines the importance of using scientific findings for the benefit of society and building bridges between different disciplines to create practical solutions to current challenges.


More about the Reichert Prize can be found on the website of the Academy of Erfurt.

Excellent placement in global university ranking

April 11th, 2023 | by
A graduate of RWTH Aachen University.

© Kurt Beyer

In electrical engineering, RWTH Aachen is one of the three best German universities. This is the result of the internationally highly regarded QS Ranking by Subjects of the British information service provider Quacquarelli Symonds. Presented in its latest version, the subject ranking is based on various criteria that are weighted according to subject. An online reputation survey among university graduates and employers accounts for between 40 and 100 percent of the total points and is considered the most important indicator. Citations, which scientific papers from universities receive on average, account for up to 60 percent. For some engineering and natural science subjects, international research networks are also taken into account.

The Aachen University of Excellence was able to place itself on the winner’s podium in many subjects throughout Germany and is also convincing in an international comparison. In ten subjects, it placed among the 100 best worldwide. RWTH did particularly well in the subjects of mining engineering with 15th place and mechanical engineering with 19th place.

For more information: www.topuniversities.com

Top placements in international ranking

March 31st, 2023 | by

white cup on a petrol green background

The portal Research.com informs in the newly published ranking that the Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of the RWTH achieved the 2nd place in the Germany-wide comparison. Internationally, RWTH ranks 65th in this discipline.
Research.com evaluates the frequency of citations of scientific articles and other publications for the ranking. Data from the OpenAlex and CrossRef databases are used for the evaluation. Researchers are ranked using the D-index, a variation of the H-index, which measures citations to their scientific papers within a discipline. All those who achieve a D-index of at least 30 are included in the rankings. The sum of the D-indexes of all listed scientists of a university is then decisive for its placement in the university ranking.
Accordingly, the following RWTH Electrical Engineering and Information Technology professors have qualified for the ranking:

  • Dirk Uwe Sauer from the Chair of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Systems Engineering.
  • Rik W. De Doncker from the Chair of Power Electronics and Electrical Drives
  • Heinrich Meyr from the Chair for Distributed Signal Processing
  • Antonello Monti from the Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems
  • Max Lemme from the Chair of Electronic Components AMICA – Advanced Microelectronic Center Aachen
  • Steffen Leonhardt from the Chair of Medical Information Technology
  • Petri Mahönen from the Chair and Institute of Networked Systems
  • Rainer Leupers from the Chair of Software for Systems on Silicon

Gold and bronze at the 2023 Innovation Awards ceremony

February 10th, 2023 | by

Congratulations to all winners of this year’s Innovation Awards for pioneering university projects whose contribution particularly enriches the Aachen region as a location for innovation.

Award winner Dr.-Ing. Moritz Joseph holds a certificate and stands next to Professor Malte Brettel.

Professor Malte Brettel and award winner Dr.-Ing. Moritz Joseph from Team Neureka.

Gold went to the team Neureka around Professor Rainer Leupers from the Chair of Software for Systems on Silicon with a development kit on hardware – and software level for neuromorphic AI chips in edge applications.
Neuromorphic computing systems replicate the way the human brain works, as they combine computation and memory units and thus enable an enormous increase in performance in artificial intelligence. Neuromorphic chips already available today promise tens to hundreds of times improved energy efficiency, latency, and space efficiency. Neureka has successfully met the challenge of making the complicated system design of this technology accessible to industry.
The Hardware Development Kit integrates purchased neuromorphic chips into an existing computing system, allows validation of neuromorphic hardware, and is a development platform for market-ready AI devices. The software development kit enables easy programming and simulation of AI applications on neuromorphic systems. Software developers can thus bring low-risk AI applications to disruptive neuromorphic hardware and reduce the energy consumption of AI.
Customers of both developments are industrial users, mobile device manufacturers and smart city IoT device providers.

Silver went to an electromagnetically heatable nanomodified stent for the treatment of hollow organ tumors, developed in collaboration by Ioana Slabu of the Institute of Applied Medical Engineering and Benedict Bauer of the Institute of Textile Engineering.

Bronze went on the one hand to the team working with Mathias Bode from the Institute of Technical Combustion in cooperation with the Jülich Supercomputing Centre. Their software-as-a-service platform JuLES is considered a key technology for the climate-neutral transformation of industrial processes.

Professor Heinz Pitsch, Mathis Bode, Professor Malte Brettel and Weihan Li from left standing on the stage of the award ceremony.

Professor Heinz Pitsch with Mathis Bode to the left and Weihan Li to the right after the handover of the certificate by Professor Malte Brettel.

On the other hand, the team from the Chair of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Systems Technology, headed by Professor Dirk Uwe Sauer, was also pleased to receive bronze. The award honored the development of a digital battery twin to increase efficiency and safety in the application field.
Lithium-ion batteries are emerging as the technology for energy storage, especially in the field of electromobility, due to their low cost and high energy density. However, their performance degrades over time. Condition monitoring and prediction of battery aging not only benefits safety, maintenance, and asset optimization, but is also the starting point for technical and economic analysis of potential second-life applications.
The developed cloud battery management system covers seven key functions to control the entire life cycle of batteries, enabling online monitoring of aging, prediction of aging progression, and optimization of operation strategy to limit aging.
The innovation contributes to the acceleration of the energy transition and the electrification of transport. It also opens up commercial opportunities for a wide range of industries, such as digital certificates for batteries, battery warranties and insurance, and predictive and timely warning of safety-critical conditions.

Otto Junker Awards 2022

November 29th, 2022 | by


Image: Ryan Benkert, Daniel Fallnich, Josefin Wilkes and Tomasz Engelmann (front, from left) were awarded the Otto Junker Prize. Wolfgang Bleck, Ulrich Rüdiger, Marianne Conradt and Udo vom Berg congratulated the winners (back, from left).
Photo: Andreas Schmitter

Awarded for outstanding academic achievements

Ryan Benkert, Tomasz Engelmann, Daniel Fallnich and Josefin Wilkes received the 2022 Otto Junker Prize for their outstanding academic achievements. The Otto Junker Prize is conferred annually to RWTH students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology and the Materials Science and Engineering Division of the Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering.

The Otto Junker Foundation was founded in 1970 by Dr.-Ing. E.h. Otto Junker. As a former RWTH, he felt intimately connected to the University throughout his life and particularly valued the scientific exchange. The aim of the foundation is to support young scientists and to promote numerous individual projects. Udo vom Berg, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Otto Junker GmbH, and RWTH Rector Ulrich Rüdiger presented the awards at a ceremony. Professor Wolfgang Bleck, Chairman of the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board, and District Mayor Marianne Conradt congratulated the winners.

Ryan Benkert was born in January 1997 and did his Abitur in Gilching. He then studied electrical engineering, information technology and computer engineering at the RWTH and completed his master’s degree with a grade of 1.0. The master’s thesis with the topic “Out-of-Distribution Detection for Unsupervised Perception Systems” was written at the Chair for Integrated Systems of Signal Processing under the direction of Professor Gerd Ascheid. During his studies, he completed a stay at the Georgia Institute of Technology, funded by the Deutschlandstipendium and a Georgia Tech scholarship. He also completed three internships in the US, one of which was in Cupertino at Apple. Benkert is currently receiving his doctorate at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, USA.

Daniel Fallnich, born in 1996, comes from Hanover and completed a voluntary science year in the field of production technology after leaving school. He then studied electrical engineering and information technology at the University of Hanover in the bachelor’s program. He switched to the RWTH for his master’s degree and studied electrical engineering, information technology and computer engineering. Here he was on Dean’s list of the best students. Fallnich also completed a six-month course at the TU Delft in the Department of Quantum and Computer Engineering. The master’s thesis with the topic “Design of a Hardware Architecture for the Niederreiter Cryptosystem” was written at the Chair for Integrated Digital Systems and Circuit Design under the direction of Professor Tobias Gemmeke. Fallnich is currently working at IBM in Böblingen.

Friedrich Wilhelm Awards 2022

November 29th, 2022 | by

RWTH Rector Ulrich Rüdiger honored 17 outstanding graduates of RWTH Aachen University with the Friedrich Wilhelm Awards 2022.
Photo: Andreas Schmitter

Honoring outstanding achievements by RWTH Aachen graduates

The Friedrich Wilhelm Prize is awarded annually by the foundation of the same name in the form of prize money to students and researchers at RWTH Aachen University who have been selected for their outstanding achiements in their theses. Among this years recipients are Maxim Christian Maria Müllender, Master of Science, from the Institute of High Voltage Equipment and Grids, Digitalization and Energy Economics and Laurids Schmitz, Master of Science, from the Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives. Both winners were recognized due to their excellent masters theses.

Funding for research and teaching

The name of the foundation goes back to the Prussian crown prince and later Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm III., who founded a polytechnic institute in the Rhine province in 1858 using a donation from the Aachen and Munich fire insurance companies. In doing so, he laid the foundation for both the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule and the Friedrich Wilhelm Foundation, which is founded 1865 by the legal predecessor of todays Aachener und Münchener Beteiligungsgesellschaft. Since then, the promotion of research and teaching and the support of students and researchers at the RWTH Aachen have been the central concerns of the foundation.

Professor Franscesca Santoro received the Leopoldina Early Career Award

September 28th, 2022 | by

Professor Franscesca Santoro received the Early Career Award from the Leopoldina – National Academy of Sciences on September 23, 2022. She received the €30,000 prize for her research work in the field of bioelectronics and the development of novel materials that can interact with the skin and the brain. You can read more information on the Leopoldina news page.

German Study Award of the Körber Foundation 2022: 2nd Prize Goes to Weihan Li from ISEA

August 3rd, 2022 | by
Portrait von Dr. Weihan Li

© David Ausserhofer: Dr. Weihan Li

Dr. Weihan Li has been awarded the second German Study Prize of the Körber Foundation for his dissertation.

Every year, the foundation awards the German Study Award to the best doctoral students from all disciplines. The main focus here is on the social significance of the research. We congratulate Dr. Weihan Li from the Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives for his outstanding achievement.

Abstract:
Machine learning for efficient battery use in mobility and energy supply for sustainable climate protection
In the fight against climate change, batteries play a crucial role as a flexible energy storage system for renewable energies. However, battery ageing during use is proving to be the limiting factor for an efficient and reliable future energy system. In this work, machine learning enables online ageing diagnosis, prediction of future ageing progression and optimisation of operation strategy, which not only increases battery performance and lifetime, but also reduces unexpected failures and contributes to more transparency about battery health. The methodology developed improves battery use in mobile and stationary applications, enabling safer and longer-lasting operation, which saves costs in the long term, conserves resources and is socially feasible. This work thus provides an essential building block for the broad acceptance and implementation of climate-friendly mobility and energy supply on the way to a climate-neutral energy system.

We would also like to congratulate Dr. Lars Nolting from the Chair of Energy System Economics at RWTH Aachen University on winning the first prize, as well as all the other prize winners:
Dr. Manuel Häußler from the University of Konstanz, Dr. Kim Teppe from the University of Hamburg, Dr. Julia Böcker from the University of Lüneburg, Dr. Mareike Trauernicht from the Free University of Berlin and Dr. Felix Lansing from the Technical University of Dresden.

For more information on the German Study Award 2022, please see the press release of the Körber Foundation.

Professor Antonello Monti Receives NRW Innovation Award

July 15th, 2022 | by
Portrait von Professor Monti

© Peter Winandy

Professor Antonello Monti is not only the holder of the Chair of Automation of Complex Power Systems, but since the end of May 2022 he has also been the winner of the Innovation Award of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Awards were made in the categories “Honorary Award”, “Young Researchers” and “Innovation”, with Professor Monti being honoured in the “Innovation” category. This innovation prize is endowed with 100,000 € and is thus only second to the Future Prize of the Federal President in Germany.

With the award, the federal state recognises excellent research with particular social significance, scientific potential and relevance in application. In the case of Professor Antonello Monti, it is pioneering work in the digitalisation of power systems , which has great relevance for the energy transition.

In detail, it is a new concept for the automation of modern energy networks, which is based on modern IT solutions and enables a modular approach. The development as open source supports the cooperation of all participants and the creation of an open ecosystem.

The award was presented by the Minister President of NRW, Hendrik Wüst, and Professor Andreas Pinkwart, the NRW Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy.

For more details, see the official RWTH press article.