Schlagwort: ‘Elektrotechnik’
Back to the roots

Professor Simon Steentjes, a former student of RWTH Aachen University and the current holder of the Chair of Electrical Machines and Drives ©Christian Schneider
Professor Simon Steentjes returned to his academic roots in October 2024 to become holder of the Chair of Electrical Machines and Drives.
The 37-year-old professor’s passion for technology was cultivated during his childhood, and led him to RWTH Aachen University for the first time in 2006. Here, he successfully completed his studies in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, subsequently earning his doctorate under the supervision of his predecessor, Professor Kay Hameyer.
„I learned from an early age to repair things instead of throwing them away. My father showed me everything as a child. We often tinkered until things worked again,” recalls Professor Steentjes.
It was these formative experiences that not only ignited his enthusiasm for technology, but also instilled in him a strong commitment to sustainability.
„I want to leave behind a world worth living in for my child and future generations; thus, I consider sustainable development within electric machines and drives absolutely essential,” states the electrical engineer.
Electrical machines are indispensable for numerous applications – from industrial facilities, mobility solutions, and household appliances to energy supply systems. As such, enhancing the efficiency of electric machines and drives represents a significant opportunity for reducing CO₂ emissions – a crucial step toward protecting our climate, according to Steentje. He emphasizes that ongoing research and innovation are essential to enhance power density, torque density, efficiency levels, and manufacturing techniques while maintaining resource efficiency when integrating new technologies. Steentjes believes that we also need to gain a deeper understanding of the materials and resources used to manufacture our electrical machines to optimize their sustainability and efficiency. The use and production of magnetic materials alone – integral components found within every electrical machine – offers vast potential for optimization that must first be thoroughly understood by researchers like himself.
„To date, little attention has been paid to the advances made by the various disciplines involved or to specific components. While manufacturing technology evolves rapidly, these advancements must also inform production methods and design choices surrounding electric machines to harness opportunities for improved efficiency fully,“ the engineer points out.
Simon Steentjes is a researcher through and through. He relishes engaging with fellow researchers on pressing questions while finding solutions collaboratively, often alongside students and doctoral candidates – a dynamic he finds immensely rewarding. For him, working with young minds means fostering fresh ideas that keep him on the cutting edge. He finds it wonderful to be back in teaching.
The electrical engineer returned to academia having worked in industry before. At Audi, he was actively involved in e-mobility from the very beginning. Later, at Hilti, he took on the role of head of electric motors and drive technology in 2022, leading the development of a new electric motor platform for power tools, from concept to mass production, among other initiatives. During this time, Professor Steentjes experienced how crucial practical feedback is for designing and developing electrical machines, particularly in addressing the needs and challenges inherent of series production.
During his time in industry, he supervised around 20 doctoral theses. Publishing scientific work remained a priority for him despite his time away from academia – a clear indication that he always intended to return. Steentjes considers himself lucky to have turned his hobby into a career. He believes it’s important to do what makes you happy. And it is this attitude that he passes on to his students:
„As a professor, you have a responsibility to equip the next generation with knowledge, to motivate and encourage them to trust in their own abilities.“
He has now found his way back to academia. His return means also a personal success: Returning to RWTH Aachen University was a very personal mission for him, which he worked towards with the help of his family. The support of his family is particularly important to the husband and father. And when he’s not researching new electrical machines or drives, he likes to work with his son on motorising Lego vehicles.
Otto Junker Prizes 2024

Wolfgang Bleck (on the left), Udo von Berg (on the right) and Ulrich Rüdiger (second from right) extended their congratulations to the award winners Jan Krusenbaum (second from left), Gerrit Ipers (third from left), Daniel Baggen (fourth from left) and Moritz Diewald (third from right). ©Andreas Schmitter
At this year’s Otto Junker Award ceremony, two outstanding young talents, Daniel Baggen and Gerrit Ipers, from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, were honoured for their outstanding academic achievements.
Daniel Baggen, born in Aachen in 2000, commenced the Bachelor’s degree programme in Electrical Engineering, Information Technology and Computer Engineering at RWTH Aachen University following the completion of his Abitur at Städtisches Gymnasium Herzogenrath. He completed his Master’s degree with a thesis on “the design and commissioning of a highly integrated DC-DC converter for the production of green hydrogen” at the Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives under the supervision of Professor Rik W. De Doncker. Since November 2023, Baggen has been working as a doctoral student in the field of power electronics.
Gerrit Ipers, aged 27, was born in Viersen. Subsequent to his graduation from the Liebfrauenschule Mülhausen in Grefrath, he first completed a Bachelor’s and thereafter a Master’s degree in industrial engineering, with a specialisation in electrical power engineering, at the RWTH Aachen University. He authored his master’s thesis, entitled “Rapid Prediction of Electro-Chemo-Mechanical Degradation of Li-Ion Batteries for End-of-Life Options”, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA. Prior to this, he completed the T.I.M.E. double master’s programme at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He was supervised by Professor Dirk Uwe Sauer, also from the Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives at RWTH Aachen University. Since May 2023, Ipers has been employed as a technical project manager at a Swedish automotive supplier.
Moritz Diewald, from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering, impressed the jury with his Master’s thesis, in which he investigated sub-stoichiometric combustion as part of multi-stage flameless oxidation, using both numerical and experimental techniques. In the same department, Jan Krusenbaum was honoured for his Master’s thesis entitled “Thermal conditioning of Li-ion battery shredders as part of a novel recycling process: Effects of the process gas atmosphere and other determinants on the recovery of the critical element lithium”.
The awards were bestowed at a celebratory ceremony. Udo von Berg, Chairman of the Otto Junker Foundation, and Ulrich Rüdiger, Rector of RWTH Aachen University, presented the awards. Professor Wolfgang Bleck, who holds the title of Professor Emeritus and serves as Chairman of the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board, extended congratulations on the occasion.
The awards, which are named in honour of the foundation’s founder, Dr. Otto Junker, are bestowed annually upon the most distinguished graduates of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology and the Materials Science and Engineering Group, which is part of the Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering. The foundation, which was established in 1970, is dedicated to the advancement of young scientists and provides substantial support for a multitude of individual research projects.
The exceptional accomplishments of these four graduates not only exemplify their individual excellence but also reflect positively on RWTH Aachen University as an institution of higher educations that nurtures outstanding individuals. We would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to Daniel Baggen, Gerrit Ipers, Moritz Diewald and Jan Krusenbaum on this well-deserved recognition. We wish them continued success in their promising careers.
Day of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology 2024

After five and a half years in the role of Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Professor Jens-Rainer Ohm (left) was given a ceremonial farewell. The farewell was given by Managing Director Martina Dahm (right) and the new Dean of the Faculty, Professor Albert Moser (centre). © Martin Braun
On the 25th Day of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (TDEI), which took place on 22 November 2024, we presented our success this year and once again brought together companies, students, faculty members and graduates.
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at RWTH Aachen University has a longstanding reputation as an institution that produces highly qualified and responsible engineers, a reputation that has been established over the course of five decades. This is corroborated by the faculty’s consistent performance in national and international rankings, in which it consistently ranks at the top. The Dean of the Faculty, Professor Albert Moser, commenced proceedings at the Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Day with a review of the preceding year and the welcoming of new professors to the Faculty team.

From right: Professor Alber Moser with Professor Volkmar Schulz © Martin Braun
Professor Volkmar Schulz’s expertise in the field of image processing enriches the research in biomedical engineering. He previously led the “Physics of Molecular Imaging” group at the Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging and is now the head of the Institute of Imaging and Computer Vision at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, a role he assumed in September 2024.

From right: Professor Simon Steentjes and Professor Albert Moser © Martin Braun
Professor Simon Steentjes had been pursuing the objective of returning to RWTH Aachen University for a considerable period of time, as part of his personal mission.
„Working with young minds fosters fresh ideas that keep me attuned to current developments. It’s wonderful being back in teaching“, says Professor Steentjes, who assumed the role of head of the Institute of Electrical Machines and Chair in Electromagnetic Energy Conversion in October.
Having previously held leading positions at Audi AG and the Hilti Group, Professor Steentjes has many years of experience in the industry.

Professor Peter Jax © Martin Braun
Another item on the programme was the report presented by the Dean of Studies, Professor Peter Jax, who is also the Head of the Institute of Communication Systems. Based on the results of quantitative surveys, he conducted an analysis of the academic teaching provided within the degree programmes offered by the faculty, identifying potential areas for further development.
Subsequently, Professor Jax presented the Team Award, which was bestowed upon Cinar Algül, Maxim Klosa and Wenjie Zeng for their exemplary contributions. The three students had demonstrated outstanding performance in their work on the Electrical Engineering and Information Technology project, entitled MATLAB meets Lego Mindstorms.

Best Bachelor Award winner Fritz Stracke © Martin Braun
One of the key factors contributing to success is the constructive collaboration with other companies, which provides students with the opportunity to engage in and contribute to challenging projects and theses. At the TDEI event, Gold sponsor Intravis participated in an interview. Furthermore, the Rohde & Schwarz Best Bachelor Award was bestowed upon Fritz Stracke in the current academic year. The student, who is also distinguished by his dedication to the student council for electrical engineering and information technology, was recognized for his bachelor’s thesis, entitled “Investigation of the bare-metal support of Rst Unikernels in heterogeneous computing systems”.
Another noteworthy feature of the event was the keynote address delivered by Professor Andreas Hierlemann from ETH Zurich, entitled “Interfacing with brain cells at subcellular resolution”. The interview with Professor Sven Ingebrandt, Head of the Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering 1 at RWTH Aachen University, and the presentation of the key visual and the institute’s projects also provided valuable insights.
The graduation ceremony marked the traditional conclusion of the event. After the graduates were introduced by name on stage, the Dean congratulated each of them on their academic success.
Professor Antonello Monti expressed his gratitude to the students in a unique manner. He once caused a great deal of excitement at the TDEI 2019 with a surprise performance. In the current year, he reappeared on the stage in the company of the ERC Band. Two musical compositions, “Knockin on E.ON’s Door” and “AC to Hell”, were presented as part of the performance.
We would like to express our gratitude to all faculty members and assistants, as well as the RWTH International Academy, for their contributions to the organisation and implementation of the Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Day.
Further details regarding TDEI 2024, along with photographic documentation of the event, can be accessed on the official website.
Who run the work? – Team ÜEW

From left: Stefanie Samaan, Ricarda Kriete, Carolin Guntermann, Sophia Tepe, Lina Fischer, Muriel Krüger, Jana Einsiedle, Claire Lambriex ©Martin Braun
A look at the team from the chair of Transmission Grids and Energy Economics at the Institute of High Voltage Equipment and Grids, Digitalization and Energy Economics (IAEW) presents a pleasing picture for the field of electrical engineering: almost a third of its researchers are female.
The share of women in engineering has increased in recent years, and female engineers are a natural part of an institute team. All of the female researchers in the team have completed a degree in the field of electrical engineering and then decided to complete a doctorate at the university and start their professional career here. Of course, working in electrical engineering requires a certain interest in science and technology, but the key to success and fun is usually the curiosity to understand new things.
We are always motivated by the question: ‘How does this work?’, says Lina Fischer, who is researching a robust planning model for the future energy system.
The next step is simply to have the bravery to actively pursue these questions – even if it means venturing into the unknown.

© Martin Braun
Everyone at the IAEW is driven by the vision of researching and developing solutions for the energy transition. The work at the chair of Transmission Grids and Energy Economics is primarily focusing the question:
„How should we design the future energy system so that it is environmentally friendly, reliable and economically efficient?“
This covers a wide range of interesting aspects. For example, lot of research is done on how the large amounts of energy from photovoltaic and wind energy plants, as well as alternative energy sources such as hydrogen, can be integrated into the current energy system. The transmission grid for electricity is essential for this. It can be seen in everyday life, for example, by the high-voltage power lines running alongside the freeways. The transmission grid enables electricity transport over long distances and thus the transport of large amounts of energy from wind turbines in northern Germany to regions with high electricity consumption. Current projects at the chair are investigating how the transmission grid needs to be expanded and operated in the future in order to facilitate the energy transition. Research is also ongoing in determining the locations where power lines to offshore wind turbines in the North and Baltic Seas should be connected to the grid or where large electrolysis plants for the production of hydrogen should be positioned. In addition to the technical aspects of the components, these studies must also take economic aspects into account, such as the costs arising from investments or possible congestions in the transmission grid.
In general, the consideration of economic and market aspects plays a major role in the transformation of the energy system. European efforts to further strengthen electricity trading between the individual countries are leading to increasing electricity exchanges in Europe and thus to further challenges for the transmission grid. The chair is therefore developing methods and models to simulate the European electricity markets. In this way, various future developments can be examined and their potential impact on market participants and the transmission grid can be analyzed.
A further focus of the chair is to deal with innovative concepts that will ensure the secure and reliable operation of transmission grids in the future and thus protect against blackouts. To this end, models and processes must be developed that can represent and investigate the dynamic system behavior of transmission grids and their components under changing conditions.

© Martin Braun
When you think of working at a university institute, your first thoughts usually revolve around working solely on your own research project. This often gives a false impression of work life at an institute, especially in the field of engineering. Work at the IAEW is characterized above all by the variety of different projects with both research and industrial partners. This allows you to get to know different topics and to gain a wide range of experience. You are often involved from the very beginning of the projects through working on them on to the presentation of the results. The different project teams make the collaboration very varied. In addition to scientific knowledge, your time at the institute gives you the opportunity to acquire a range of skills that qualify you for management positions in the industry.
Of course, you also experience many other things that make working at the institute worthwhile.
“In particular, the joint activities with other young colleagues after work, various institute traditions, parties and sporting events are all part of it.”
Notably, the IAEW also offers the opportunity to gain insight into the institute and its research topics through student assistant jobs or a thesis.
Be inspired and find your own way!
On our website we inform you about our study programmes.
Visit from Professor Mohamend-Ali Belabbas
Professor Mohamed-Ali Belabbas, this year’s winner of the ‘Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award’ from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, is visiting the Chair of Intelligent Control Systems during August.
The Chair of Intelligent Control Systems will be the host during the funding period.
We congratulate the award winner and wish him a pleasant stay.
Further information on the sponsorship can be found on the website of the Alexander von Humbold Foundation.
WirtschaftsWoche University Ranking 2024 confirms excellent reputation in the business world
Electrical engineering graduates will have excellent career opportunities in the coming years. But where can prospective students expect the best education?
The consulting firm Universum asked 483 corporate recruiters which university best prepares its graduates for the needs of their companies. The results confirm the outstanding role of RWTH Aachen University in research and teaching: a degree from RWTH is seen to provide optimal preparation for professional life and its associated demands on graduates. Electrical engineering at was ranked third in Germany. About one-third of the surveyed recruiters indicated that they would prioritize hiring graduates from RWTH.
Prof Leonhardt elected to the German Academy of Science and Engineering

© Andreas Endermann
The German Academy of Science and Engineering, a prestigious private not-for-profit scientific academy, has recently welcomed 39 new members. Among them is Professor Leonhardt, Chair of Medical Informatics. This expansion of the Academy’s expertise strengthens its ability to provide valuable science-based advice to policymakers and society as a whole. Congratulations!
Established in 2002, the German Academy of Science and Engineering plays a crucial role in advising policymakers on science and technology policy. It operates under the umbrella term acatech, a combination of ‘academy’ and ‘technology’, and has a significant impact beyond national borders, representing the interests of German technological sciences at both national and international levels.
In June 2017, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier became the patron of the German Academy of Science and Engineering, highlighting the institution’s dedication to promoting scientific and technological excellence.
We, at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, are proud to congratulate Prof. Steffen Leonhardt on his election to the Academy.
Delegation visits IIT Madras

Professor Leonhardt and colleagues © MedIT
The Institute of Medical Information Technology (MedIT) on the road in Chennai, India.
Professor Leonhardt and his colleagues from MedIT and other RWTH institutes visited India in late September, specifically the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in Chennai. The aim of this visit was to finalise the proposal for an Indo-German Graduate College.
IIT Madras is a premier university for engineering sciences in India, established in 1959 with assistance from the former West German government. The plans for this were arranged in 1956 during a meeting between Jawaharlal Nehru and Konrad Adenauer. The IIT Madras campus spans 2.5 sq km and has a dense forest. Previously, it belonged to the Guindy National Park. Conservation measures are in place for the campus where most students and staff also reside. A variety of wildlife, such as deer, antelope, axi deer, monkeys, snakes, and scorpions, can be found inhabiting the area.

© MedIT

© MedIT

© MedIT

© MedIT
For more news, visit the MedIT website.
CO2For-IT: A data room for the timber industry with a focus on climate protection

Project partners in CO2For-IT. © Institute for Man-Machine Interaction RWTH Aachen University
A new initiative to promote a climate-friendly timber industry was launched in July 2023. The CO2For-IT project, supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, aims to create a “Forest Data Space” to enable the sustainable use of wood from forests.
The Forest Data Space will provide data on the carbon footprint of the entire timber value chain and therefore support the development of data-based solutions for climate protection. The project is led by Materna Information & Communications SE and coordinated by the Dortmund Institute for Research and Transfer (RIF e.V.). Other partners include RWTH Aachen University, Rhenus Forest Logistics GmbH & Co. KG, HSM Hohenloher Spezial Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG, Forstliches Forschungs- und Kompetenzzentrum Gotha (ThüringenForst – AöR) and Kuratorium für Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik e. V. (KWF). In addition, foldAI and iFOS GmbH are collaborating with the project.

© Institute for Man-Machine Interaction RWTH Aachen University
For more information visit: KWH 4.0 | CO2For-IT (kwh40.de) (only in german)
MedIT looks back on 20 years of history
Happy Birthday!
Since the founding of the Chair of Medical Information Technology (formerly the Philips Chair of Medical Information Technology) on 01.08.2003, a lot has happened: new research areas have been opened up, international collaborations have been established, a branch office has been opened and many young PhD students have graduated here.
MedIT is grateful and proud of this development and would like to share it with old and new colleagues, partners and friends.
To mark this occasion, an anniversary celebration will take place in September 2023, which will also include a symposium in which MedIT would like to discuss the past and future of the chair as well as medical technology in Aachen and the world.
Further information on the lecture programme: Das MedIT feiert sein 20-jähriges Bestehen (rwth-aachen.de) (only in german)