Schlagwort: ‘Karriere’
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.
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!
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