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The minds behind the project

Our Principal Investigators

The terahertz.NRW network is led by an interdisciplinary team of leading scientists and experts in terahertz technology. Together, we drive research and development at a global level.

Ruhr University Bochum

Ilona Rolfes

Site Spokesperson

Nils Pohl

Site Spokesperson

Jan Barowski

Carsten Brenner

High-frequency systems

Ruhr University Bochum, Prof. Dr.-Ing.

E-Mail: ilona.rolfes@rub.de
Site Spokesperson

Website: etit.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/hfs

Research Interests: High Frequency and, Terahertz Systems, Material Characterization, Radar Systems, Sensing Systems, Imaging Systems

Highlights: Member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering, acatech
Member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts
Outstanding Young Engineer Award der IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society

Research Stays: Grenoble (France), Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization, Environmental Monitoring

Institute of Integrated Systems

Dr.-Ing.

E-Mail: nils.pohl@rub.de
Site Spokesperson

Website: etit.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/insys

Research Interests: Millimeter-Wave, Terahertz, Radar, Integrated Circuits, System Design

Highlights: 2023 ITG Award of the Information Technology Society in the VDE (ITG)
2018 IEEE MTT-S Outstanding young engineer award
2013 Karl-Arnold Price from the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization, Material Characterization, Medical Technology, Environmental Monitoring

Chair of High Frequency Systems

2017 Ruhr University Bochum, Dr.-Ing.

Research Interests: Millimeterwaves / THz-waves, Radar Imaging, Material Characterization, Signal Processing, Measurement Techniques

Highlights: Best Paper Award in IEEE Antennas & Propagation Letters 2023
Best Paper Award in IEEE Sensors Letters 2023
Doctoral Research Award IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society 2016

Research Stays: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization, Material Characterization

Photonics and Terahertz Technology

Research Interests: Terahertz Technology, Semiconductor Lasers, Material Characterisation, Signal Processing

Highlights: Winner of Optica Simulight Optics Challenge 2024

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization, Medical Technology

Martin Hoffmann

Martin Hofmann

Christian Klaes

Ute Krämer

Chair for Microsystems Technology

PhD at Universität Dortmund (Hochfrequenztechnik), Prof. Dr.-Ing.

Research Interests: THz and optical waveguides on silicon, RF MEMS, Microactuators, Passive sensing systems

Highlights: Industrial background

Research Stays: TU Ilmenau, Director of IMN MacroNano

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization, Environmental Monitoring

Photonics and Terahertz Technology

1994, Prof. Dr. rer.nat.

Research Interests: Semiconductor lasers, Terahertz Technology, Optical Imaging, Laser Technology, Spin-Optoelectronics

Highlights: Kaiser-Friedrich-Research Award 2003
Innovation competition „Medizintechnik“ of the BMBF 2006
Reinhart Koselleck Project “Electrically injected spin-vertical cavity surface emitting lasers for ultrafast data communication” 2022

Research Stays: University College Cork, Ireland, Tele Danmerk Research, Hoersholm Denmark, Fondazione Ugo Bordoni, Rome, Italy

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization, Environmental Monitoring

Ruhr-Universität Bochum / Neurotechnology, medical faculty

PhD from Georg-August University Göttingen

Website: www.klaeslab.de

Research Interests: Recording neural data using THz, Brain Computer Interfaces, VR, Medical AI

Highlights: 2016 Emmy Noether award, DFG.

Research Stays: Caltech, USA

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Medical Technology

Chair of Molecular Genetics and Physiology of Plants

University of Oxford, UK. Prof. Dr.

Research Interests: Genome-enabled functional genomics, Molecular and cell biology, Plant physiology, Ecology and evolutionary biology

Highlights: ERC Advanced Grant (2017 call)
Member of the German National Academy of Science Leopoldina (2021)
Thomson Reuters ‘Highly Cited Researcher’, Plant & Animal Science (2014/15/16)

Research Stays: (University of Oxford (UK), Rutgers University, AgBiotech Center(USA),
University of Bielefeld, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant
Physiology Golm, University of Heidelberg

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Environmental Monitoring

Thomas Musch

Clara Saraceno

Georg Schmitz

Christian Schulz

Chair of Electronic Circuit Technology

1999, Ruhr University Bochum, Prof. Dr.-Ing.

Research Interests: Radar, Electronic Circuit Design, Microwave to Terahertz, Frequency Synthesis, Electronic Tomography Systems

Highlights: EEEfCOM-Innovation Award, Radio Tec
Karl-Arnold-Award of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and Arts
European Radar Award of the European Microwave Association

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization, Material Characterization

Photonics and Ultrafast Laser Science

Prof. Dr.

Research Interests: Laser Sources, Terahertz Science and technology, Nonlinear optics, Ultrafast Optics, Sensing and Imaging

Highlights: High power lasers
High-power broadband Terahertz sources
Terahertz Imaging and Spectroscopy

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization

Chair of Medical Technology

Dr.-Ing. from Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Research Interests: Biomedical imaging, Terahertz imaging, Image reconstruction, Ultrasound imaging, Image and signal processing / AI

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization

Institute of Microwave Systems

Dr.-Ing. in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Ruhr
University Bochum, Germany, Topic „Novel sensor concepts for plasma
diagnostics”

Research Interests: Radar Technology, Sensors Design, 3D EM Simulations, Antenna Design, Plasma Diagnostics

Highlights: 2022 European Radar Conference Price
2016 Gert Massenberg Award
2016 CST® University Publication Award

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Environmental Monitoring

Aydin Sezgin

Kristina Tschulik

Marcel van Delden

Digital communication systems

Dr.-Ing. From TU Berlin

E-Mail: aydin.sezgin@rub.de

Website: dks.rub.de

Research Interests: 6G communications, Sensing & Sensing Security, Terahertz, Non-destructive testing, Physics-based machine learning

Highlights: Emmy-Noether-Research Grant
Best Paper Award at IEEE ICC 2019

Research Stays: Stanford University, University of California Irvine

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization

Analytical Chemistry II, Electrochemistry and Nanoscale Materials

PhD Dresden University of Technology (TUD)

Research Interests: Nanomaterial syntheiss and characterization, Electrocatalysis, Electrochemical Sensing, Spectro-electrochemical Mmethod development, Confinement effects in chemistry

Highlights: Development of Laser-induced nanoparticle synthesis

Chair of Electronic Circuit Technology

2024, Ruhr University Bochum, Dr.-Ing.

Research Interests: Radar, Microwave to Terahertz Systems, Integratd Circuits, Frequency Synthesis, Phase Noise

Highlights: 1st place International Microwave Symposium 2023 Three Minute Thesis Competition
Co-recipient EuMIC 2021 Best Student Paper Award

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Material Characterization

University of Duisburg-Essen

Thomas Kaiser

Site Spokesperson

Daniel Erni

Site Spokesperson

Jan Balzer

Niels Benson

Digital signal processing

Gerhard Mercator University Duisburg, Prof. Dr.-Ing.

E-Mail: thomas.kaiser@uni-due.de
Site Spokesperson

Website: dsv.uni-due.de

Research Interests: THz systems, RFID systems

Highlights: Speaker of the Collaborative Research Center “Mobile Material
Characterization and Localization by Electromagnetic Sensing“ 2017-2028

Research Stays: Postdoc scholarship at University of Southern California, Los
Angeles, USA, 1995-1996
Visiting professor at Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA, 2005
Visiting professor at Princeton University, Princeton, USA, 2007

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Material Characterization

General and Theoretical Electrical Engineering (ATE)

PhD from ETH Zürich

E-Mail: daniel.erni@uni-due.de
Site Spokesperson

Website: www.uni-due.de/ate

Research Interests: RF/THz engineering, (nano) photonics, Computational electromagnetics, Bioelectromagnetics, Science and technology studies (STS).

Highlights: Winner of the APMC 2023 Microwave Prize
CST University Publication Award 2013
Fellow of The Electromagnetics Academy

Research Stays: ETH Zürich, Institut Fresnel (CNRS und Universié Aix Marseille

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Environmental Monitoring

Telecommunications systems

Ruhr Universität Bochum, Prof. Dr.-Ing.

Research Interests: THz-TDS, THz SAR Imaging, THz Biosensors, Insect monitoring

Research Stays: 2023 University of Adelaide

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization
Environmental Monitoring

Institute of Technology for Nanostructures

Research Interests: Printable materials for Signal Processing Applications, Thin Film and 3D-Printed Technologies, Disordered Semiconductors, Charge Carrier Transport, Flexible Electronics

Highlights: Startup – airCode
Printable Si Diodes operating at frequencies > 5GHz
Additively Manufactured Ceramic Technology for THz applicatons

Research Stays: University of Tsukuba, University of Waterloo, National Research
Council Ottawa, Canada

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization
Medical Technology

Andreas Czylwik

Mohammed El-Absi

Elsa Kirchner

Nils Weimann

Telecommunications systems

TU Darmstadt, Prof. Dr.-Ing.

Research Interests: Radio communications, Beamforming, Terahertz frequency applications, Technical security systems 

Highlights: Fred W. Ellersick Prize 2015 of the IEEE Communications Society
Chairman of the European Society of Automatic Alarm Systems (EUSAS) 

Research Stays: NTT DoCoMo, Yokosuka, Japan

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Material Characterization
Environmental Monitoring

Digital signal processing

PhD from UDE Duisburg

Research Interests: Wireless Communications, Artificial Intelligence, Localization, 6G wireless technology and applications, Signal Processing

Highlights: DFG Mercator Fellow (2017)
Summa Cum Laude in PhD (2015)

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization

Institute of Medical Technology Systems

Dr. rer. nat. from University of Bremen

Research Interests: Neurophysiological Data Analysis, Brain, Computer Interface, Human Robot Interaction, Rehabilitation Robotics, Medical AI

Highlights: Best Practice Project – NoGravEx
Best Student Paper Award for supervised PhD student
Best Teacher Awards

Research Stays: “Stiftung Familie Klee” award for a one-year research stay at MIT (Cambridge, USA) with Prof. M.A. Wilson at the Center of Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Science.

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Medical Technology

Components for high-frequency electronics

PhD from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Research Interests: THz components, InP and GaN epitaxy and device technology, Resonant Tunneling Diodes and Heterojunction, Bipolar Transistors
MMIC design, Module and Package technology 

Highlights: General Chair, 2024 German Microwave Conference in Duisburg
IEEE MTT TC-21 Committee Chair, Terhahertz Systems and Applications

Research Stays: UDE; Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Berlin; Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ;
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Material Characterization
Environmental Monitoring

Nicole Krämer

Stephanie Rehwald

Andreas Rennings

Dirk Schadendorf

Human-Centered Computing and Cognitive Science

PhD

Research Interests: Human Technology Interaction, Trust in Technology, Technology Acceptance, Communication of technology attributes, Human Robot Interaction

Highlights: Expert in experimental Research
20 years of high-impact publications in Human Technology Interaction
Numerous third party projects on Human Technology Interaction

Research Stays: 2002/2003 Cambridge University

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Medical Technology

University Library, Research Data Services

Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Research Interests: Research Data Management, Information Science, Open Science

Highlights: Fellow Helmholtz Graduate School “Biosoft”
Head of Landesinitiative fdm.nrw, Co-Author “FDM Landeskonzept NRW”
Erasmus+ network “EuDaNOS”

Research Stays: University College Dublin, Ireland

General and Theoretical Electrical Engineering (ATE)

PhD from UDE

Research Interests: Theoretical, applied and computational electromagnetics, Antennas in general, on-chip antennas, Near-field probes, also active, Field-based measurement systems, RF coils for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Highlights: APMC 2023 Microwave Price
Best Paper Award, UCMMT 2017
VDE Promotionspreis

Research Stays: UCLA, IMST

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Environmental Monitoring

Dermatology

1986 University Hospital Hamburg

Research Interests: Tumor biology, Tumor immunology, Melanoma etc.

Highlights: Fleur-Hiege Memory prize, Wilhelm-Warner-Foundation Prize for Cancer research, German Cancer Award (DKG)

Research Stays: Max Planck Institute Berlin, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York 

Research area within terahertz.NRW: 

Thorsten Schultze

Fawad Sheikh

Andreas Stöhr

Max Planck Institute

2010

Research Interests: Automatic fire detection, Broadband microwave and THz analyses for fire and security applications, Scattered light simulation and measurement, Aerosol analysis

Highlights: Secretary of the European Society for Automatic Alarm Systems
e.V. (EUSAS e.V.)
Member of vfdb Section 14: Technical fire protection systems 

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization
Environmental Monitoring

Institute of Digital Signal Processing

Dr.-Ing. degree from the Universität Duisburg-Essen

Research Interests: 6G THz Communications, THz Monitoring for Life Sciences, Ray-Tracing based Algorithms, Computational Dosimetry Studies on Humans and Insects (RF to THz), THz Human Phantoms & Absorbers

Highlights: CEO, The Mobile THz Company (StartUp)
Financial Chair, IEEE ICM²TS Conference
Certified Project Management Professional (since 2011)

Research Stays: University of Southern California, University of Glasgow, UAE University

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Environmental Monitoring

Department of Optoelectronics

1997, Prof. Dr.

Research Interests: InP/SiN Photonic, Photodiodes and Lasers, Photonic Integrated Circuits (PIC), THz Communications, THz Radar and Imaging, Radio Frequency over Fiber

Highlights: Founder & CEO of Microwave Photonics GmbH
Co-Chair Center for Semiconductor Technol. and Optoelectronics (ZHO)
Terahertz Photodiodes

Research Stays: Corning Incorporated, NY, USA and NICT, Tokyo, Japan

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Medical Technology 

University of Wuppertal

Ullrich Pfeiffer

Site Spokesperson

Daniel Neumaier

Site Spokesperson

Guillaume Delaittre

Chair of High Frequency Systems in Communication Technology

University of Heidelberg (1999), Prof. Dr.

E-Mail: ullrich.pfeiffer@uni-wuppertal.de
Site Spokesperson

Website: ihct.uni-wuppertal.de

Research Interests: RF/THz engineering, THz electronics, CMOS Sources, Analog Circuit Design, High Speed Communication

Highlights: Two-time winner of the “Jan Van Vessem Award for Outstanding
European Paper“ at IEEE ISSCC
Member THz research network at University of Wuppertal
Grantee H2020-EU.1.1. – EXCELLENT SCIENCE – European Research
Council (ERC) advanced grant

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Medical Technology

Chair of Smart Sensor Systems

PhD from University of Regensburg

E-Mail: dneumaier@uni-wuppertal.de
Site Spokesperson

Research Interests: Two-dimensional Materials, Thin-Film Technology, THz detectors, Memristors

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization

Organic Functional Molecules

PhD from Sorbonne Université Paris

Research Interests: Macromolecular Chemistry, Sustainable Chemistry, Nanomaterials, Surface Functionalization, Biotechnology

Highlights: Polymer Chemistry (RSC) Emerging Investigator 2020

Prize of the Dr. Otto Röhm Foundation 2018

Research Stays: Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyRadboud Universiteit Nijmegen, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Environmental Monitoring

Fraunhofer IMS

Karsten Seidl

Site Spokesperson

Gerd vom Bögel

Anna Schall-Giesecke

Sascha Weyers

Business Unit Health / Dep. of Electronic Components and Circuits

PhD from University of Freiburg

Research Interests: MEMS/NEMS, Smart Sensor Systems, Biosensors, Neural Implants, Biosignal Processing

Highlights: Klee Award for Young Scientists in Biomedical Engineering
President of German Society in Biomedical Engineering
Red Dot Award / Bosch Innovation Award for Bosch Vivalytic

Research Stays: Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore / USA)

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Medical Technology

Business Unit Industry

Dr. from University Duisburg

Research Interests: Localization systems, Localization systems, Photonic ICs (PIC)

Research Stays: Fraunhofer IMS

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization

Technology

Dr. from University Düsseldorf

Research Interests: Semiconductor manufactoring, THz system, Photonic integrated circuits (PICs)

Research Stays: Fraunhofer IMS 

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Material Characterization

Technology

Gerhard Mercator University Duisburg

Research Interests: CMOS Technologein und Bauelemente, MEMS Technologien für Sensorik, Photonische integrierte Schaltungen (PICs)

Research Stays: University of California Santa Barbara

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization

Fraunhofer FHR

Dirk Nüßler

Site Spokesperson

Peter Knott

Wasim Alshrafi

Thomas Bertuch

Head of Industrial Radio Frequency Systems (IHS)

Prof. Dr.-Ing.

Research Interests: Terahertz Systems for Industrial Applications, Integrated Circuits and Sensor Systems, Industrial Measurement Technology, Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Imaging

Executive Director

Dr.-Ing. from RWTH Aachen University

Research Interests: RF, Microwave and Terahertz Engineering, Antenna Arrays and Beamforming, Radar System Design and Signal Processing, Applications of Radar in Defence, Security, Traffic and NDT

Highlights: Chair of Radar Systems Engineering at RWTH Aachen University
Co-Organiser of International Radar Symposium IRS since 2017
Member-at-Large in NATO/STO Sensors and Electronics Panel 

Research Stays: Medical Systems Lab, Univ. of Wales / College of Cardiff, UK

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Material Characterization
Environmental Monitoring

Antenna and Front End

Phd from RWTH Aachen

Research Interests: RF Frontend engineering: microwave to THz, Metasurfaces, Satellite communications, Radar applications, Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS)

Highlights: Winner of APMC 2020 Antennas Prize

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization

Antennas & Frontend

PhD from RWTH Aachen

Research Interests: Antennas, Computational Electromagnetics, Metamaterials and Metasurfaces, Electromagnetic Material Characterization

Research Stays: Politecnico di Torino, Italy

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization

Christian Bredendiek

Site Spokesperson

André Froehly

Dominic Alexander Funke

Riana Geschke

Integrated Circuits

PhD from Ruhr-University Bochum

Research Interests: Integrated Circuits, mmW/THz Circuit Design, RF Concepts for Radar, Sensing and Communication, MMIC Semiconductor technologies for RF/mmW/THz

Highlights: Best Paper Award European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference
2012 (EuMIC) as Author
Co-Recipient Best Student Paper Award EuMIC 2021

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Material Characterization 

Industrial high-frequency system

Dr.rer.nat. (Universität Stuttgart, 2015)

Research Interests: Radar-Signalverarbeitung, Materialcharakterisierung, Radarbildgebung, Bildverarbeitung

Research area in terahertz.NRW: Material Characterization

Integrated Circuits

Dr.-Ing. from RUB

Research Interests: SiGe MMICs, mmW and THz Radar, THz sensing and communication, low power CMOS circuits

Highlights: Best Paper award at ICECS 2016

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Material Characterization

Research Interests: Integrated circuits and sensor systems

Highlights: 2009 Stellenbosch University Vice-chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
2008 und 2009 Faculty of Engineering Student Council’s Honorary President by invitation from Engineering Student Council
2009 IEEE EMC Chapter Founder’s award for founding a joint AP-MTT and EMC chapter

Ruben Thill

Jan Wessel

Integrated Circuits

PHD from Heinz Nixdorf Institute University Paderborn

Research Interests: Millimeter wave to terahertz integrated circuits, Integrated circuits for bio-medical applications, Joint communication and sensing, Mixed signal integrated circuits, Cryogenic circuits and systems

Highlights: 2023 IEEE Microwave Prize Award

Research Stays: IHP, Fraunhofer FHR

Research area within terahertz.NRW: Communication & Localization
Material Characterization