On April 23, 2026, a small academic colloquium was held at the Technical University of Ilmenau in honor of our esteemed colleague Prof. Christian Karcher. Christian retired after a varied career both in Germany and abroad, which ultimately brought him to the Technical University of Ilmenau in 2000. In addition to his many research activities, his commitment to teaching and training the next generation of scholars deserves special mention. He consistently contributed his ideas and perspectives to the institute’s doctoral training program, the DFG Research Training Group on Lorentz Forces, and especially to undergraduate instruction, thereby significantly enhancing the quality of teaching. In addition to his influence on the modernization of curricula and the increased visibility of sustainability issues, he has always advocated for the integration of theory and practice as well as the collaboration between academia and industry. In 2025, he was honored for this with the Teaching Award from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at TU Ilmenau.

Reason enough to look back on the milestones of his scientific career and discuss current topics in a variety of lectures. We would like to extend special thanks to our external speakers Prof. Kerstin Eckert (TU Dresden), Prof. André Thess (DLR Stuttgart), Dr. Leo Bühler (KIT), and Dr. Sven Eckert (HZDR) for their enriching presentations and look forward to further exciting collaboration.

Prof. Karcher und GratulantenChristian Cierpka