Prof. Dr. Jana de Wiljes has headed the new Mathematics of Data Science Group at the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at TU Ilmenau since October 2023. Her academic career began with a doctorate in the field of machine learning at the specialized area of mathematics at Freie Universität Berlin. For her dissertation on data-driven discrete spatiotemporal models, she was awarded the Tiburtius Prize for doctoral students at Berlin universities for outstanding dissertations. Since June 2017, she has been Principal Investigator of various projects on data assimilation within a Collaborative Research Center funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). In June 2022, Prof. de Wiljes was awarded the title of Dosentti (lecturer) in mathematics in the field of machine learning - comparable to a German habilitation - by the Department of Engineering at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology in Finland.

Prof. de Wiljes' research work focuses primarily on sequential learning - a method that makes it possible to make reliable predictions even with little data. This includes the theoretical investigation and uncertainty quantification of existing techniques, the development of new and advanced algorithms for Bayesian inference, and the application of state-of-the-art methods to real-world data in areas such as climate and space weather modeling. In particular, she develops methods for high-dimensional, nonlinear and nonstationary inverse problems and analyzes them for stability and accuracy. In addition, she deals with supervised and unsupervised machine learning and reinforcement learning, especially in connection with the optimization of therapies and the identification of causal links in medicine. In addition to her professorship at TU Ilmenau, Prof. de Wiljes also holds a visiting professorship at the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology.

Prof. Dr. Sylvia Saalfeld has headed the new Computational Medicine Group in the Department of Computer Science and Automation at TU Ilmenau since April 2023.

Previously, she was head of the Computational Medicine research group at the STIMULATE research campus at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, where she completed her doctorate and habilitation. Her research activities included medical image analysis and computer-assisted therapy support for numerous neurovascular, oncological and interventional issues. For cerebrovascular pathologies in particular, such as intravascular aneurysms or arteriovenous malformations, not only image-based approaches were developed under her leadership, but also deep learning techniques for 3D models (Geometric Deep Learning), which were previously extracted from medical image data. This enabled the researchers to combine and simplify complex blood flow simulations with the deep learning networks. This work was the basis for two DFG proposals, the latter of which is part of the active DFG Priority Program 2311, which investigates the potential of in silico models in medicine.

Further research areas of Prof. Saalfeld are the processing and co-registration of multimodal data sets, which include clinical data such as CT, MRI or 3D-DSA as well as experimental data, histology or vessel wall imaging, interactive visual analysis and immersive virtual reality applications. These can be used for the education and training of interventional physicians.

Jun.-Prof. Julia Lieb is Junior Professor and Head of the Discrete Mathematics Group at TU Ilmenau since September 1, 2023. She studied at the University of Würzburg and received her PhD in mathematics in 2017. Her dissertation deals with properties of polynomial matrices used in coding theory and discrete-time linear systems. As part of a DFG project in coding theory, she did postdoctoral research for one year each at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and at the University of Zurich, where she spent two more years as a postdoc. During this time, she was a substitute professor of discrete mathematics at the University of Passau for one semester.

Jun.-Prof. Julia Lieb's current research focus is coding theory, in particular convolutional codes, quasi-cyclic codes, and LDPC codes. Error-correcting codes are significant for various forms of message transmission. They are also used in coding-based cryptography, where they play an important role in the context of post-quantum cryptography. The theoretical foundations for such correction schemes lie in discrete mathematics or algebra.

Jun.-Prof. Julia Lieb is working on the development of improved code constructions and decoding algorithms. Convolutional codes, which are particularly relevant in the area of streaming, also have a strong connection to discrete-time linear systems, which are also of importance for the research of Jun.-Prof. Julia Lieb.

Jun.-Prof. Hongye Sun was appointed as a Junior Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at TU Ilmenau on 31 May 2023. She currently leads the Functional Materials Group and lectures master's students. Her research delves into flexible electronics, covering stretchable material formulation, 3D printed sensors, electronic circuits, and device integration.

Jun.-Prof. Sun earned her M.S. and Ph.D. from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, mentored by Prof. Matthew Ming-Fai YUEN. Her Ph.D. thesis focused on the development of high-performance epoxy-based thermal interface materials. Between 2017 and 2022, she served as a postdoctoral researcher at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) under Prof. Norbert Willenbacher, pioneering a method to enhance the electrical conductivity and stretchability of elastomers used in flexible electronics. Before joining TU Ilmenau, Dr. Sun was an R&D chemist at Henkel's Innovation Center, specializing in thermal interface materials for electrical batteries.

At TU Ilmenau, Jun-Prof. Sun's research will concentrate on developing stretchable, flexible conductive materials. The primary objective is to create versatile materials that can be used in the fabrication of actuators, sensors, and circuits for applications in smart textiles and wearable technology. Additionally, she is dedicated to the integration of microchips, resistors, and other electronic components into flexible substrates, exploring the durability of flexible electronics under repeated flexing and stretching.

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Manuel Schaller has been Head of the Differential Equations Group at the Institute of Mathematics at TU Ilmenau since August 2023. He completed his mathematics studies with a minor in computer science at the University of Bayreuth and worked for half a year in battery development for electric vehicles as part of an internship. There he developed methods for predicting aging and simulating electrochemical behavior. He completed his PhD in applied mathematics at the University of Bayreuth in 2021 in the intersection of numerical mathematics, infinite-dimensional optimal control, and mathematical systems theory. Afterwards, he worked as a lecturer in the  Optimization-based Control Group at TU Ilmenau until his appointment.

In his research, Manuel Schaller deals with optimal control of both finite- and infinite-dimensional systems, with the analysis of machine learning methods, and with the development of efficient numerical methods. Together with partners from medical technology and engineering, he successfully applies the results obtained and the methods developed in concrete applications, for example in retinal laser therapy and adaptive building control.

Since February 2023, Prof. Dr. Boris Koldehofe is the new head of the Distributed and Operating Systems Group at TU Ilmenau. He graduated in computer science from Saarland University, received his PhD from Chalmers Tekniska Högskola and his habilitation from TU Darmstadt. Prof. Koldehofe has worked in research and teaching at several national and international institutions such as EPFL, the Universities of Stuttgart and Heidelberg and most recently as a Full Professor at the University of Groningen. He is still active in the DFG Collaborative Research Center 1053 MAKI at the TU Darmstadt. His research in the area of distributed systems and operating systems deals with fundamentals of adaptive and distributed computing systems as well as their application-oriented evaluation with respect to performance, reliability and security. Special focus is currently in the context of the so-called "In-Network Computing", the consideration and integration of programmable communication systems to accelerate IoT-related applications for the processing of large data streams and their analysis and to operate more energy-efficiently. More recently, Prof. Koldehofe has also been researching the integration of new computational models and storage technologies such as memristors in order to operate distributed computing systems more energy efficiently.

Thomas Helbig has been the Advisor for Technology and Research at the Ilmenau Interactive Immersive Technologies Center (I3TC) since October 1, 2023. As an infrastructure unit of TU Ilmenau, the I3TC Center is assigned to the Institute for Intelligent and Interactive Immersive Media and Technologies (I4MT). The core of the technology center is formed by the laboratories for augmented, mixed and virtual reality and the TU Ilmenau media laboratory, which are being built in the new computer center (Grace-Hopper-Bau). This will create an environment for top-class research and teaching in the field of interactive immersive media at the TU Ilmenau.

After studying mechatronics at the TU Ilmenau, Thomas Helbig worked for over eleven years as a research assistant at the Biomechatronics Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is therefore very familiar with the structures at TU Ilmenau and can draw on a wealth of experience in applying for and carrying out scientific projects. The graduate engineer is also familiar with working in interdisciplinary teams. Over the years, his scientific activities have focused in particular on people, their senses, how they move and how they can be supported technically.

In his role as Advisor for Technology and Research, Thomas Helbig acts as an interface between the management and all scientific and technical staff at the I3TC. In addition to providing purely organizational support to the center's management, he is the point of contact for questions relating to the technical and content-related design of the center. He supports the networking of I3TC members, organizes events such as colloquia or study information days and helps to develop courses at the I3TC. He is also responsible for the external presentation of the center and in this role will work together with the Division of Marketing and Communication at TU Ilmenau and offer guided tours of the I3TC. Thomas Helbig is particularly interested in using the I3TC and the I4MT to help make the TU Ilmenau attractive to both future students and researchers.

Kevin Lindt has been a Data Steward at TU Ilmenau since August 1, 2023. This newly created position is part of a Thuringia-wide pilot project. The goal is to support research groups in establishing professional workflows for handling research data.

In his role as data steward, Kevin Lindt is on assignment at the TU Ilmenau, but also at universities throughout Thuringia. Among other things, he helps research groups ensure the quality of data and metadata, select suitable storage infrastructures and strategies, document data sources and data processing steps, or regulate rights and obligations in data processing.

Currently, Kevin Lindt is doing a part-time PhD at the Technical Physics II Group with a focus on polymer physics. He studied technical physics at the TU Ilmenau in the Bachelor and Master. The doctoral student gained his first experience with research data management at the beginning of his doctorate in 2020, attending courses at the university library and the Graduate Center of TU Ilmenau. This knowledge helped him in researching and publishing his own scientific papers.

As a data steward, Kevin Lindt wants to sustainably improve research data management at Thuringian universities. In particular, he is looking forward to working with researchers to develop and practically implement individual concepts, gaining insights into many different research disciplines. In addition, he would like to further promote open access publishing, especially of research data, and thus contribute to the wider dissemination of open science.

At TU Ilmenau, Kevin Lindt works closely with the University Computing Centre and the FDM Contact Point at the University Library, which scientists and scholars can continue to reach at fdm.ub@tu-ilmenau.de with their questions about research data management. Jessica Rex from the University Library will also continue to provide individual case consultations for scientists, as well as application advice.

If you would like to sustainably improve the research data management in your research group within the framework of a data steward assignment, you can request an assignment using this form. The framework conditions for an assignment can be found in the associated concept paper. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact data-steward@tu-ilmenau.de.

Thomas Schröder has been head of the University Computing Center (UniRZ) at TU Ilmenau since July 1, 2022. He succeeds Günter Springer, who headed the UniRZ from 1993 until June 2022.

Already as a student and student assistant at the end of the 1990s, Thomas Schröder got to know the structures of the university, especially the university computer center and the administration. After successfully completing his studies in 2005, he was given the opportunity to apply and expand his skills at the UniRZ in a Thuringia-wide identity management project. Already at this time collegial contacts to other universities were established.

Complex projects together with many areas of the university and other Thuringian universities were and are the rule in his daily work. A special interest for him is the conception and construction of highly available IT systems with their adaptation to efficient workflows and to put this complete package into the hands of the users. Until 2010, he led the development team responsible for the relaunch of the TU Ilmenau website. The concepts and technical solutions developed in the process lasted more than a decade and significantly increased the acceptance of TYPO3 at the university. The cooperation with the units, departments, operating units and faculties were always enriching and constructive for him, not only in this project, as he says.

In the same year, Thomas Schröder took over support for the university's mail systems and the Thuringian anti-spam appliance "Ironport". This was also the start of hosting groupware services for other Thuringian universities. Until the end, he was responsible for the Exchange systems of TU Ilmenau, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Hochschule für Musik Weimar, Universität Erfurt and Fachhochschule Erfurt, as well as the SharePoint systems of TU Ilmenau, Universität Erfurt and EAH Jena. In addition to a high level of service availability, he always placed great value on appreciative and collegial communication.

As head of the "IT Service Management" department, Thomas Schröder took on further personnel responsibility in 2013 and was given the opportunity to optimize processes across departments and to develop and implement sustainable, holistic solutions to problems. For him, a continuous improvement process is part of his daily work and has high priority. The IT Service Desk is part of this department and is the first point of contact for IT problems at the TU Ilmenau. It is therefore an important component in the external image of the UniRZ. This and his many years of involvement in the ITUM (IT-supported university management) working group have raised his profile within the university.

Through TU Ilmenau's cooperation with International University Liaison Indonesia (IULI), Thomas Schröder was in contact with the program's coordinators from 2017 and was able to provide IT resources in close coordination with the staff there. Through the Rotary Club of Ilmenau, he had worked with other Rotarians to try to establish a support program for the education of low-income Indonesians.

His department has established a role for itself as a reliable partner in Thuringia and throughout Germany: through the provision of groupware services for the TLPK (Thuringian State Presidents' Conference), SharePoint websites for ministries and the Thuringian Corona Advisory Board, among others, to website design implementation and hosting for the ZKI e.V. (Centers for Communication Processing in Research and Education). By gradually establishing services for other Thuringian universities, it was important for him to consolidate and expand contacts. He worked constructively with the heads of the university computer centers in Thuringia, was involved from the beginning in the staffing of the HS-ITZ (IT Center of the Thuringian Universities) and since 2020 has been a member of the "Advisory Group Technology and Strategy" of the HS-ITZ Board.

He sees the HS-ITZ as a consistent continuation of the SAGS (Standing Working Group on Software). By concentrating resources and knowledge at key points, IT services can be offered cost-effectively and with high quality throughout Thuringia, thus relieving the data centers of other universities. For many years, the SAGS has regularly provided support for tenders for framework agreements or Thuringia-wide training courses.

All UniRZ colleagues are eagerly awaiting the move to the new ITZ building, the Grace-Hopper-Bau. As a member of the UniRZ's internal "New Building" working group, Thomas Schröder was involved at an early stage in the planning process - especially in the areas of furnishings, locking systems, security technology, commissioning and documentation. The last four points are elementary for secure future operation and the desired certification. The UniRZ thus achieves a unique selling point in the Thuringian university data center environment. "I am convinced that the new building is an important component in consolidating and further expanding the Ilmenau location," says Schröder.

In his private life, too, his interests are wide-ranging: Further training in the areas of intercultural competence and time and project management have always been enriching for him and have also brought about positive developments at work. Business activities and the appearance as a service provider were already modeled for him in his childhood through the entrepreneurial activities of his parents and grandparents. His involvement in the Ilmenau Student Club, Rotaract, until recently the University Sports Center, and the Rotary Club of Ilmenau were and are a pleasant addition to his professional life, as he reports: "They have strengthened my social connection to the campus, Ilmenau and the region. Especially through Rotary, I always get to know interesting personalities whose stories motivate and make me think."

Over the years, Thomas Schröder has built up and expanded in-depth technical/specialized knowledge and soft skills in various fields of activity. "My career to date has shown that I have taken on responsibility in many places, can lead smaller and larger teams, and can also successfully manage complex projects," says Schröder. Continuing education courses with leadership and communication topics in particular have provided him with concepts and tools that have been helpful in his daily work. In his role as a manager, he relies on a combination of collegial leadership style as well as top-down and bottom-up approaches. He wants the UniRZ team to play an active role in helping to master the challenges of the future. Appreciation of the work leads to much higher motivation, which greatly benefits the daily work and projects, he says. This can ensure that the strategic goals and measures are aligned in terms of content, that they are ambitious but also achievable, and that employees can identify with them, he adds. "I see this identification among the colleagues at the UniRZ or the Ilmenau HS-ITZ site. Only in this way can we jointly master the challenges of the future. I'm optimistic about the future because, not least, I can rely on strong support from the UniRZ team."

For the coming years, the UniRZ director sees information security, dealing with cloud service providers, open source software and supporting research and teaching as the high-priority topics. These must be addressed in an overall IT strategy for the university and regularly adapted. In addition to these organizational-technical future activities, he also sees major challenges in the social area. Forward-looking personnel planning and development will be high on his agenda in the coming years.