Thomas Kissinger studied physics at the University of Würzburg and simultaneously information and communication technology at the Fernuniversität Hagen. He then worked in industry, where he was intensively involved in optical nanometry and positioning technology. In 2016, he received his PhD from Cranfield University in the UK in the field of optical interferometry. For his PhD, he received the university's dissertation award, the "Lord Kings Norton Medal". In his post-doctoral work and later also as a Lecturer at Cranfield, Thomas Kissinger conducted research on high-precision interferometric measuring devices for demanding environments, such as helicopter wings or robots. His research results are already being used by several commercial enterprises.
At TU Ilmenau, Prof. Thomas Kissinger will conduct research on improving the positional accuracy and dynamics of precision machines for ultra-precise production and analysis technology. In addition to basic research in this field, he will also work on cost-effective methods with broad potential for use in industry. Furthermore, applications for interferometric measurements in fiber optics, pressure and force sensing and imaging will also be explored.