With best wishes for "a wonderful journey with new experiences, new knowledge, and new people", Technische Universität Ilmenau bid farewell to its graduates and doctoral candidates on June 6. A total of 244 graduates, who successfully completed their studies between January 1 and April 30, 2026, received their degree certificates. The deans of all five departments also presented six doctoral certificates and one habilitation certificate.
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Graduation ceremony 2026: "Even in the strongest noise you eventually recognize the important signal components"
In her speech, Vice President for Studies and Teaching Prof. Anja Geigenmüller paid tribute to the achievements of 99 Bachelor's, 138 Master's and seven Diploma graduates. On behalf of them all, Lena Ittner, Master's graduate in Biomedical Engineering at the Department of Computer Science and Automation, looked back on their time studying together at TU Ilmenau and celebrated the successful completion of an important stage of life. In doing so, she drew a parallel between measuring a biosignal and her own experiences during her studies:
A signal only becomes useful once disturbances have been reduced and noise and irrelevant information have been filtered out. Yet even in the strongest noise, the important components of a signal eventually become recognizable.
For her, these important signal components were above all the people she met during her studies.
A study group quickly became a circle of friends. A lecture follow-up turned into a games evening. And long weekends in the library turned into shared memories. And isn't that exactly what we remember when we look back on our time at university?
On June 6, Lena Ittner received her degree certificate alongside her fellow graduates. In addition, six early-career researchers were awarded their doctoral certificates.
Dr. Jialan Cao-Riehmer celebrated a particularly significant milestone in her academic career: the award of her habilitation certificate.
In her habilitation thesis, Dr. Cao-Riehmer investigated how droplet-based microfluidics can be used to analyze complex biological systems. Using tiny liquid droplets in the nanoliter range, microorganisms, microalgae, and plant cells can be cultivated and studied in a targeted manner. She combines this technology with sensor-based, imaging, and molecular biological methods to make biological functions visible and technologically accessible.
The aim is to further develop such microanalytical systems for applications of societal relevance, including modern plant breeding, the remediation of contaminated environments, and environmentally friendly biotechnological production processes. Since 2026, Dr. Cao-Riehmer has held a tandem professorship in Bioprocess Engineering at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.
The graduation ceremony also included the presentation of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology’s Advancement Award, as well as recognition of outstanding voluntary commitment by the Student Council.
With music, personal reflections, and warm applause, the TU Ilmenau bid farewell to its graduates as they embark on a new chapter in their lives, extending its best wishes for their future professional and personal endeavors.
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