50 Years 50 Faces

For me, FHWS is ...
an environment in which I can freely teach young people, freely collaborate with industry and freely conduct research.

What do you appreciate about FHWS?

That it allows me to work freely with the students at all levels with its laboratories, equipment and employees.

What was the best decision in your professional career and why? What has changed since then?

There were three major decisions, not just one:

• The decision to do a doctorate in power electronics
• The decision to begin my professional career in a global technology group and to be able to gather extensive experience there for 15 years
• The decision to move to FHWS and establish the Technology Transfer Centre for E-mobility there together with colleagues using my professional experience

What do you think has shaped FHWS the most over the last 50 years?

• Opening up from a purely educational establishment to being a university of applied sciences at which research and technology transfer are also an essential mission
• The opportunity to train master’s students at universities of applied sciences
• The opportunity for collaborative doctorates

What is your vision of the future for FHWS? What might FHWS look like in 50 years’ time?

I see the long-term future of FHWS in being structurally part of a very high-quality, open education and research network in which young people are able to find the best path for them without barriers, from higher vocational education (technicians, masters, etc.) through bachelor’s and master’s degrees to high-quality doctorates. We can only do that if we reach "upward" in quality to the greatest extent possible. Quality wins, not quantity.

What is your insider tip for the cities of Würzburg or Schweinfurt and why?

My insider tip is collaboration at the FHWS Technology Transfer Centre for E-mobility in Bad Neustadt, of course. Research where other people go on holiday!