Professor Christian Waldschmidt from Ulm University is a new member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech). The 48-year-old engineer and scientist was elected at the last General Assembly together with 24 other researchers. The welcome meeting with acatech President Professor Jan Wörner has now taken place.
Christian Waldschmidt is an internationally recognised expert in high-frequency technology and conducts research into antenna and radar systems as well as satellite communication. The Electrical Engineering graduate from Ulm will now support acatech with his scientific expertise in the fulfilment of its social mission: scientific policy advice. "I am delighted to welcome the new members and even more excited about the results of the Academy's projects, thematic networks and working groups," says acatech President Professor Jan Wörner. "In times of great global dynamics, it is all the more important to be able to inform and orientate oneself in a science-based context. It is important to be able to categorise developments and participate transparently in political and social decision-making processes. At acatech, we fulfil this mission of providing independent political and social advice that is oriented towards the common good by recruiting excellent and committed female and male scientists for interdisciplinary collaboration," Wörner continued.
Professor Christian Waldschmidt is one of these excellent and committed scientists. He specialises in high-frequency technology and signal processing. He conducts research into antenna, radar and sensor systems that are used in highly automated vehicles and drones, as well as in industrial robots and satellite communication. His institute is involved in numerous research projects that are funded by third parties, most of them by the German Research Foundation. However, industry also supports Waldschmidt's research.
Christian Waldschmidt studied and completed his doctorate at the University of Karlsruhe before moving into industry. At Robert Bosch GmbH, he headed various research and development groups for high-frequency technology and automotive radars. In 2013, the radar specialist joined Ulm University, where he succeeded Professor Wolfgang Menzel as the new head of the Institute of Microwave Techniques. The scientist is the author or co-author of over 300 scientific publications, fourteen of which have been honoured with distinction, and he holds more than 30 patents. The electrical engineering graduate, who has been a member of the DFG's review board since 2024, is involved in the VDE, the Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies, as well as the international professional organisation Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE. He is also a co-organiser of many international IEEE conferences and is active as a reviewer and assessor.
His scientific spectrum is broad and includes the development of both signal processing and hardware components. For example, the scientist from Ulm is also working on how automated vehicles can better recognise and "understand" pedestrian gestures with the help of machine learning algorithms. In a research project on biomimetic antenna arrays, the engineers want to learn from nature. The model: the highly sensitive ears of a very specific species of fly. Christian Waldschmidt is the spokesperson for an inter-university DFG funded graduate school. The aim of this research training project is to record geoscientific parameters of the biosphere and cryosphere with the help of drones equipped with special radar sensors in order to provide climate models with ever better data.
Further information:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Waldschmidt, Head of the Institute of Microwave Techniques, e-mail: christian.waldschmidt(at)uni-ulm.de
Text and media contact: Andrea Weber-Tuckermann