Computers are found in almost every everyday electronic device. Dr. Florian von Zabiensky researches and teaches on such "embedded systems" and was appointed to the Department of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Computer Science (MNI) at THM at the start of the summer semester.
Prof. von Zabiensky is a true homegrown talent: He completed his Bachelor's degree in Engineering Informatics and his Master's degree in Computer Science at the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM). For his doctoral dissertation, which he successfully defended in 2024, he moved to the University of Kassel – while continuing to work as a lecturer for special tasks at the Department of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences (MNI) at THM in Giessen .
The newly appointed professor's research focuses on embedded systems – computers that are permanently installed in electronic devices or components and perform a specialized task. Modern cars, for example, are packed with such embedded systems, which handle tasks ranging from monitoring individual parameters to controlling complex processes. However, instead of working in the automotive sector, von Zabiensky conducted his doctoral research on Electronic Travel Aids (ETAs) for blind and visually impaired people. These systems assist with navigation but are often inflexible and difficult to compare. He developed a framework for ETAs that utilizes approaches from robotics to make individual components combinable and evaluateable through simulations. This allows for faster development and better evaluation of new systems – and at the same time, makes it easier to identify weaknesses.
Von Zabiensky gained the professional experience in business or industry required for a professorship at a university of applied sciences by starting in 2019 as a freelancer in the field of embedded systems. Later, he worked for a Marburg-based embedded software company, developing embedded systems. He held a leading position in the analysis and development of embedded systems and the associated test systems when he was offered a professorship at the Department of MNI.