At the sixth interdisciplinary doctoral colloquium at the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen the around 50 participants got an insight into the diverse research activities of the around 90 young scientists at the THM , who are currently gaining further qualifications with a doctorate. Four doctoral students presented their work in short lectures and put it up for discussion.

For example, in his doctoral thesis, Robin Etzel is working on “array coils for accelerated magnetic resonance imaging of the heart”. With his research, Etzel would like to speed up imaging in MRT in order to reduce to a minimum the disturbances that previously occurred when depicting the moving heart. The doctorate is based at the Faculty of Medicine at the Philipps University of Marburg and is supervised by Professor Dr. Boris Keil from the Competence Center for Biotechnology and Biomedical Physics at the THM . Etzel is currently a research associate in the Life Science Engineering department at the THM .

Marcus Pfeiffer deals with paper as a building material in his doctoral thesis entitled “Material modeling of anisotropic viscoplasticity for the use of paper as a building material”. He wants to make the building materials of the future predictable so that viable simulation models, which are important components of building approval, become possible. Here too, the University of Marburg is the cooperating university; Pfeiffer is doing his doctorate at the Graduate Centre for Engineering Sciences at the Research Campus of Central Hessen . He is supervised by Prof. Dr. Stefan Kolling from the Competence Center for Automotive, Mobility and Materials Research.

Civil engineer Tatjana Wavilow is devoting her doctoral project to the use of microalgae in wastewater treatment. Stricter limit values ​​require sewage treatment plants to reduce the phosphorus factor. Wavilow is investigating the practically relevant reaction and process conditions under which algae can be used in order to determine criteria for the dimensioning and operation of an algae bioreactor in wastewater treatment. She is doing her doctorate at the Bauhaus University Weimar and is taught by the local Prof. Dr. Jörg Londong and Prof. Dr. Ulf Theilen from the THM Competence Center for Energy and Environmental Systems Technology.

Finally, Mathias Joachim is working on his doctorate on an “alternative purification strategy for an antimicrobial peptide from E. Coli”. This peptide could be used, among other things, against multi-resistant germs. Among other things, Joachim is researching the optimal growth conditions for the bacteria with which the peptide can be produced. The doctorate is based at the Department of Biology and Chemistry at the University of Gießen . Joachim is supervised by Prof. Dr. Peter Czermak from the THM Competence Center for Biotechnology and Biomedical Physics.

Vice President Prof. Dr. Frank Runkel sees the THM on the right path to enabling its students to pursue doctoral projects in all subject areas. The Centre for Young Academics , which sees itself as a service point for doctoral students at THM , organized the event under the leadership of Dr. Petra Isberner organized.