Gerald Steil, a graduate engineer in mechanical engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Friedberg, has successfully completed his doctorate ( Dr.-Ing. at the International University Institute in Zittau. In his 400-page dissertation, the 43-year-old from Frankfurt am Main investigated how the error rate in the fluid dynamic design of systems can be reduced.

The Department Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, and Materials Technology (M) at the Giessen -Friedberg University of Applied Sciences had recommended the academic qualification of the graduate engineer to the Saxon university. This recommendation was based on both his outstanding academic achievements and the results of his ongoing engineering research, which formed the core of his dissertation. He also convinced the International University Institute Zittau, which admitted Gerald Steil to the doctoral programme without requiring further examinations to demonstrate his professional competence.

Prof. Dr. Hardy Weisweiler, Dean of Department M, was also a member of the review panel. He emphasized that the doctoral candidate had dedicated himself for years to the independent scientific study of a topic he repeatedly encountered in his professional practice, while working full-time. After graduating from the University of Applied Sciences in 1986, Gerald Steil initially worked as a test and calculation engineer in a medium-sized company. He then gained experience in the development and construction of supply systems before becoming operations manager for the electricity and water divisions of an energy supplier in 1999. During his 20-year career, the engineer continuously engaged with numerical problems in fluid mechanics. The accuracy of design calculations for systems was a professional priority for him. In his doctoral thesis, he demonstrated potential for improvement in this area, which also has economic implications. Reducing errors by just a few percent contributes to preventing energy losses and thus increases the efficiency of the systems. The plan is to publish the results and thus provide practitioners with a valuable guide.