ZESS PhD Research Forum 2026

At the annual “ZESS PhD Research Forum”, the Center for Sensor Systems offers its doctoral and postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to present their research progress.

The aim of the event is the interdisciplinary exchange between the various working groups and external parties and also offers the opportunity to gain presentation experience and improve presentation techniques.

11:30 Session I

Welcome from ZESS & VDI

1. Welcome: Prof Peter Kraemer (ZESS Speaker)
2. Opening: Prof Jörg Himmel (VDI)
3. Keynote: PD Dr Andreas Bablich

12:15 Session II

Lightning Talks 1 (Chair: Patrick Müller)

1. Alireza Yazdani: XAI and 3D visualization for Rotary Tube Bending Processes 
2. Zhaoyu Xiong: An Efficient Material Point Method Framework for Simulation and Visualization
3. Atikkhan Nilgar: Discreet Human-Robot Communication: Exploring Wearable-Enabled Private Channel in Rock-Paper-Scissors Game Setting
4. Merle Richter: Selective and Dynamic Detection of Tumor Markers Using THz Metamaterial-Based Biosensors 
5. Zeyneddin Oez: Resource-aware Models via Pruning and Quantization in Heterogeneous Federated Learning 
6. Penelope Natusch & Florian Broda: AI-Based Visual Reidentification of European Bison: Challenges and Opportunities

13:30 Session III

Posters and Coffee Break 1

1. Patrick Mueller: A Hardware Twin for Assessing Network Robustness Towards Optical Aberrations and Noise
2. Qiushuang Zhang: Learning Optimized Pixel Layouts for Vision Sensor Design
3. Moritz Nottebaum: CPUBone: Efficient Vision Backbone Design for Devices with Low
4. Alireza Yazdani: XAI and 3D visualization for Rotary Tube Bending Processes
5. Andrii Nehrych: Swept source phase 3D  imaging
6. Shalini Chaudhuri: Hardware-Based Protection of Automotive Electronics Against Cyberattacks: Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) for Hardware Security Applications
7. Lukas Giehl: ToF Ranging of Diffuse Scenes using a-Si:H IPD
8. Paul Kienitz: Advanced Hybrid Photonic Time of Flight Rangefinders Based on Amorphous and 2D Materials for Back End of Line Integration
9. Jannis Maron: Pose Tracking and Volume Reconstruction for Multi-scattering Objects
10. Ali Sohrabzadeh: AI-Assisted THz Sensing for Electric Vehicle Polymer Recycling

14:30 Session IV

Lightning Talks 2 (Chair: Jonas Hölzer)

1. Michael Brilka: Efficient writing of Sensor Data on Microcontrollers 
2. Benedikt Wuellner: Service Life Monitoring of Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations 
3. Nahshon Obiri: From Environmental Sensing to Fade Margins: Parametric Reliability Calibration for Indoor LoRaWAN 
4. Jonas Kappel: Vibration-based monitoring of grout joints and process synthesis 
5. Marcel Wiemann: State-Dependent Operational Modal Analysis of Wind Turbines 
6. Sercan Alipek: Automated Bat Echolocation Call Analysis with Outlier Rejection at remote Locations 

15:45 Session V

Posters and Coffee Break 2

1. Shubham Sharma: Prognostics of Band Blades in Foam Contour Cutting Machines
2. Anna-Lena Dreisbach: Electro-Mechanical Impedance Spectra for the Monitoring of Bolted Connections under Varying Temperatures 
3. Philipp Schneider: Neural Atlas Graphs for Dynamic Scene Decomposition and Editing
4. Johnal Dsouza: Towards progressive, spatio-temporal consistent inline activity recognition  
5. Daniel Stock: Thickness Gauging of Kapton Foil during Web Processing using fast Terahertz Time -Domain-Spectroscopy
6. Saul Garcia Rodriguez: TBC
7. Muhammad Sabir Sultan Nawaz & Mohamed Saleh: THz Imaging
8. Amir Peiraviminaei: Modelling and Recovering Differential Motion of the Transparent Microscopic Objects
9. Pratik Bisht: NRF-GS: Neural Residual Fields for Expressive and Compact Gaussian Splatting
10. Henry Kipsang Misoi: Experimental Determination of the Collisional Broadening Effect of NH₃ on the S-Branch Raman Linewidth of N₂

16:45 Session VI

VDI Awards and Closing (Chair: N.N.)