ZESS PhD Research Forum 2026

21 May 2026, 11.30 h-17.15 h at ZESS

11:30 Session I

Welcome from ZESS & VDI  (Chair: Peter Kraemer) 

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 & Moritz Nottebaum: CPUBone: Efficient Vision Backbone Design for Devices with Low 
3. Alireza Yazdani:
4. Andrii Nehrych: Swept source phase 3D  imaging
5. Shalini Chaudhuri: Hardware-Based Protection of Automotive Electronics Against Cyberattacks: Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) for Hardware Security Applications
6. Lukas Giehl: ToF Ranging of Diffuse Scenes using a-Si:H IPD
7. Paul Kienitz: Advanced Hybrid Photonic Time of Flight Rangefinders Based on Amorphous and 2D Materials for Back End of Line Integration
8. Jannis Maron: Pose Tracking and Volume  Reconstruction for Multi-scattering Objects

14:30 Session IV

Lightning Talks 2 (Chair: N.N.)

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:
5. Marcel Wiemann:
6. Robin Burchard:
7. Sercan Alipek: Automated Bat Echolocation Call Analysis with Outlier Rejection at remote Locations 

15:45 Session V

Posters and Coffee Break 2 (Chair: N.N.)

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:
4. Johnal Dsouza:
5. Jonas Brettschneider:
6. Daniel Stock: Thickness Gauging of Kapton Foil during Web Processing using fast Terahertz Time-Domain-Spectroscopy
7. Saul Garcia Rodriguez:
8. Peiraviminaei:

16:45 Session VI

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