Johanna Fröhlich Selected for BayFiD Batch 8
Johanna Fröhlich has been selected for the talent program “BayFiD – Bayerns Frauen in Digitalberufen” initiated by the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Digitales. BayFiD supports women pursuing careers in digital professions by fostering exchange, networking, and personal development. The initiative brings together talented women from diverse backgrounds in technology and digitalization, providing opportunities to strengthen their…
Vasilis Papanikolaou Wins Best Paper Award at IEEE CSNDSP 2026
IDC researcher Vasilis K. Papanikolaou, together with his co-authors Alexis A. Dowhuszko (Aalto University, Finland), Máté Galambos (Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary), Carlos Guerra-Yánez (Czech Technical University in Prague), Henrique M. Salgado (University of Porto, Portugal), Goran T. Djordjević (University of Niš, Serbia), Philipp Kleinpaß (DLR, Germany), and Niek Doelman (TNO, Netherlands), has received…
IDC at 7th European Summer School on Microfluidics in London
From July 13 to July 17, our doctoral candidates Timo Jakumeit and Theofilos Symeonidis participated in the 7th European Summer School on Microfluidics (EuroMBR Summer School), hosted by University College London (UCL) at the UCL East campus in London, United Kingdom. They were joined by Daniela Wegner from the Institute of Bioprocess Engineering at FAU,…
Friedemann Laue Wins Third Prize in IEEE ComSoc 4MT Competition
Former IDC member Dr.-Ing. Friedemann Laue won third prize in the IEEE ComSoc Four‑Minute‑Thesis (4MT) competition at IEEE ICC 2026. After advancing from the first round, he was one of 20 finalists invited to present his PhD research to a non‑specialist audience in just four minutes. Competitors were judged on comprehension and content as well…
Maximilian Schäfer Elected to Board of Die Junge Akademie
Maximilian Schäfer has been elected to the Board of Die Junge Akademie for the 2026/2027 term. The new Board began its one-year term of office on 28 June 2026, with the handover taking place during the academy’s annual celebration in Berlin. Die Junge Akademie, founded in 2000 as the world’s first academy for outstanding young…
Master Thesis — Optical Wireless Integrated Sensing and Communications with Single Photon Avalanche Photodiode-Array
Background and motivation: Optical wireless integrated sensing and communication (O-ISAC) is a promising technology for future indoor wireless networks, offering spectrum efficiency, high spatial resolution, and inherent physical-layer security. By reusing the same optical waveform and hardware, O-ISAC systems can jointly support high-rate data transmission and environmental sensing. However, sensing performance is strongly limited by…
Master Thesis — Control of Optical Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for Free-Space Optical Communications
Background and motivation: Intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs) have emerged as a key enabler for programmable wireless propagation environments. Their optical counterpart, the optical IRS (O-IRS), is realized either as an array of micro-mirrors or as an engineered metasurface, and is tailored to operate on optical rather than radio-frequency (RF) waves. By imposing a controlled phase…
Welcoming Dr. Chenguang Liu as Visiting Researcher
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Chenguang Liu for a secondment visit supported by Horizon Europe through a UNITE project. He is currently a Research Associate with Durham University, working on artificial intelligence/machine learning for wireless, semantic communication, and distributed intelligence under wireless uncertainty. During his stay, he will be hosted by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang…
IDC Researchers Visit Northeastern University to Advance THz Bio-Nanonetworking Research
From January to June 2026, Dr.-Ing. Lukas Brand and doctoral researcher Timo Jakumeit from IDC joined the Ultrabroadband Nanonetworking Laboratory at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, as visiting researchers. The laboratory is led by Prof. Josep M. Jornet, a leading expert in terahertz (THz) communications and nano-networking and the research stay was funded by…
Bastian Heinlein Accepted Into the bidt Graduate Center
IDC’s Bastian Heinlein has been accepted into the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt) Graduate Center for Doctoral Researchers. The Graduate Center brings together researchers investigating the impact of the digital transformation and the researchers shaping technologies for the digital transformation. As part of his research at the Institute for Digital Communications, Bastian works…
In Memory of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Koch
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Koch, who died on 4 May 2026 at the age of 76. As a professor at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Head of the Chair of Mobile Communications (LMK), now the Institute for Digital Communications (IDC), from 2001 to 2012, Wolfgang Koch…
Successful Participation of IDC at 3rd Workshop on Molecular, Biological and Multi-Scale Communication
This year, the 3rd Workshop on Molecular, Biological and Multi-Scale Communication (WMBMC) took place directly after ICC. The workshop was co-organized by Dr-Ing. Maximilian Schäfer and took place at the University of Glasgow on May 28-29. The workshop featured two plenary talks and several short talks by established researchers in the field, as well as multiple young researcher lightning talks…
Strong IDC Participation at IEEE ICC 2026 in Glasgow
The IDC was strongly represented at this year’s International Conference on Communications (ICC 2026), held in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. IDC’s participation spanned leadership roles and scientific contributions. ICC is one of two flagship conferences of the IEEE Communications Society (COMSOC), alongside Globecom. It is recognized as a premier global forum for communications professionals and researchers…
Timo Jakumeit Awarded IEEE ComSoc Travel Grant
Timo Jakumeit has received a travel grant from the IEEE Communications Society to attend the 3rd Workshop on Molecular, Biological, and Multi-Scale Communication (MBMC) in Glasgow, where he will present his research on molecular communications. The funding will help cover travel and accommodation costs associated with his participation. The workshop will take place on 28–29 May 2026 alongside the IEEE International Conference…
Dr. Maximilian Schäfer Accepted into the DFG Heisenberg Programme
The German Research Foundation (DFG) has accepted Dr.-Ing. habil. Maximilian Schäfer, senior researcher at IDC, into the Heisenberg Programme with his Project “Molecular Communications Engineering: From Fundamental Theory to Experimental Validation”. The Heisenberg Programme supports outstanding researchers who have qualified for a scientific leadership position and assists them in preparing for a permanent professorship. It…