News
AOT-TP Seminar Program for the Summer Term 2025 Available
(April 15, 2025) The AOT-TP seminar program for the sommer term 2025 is available. It includes talks from students summarizing their theses and from doctoral candidates presenting their latest research results.
Hiking Tour in October 2024
(April 06, 2025) Members of AOT-TP went for a hiking tour from Bad Staffelstein onto the Staffelberg to the basilica Vierzehnheiligen and Kloster Banz. Also nice spring weather contributed to a beautiful day. Impressions can be found in the gallery below.
Visitors from Tohoku University
(March 27, 2025) Professors Akira Yoko and Eita Shoji visited AOT-TP for fruitful discussions regarding current and upcoming collaborations between their groups at Tohoku University and our team.
Running Team in Action – Always up to Date
(March 29, 2025) A huge AOT-TP team consisting of Pranay Chittem, Chathura Kankanamge, Thomas Koller, Tobias Klein, Michael Rausch, Frances Lenahan and the students Jörn Klose, Kisal Senadeera and Milad Esfandiari finished at the Erlanger Winterwaldlauf 2025.
(March 02, 2025) Tobias Klein, Michael Rausch and Frances Lenahan did the FinishLine Run 2025 in Nuremberg.
(December 31, 2024) Tobias Klein and Michael Rausch took the cold challenge of the Bräuningshofer Silvesterlauf 2024.
(November 10, 2024) Tobias Klein and Frances Lenahan as well as Marlene Reuschel (Managing Director of the department AIBE of FAU) took part in the 23 km run of the “Spalter Freiheit Hügelland Trailrun 2024“.
(October 12, 2024) A big team of AOT-TP took part in the “Lauf gegen Krebs 2024” (Run against Cancer 2024).
(October 06, 2024) Julius Kühl, Saad Idrees, Tobias Klein and Frances Lenahan finished the Kulmbach Trailrun Short.
(October 05, 2024) Tobias Klein and Frances Lenahan finished the Mountainman M-Trail in Reit im Winkl (27 km, more than 1000 m altitude difference).
(October 03, 2024) Tobias Klein and Michael Rausch finished the half marathon at the City Run Nürnberg.
(September 28, 2024) Frances Lenahan, Tobias Klein and Saad Idrees finished 3rd as a “Rat Pack” team in the Rats Run in Hintersteinenberg.
(September 22, 2024) Saad Idrees, Frances Lenahan, Tobias Klein and Michael Rausch took part in the Karpfenweiherlauf (Carp Pond Run) 2024.
(July 20, 2024) Saad Idrees, Michael Rausch, Frances Lenahan, Julius Kühl and Tobias Klein (21.1 km) as well as Ute Klöpzig, Pranay Chittem, Chathura Kankanamge and Bara’a Al-khateeb (7.4 km) finished the partially hot and partially “shower-like” Altmühlseelauf 2024.
(May 05, 2024) Pranay Chittem, Chathura Kankanamge, Frances Lenahan, Saad Idrees, Julius Kühl and Tobias Klein enjoyed the adventure of the Rats Run in Bühlertann.
(March 16, 2024) Frances Lenahan, Tobias Klein and Michael Rausch finished the 15 km trail run (it was said to be 12 km, but a mistake of guides made it 15 km) within the Winterwaldlauf 2024 in Erlangen.
(December 03, 2023) Frances Lenahan, Saad Idrees and Tobias Klein finished the Mountainman Nikolaus-Trail in Pommelsbrunn.
(October 06, 2023) A big team of AOT-TP joined the “Lauf gegen den Krebs 2023” in the Schlossgarten of Erlangen. Frances Lenahan, Chathura Kankanamge, Saad Idrees, Thomas Koller, Tobias Klein and Michael Rausch contributed with in total almost 60 rounds (about 50 km) to donations related to this benefit run.
(October 03, 2023) Frances Lenahan, Saad Idrees and Tobias Klein finished successfully the 10 km run of the Nürnberg City Run 2023.
(September 29, 2023) Frances Lenahan finished in 3rd place of the women’s 7 km Karpfenweiherlauf (carp pond run) 2023 in Möhrendorf – Congratulations! Saad Idrees, Tobias Klein and Michael Rausch were not that successful, but enjoyed the beautiful 11 km run through forest trails and between carp ponds.
(September 16, 2023) The AOT-TP team took part in the “Lauf in die Mönau” 2023. While Pranay Kumar Chittem started in the 5 km run, Frances Lenahan, Saad Idrees, Tobias Klein and Michael Rausch did the 10 km event.
(April 05, 2023) Frances Lenahan, Johanna Hofmann, Julius Kühl and Tobias Klein took part in the Winterwaldlauf 2023 as the AOT-TP team and finished in 6th place of the team event of the 10 km run.
(March 14, 2023) Several members of AOT-TP took part in the Colon Cancer Run 2023 in the Schlossgarten of Erlangen. This run is meant to set an example for bowel cancer prevention within the framework of the Bowel Cancer Month March. Thus, the run is part of the prevention project “Bowel Cancer Month March” with the aim to draw attention to the important bowel cancer prevention.
AOT-TP at the Annual Meeting of the DECHEMA/VDI-Fachgruppe Wärme- und Stoffübertragung 2025
(March 13, 2025) The AOT-TP team contributed with three talks and one poster to the Annual Meeting of the DECHEMA/VDI-Fachgruppe Wärme- und Stoffübertragung held in March 2025 in Stuttgart. The presenters and titles of these contributions are given in the following:
- M. Saad Idrees: Modeling of Heat Transfer Coefficients during Hot Stamping
- Bara’a W. Al-khateeb: Dropwise Condensation Heat Transfer for Fluids with Low Surface Tension
- Julius V. W. Kühl: Condensation Heat Transfer of Zeotropic Mixtures of Propane and n-Butane on Horizontal Single Tubes and in Tube Bundles
- Thomas M. Koller: Effective Thermal Conductivity of Dispersions with a Continuous Liquid Phase
Expanding the Lab Activities of AOT-TP
(February 05, 2025) Owing to recently approved new research projects, AOT-TP has to expand lab capacities. In addition to the installation of a dedicated particle scattering lab and another one where a vibrating-wire apparatus is built up, a new setup designed for the further development of the surface light scattering (SLS) method is currently installed. The picture below gives an impression of the starting point of this activity, which is the installation of the corresponding damped optical table.
Ioannis Economou Presenting at CBI Colloquium
(December 12, 2024) Our Guest Professor Ioannis G. Economou has presented highlights of his research within a talk entitled “From atoms and molecules to materials: Design of novel membranes for gas separation” at the CBI Colloquium. After a exciting talk and discussion, more informal conservation at the CBI Christmas Party was possible. It was a nice occasion that at the same time, our guest Martin Trusler from Imperial College London was also present in connection with a cooperation aiming at the establishment of a vibrating-wire viscometer at AOT-TP.
AOT-TP at Schnupper-Uni
(October 28, 2024) AOT-TP was present at the Schnupperuni on October 28, 2024 where pupils had the chance to attend their first lectures and get an idea on research at universities. For AOT-TP, Bara’a Al-khateeb, Pranay Chittem and Thomas M. Koller showed our DLS setup for the measurement of viscosity via particle scattering and tried to explain the phenomenon of viscosity to the interested pupils.
Hiking Tour in October 2024
(October 13, 2024) Members of AOT-TP went for a hiking tour from Erlangen to the Antoniuskapelle Lauberberg, enjoying the impressions of approaching automn on their way through forests and the beautiful carp-pond landscape – the fruits of which enjoyed by some of the hikers afterwards.
AOT-TP Seminar Program for the Winter Term 2024/2025 Available
(October 7, 2024) The AOT-TP seminar program for the winter term 2024/2025 is available. It includes talks from our Guest Professor Ioannis G. Economou, students summarizing their theses and from doctoral candidates presenting their latest research results.
Habilitation of Thomas M. Koller
(October 2, 2024) Group leader Thomas M. Koller could take the next step in his carreer and has received the habilitation certificate for his achievements during the past years and his thesis entitled “Characterization of Multiphase Systems in Process Engineering by the Investigation of Their Thermophysical Properties” (pdf download available here). During a small ceremony, First Vice Dean (Research and Young Researchers) Prof. Dr. Marc Stamminger handed the certificate over to Thomas and mentioned the quality of his work associated with this result. Certainly, the ceremony was the start to a nice dinner and evening with Thomas’ family and the AOT-TP members.
Welcome to Guest Professor Ioannis G. Economou
(October 1, 2024) A warm welcome to Prof. Dr. Ioannis G. Economou, who will cooperate with us as a Guest Professor on-site until the end of the year in the field of molecular dynamics simulation!
Interview with Thomas M. Koller Regarding “Lauf gegen Krebs”
(August 16, 2024) Thomas M. Koller spoke about his impressions of the “Lauf gegen Krebs 2023” (Run Against Cancer 2023) and the plans of AOT-TP for the next corresponding event in an interview conducted by the FAU Press Office.
Successful Doctoral Thesis Defense of Maximilian Piszko
(August 2, 2024) Congratulations to Maximilian Piszko! He successfully defended his doctoral thesis entitled “Dynamic Light Scattering for Simultaneous Determination of Thermal and Mutual Diffusivities of Fluid Mixtures”. Thanks to Maximilian for all his contributions – we wish him all the best for his future!
Successful Doctoral Thesis Defense of Manuel Kerscher
(July 25, 2024) Congratulations to Manuel Kerscher for his successful doctoral thesis defense! Manuel presented his work entitled “Characterization of Liquids for Hydrogen Storage and Transport by Surface Light Scattering”. We thank Manuel for all his contributions and wish him all the best for his future!
SAOT Student Awards 2024 for Wenchang Wu and Chathura J. Kankanamge
(July 24, 2024) Two out of the six SAOT Student Awards 2024 were transferred upon AOT-TP members on the occasion of the SAOT Innovation Day 2024 on July 24, 2024. The awards acknowledge first authorships of the high-ranked publications, where Wenchang Wu and Chathura J. Kankanamge have been awarded for the following papers:
- “Characterization of Nanofluids in Evaporating Droplets by Dynamic Light Scattering“ in Measurement, co-authored by Wenchang Wu, David H. Pandura Vela, Andreas Bück and Andreas P. Fröba
- “Diffusion coefficients in binary electrolyte mixtures by dynamic light scattering and molecular dynamics simulations“ in Electrochimica Acta, co-authored by Chathura J. Kankanamge, Taotao Zhan, Maximilian Piszko, Tobias Klein and Andreas P. Fröba
AOT-TP Presenting at the 22nd Symposium on Thermophysical Properties
(July 17, 2024) AOT-TP has contributed with 12 talks (2 of which were invited talks) on recent research to the 22nd Symposium on Thermophysical Properties held on June 23 to 28, 2024 in Boulder, CO, USA. An overview of the presented topics (alphabetically ordered considering the title) and the corresponding presenters as well as some impressions are given below.
- Lena M. Braun: Characterization of the Hydrogen Carrier System Based on Aqueous Solutions of Isopropanol and Acetone by Optical and Conventional Techniques
- Patrick S. Schmidt: Determination of Mutual Diffusivities by the Shadowgraph Method
- Andreas Paul Fröba: Diffusion Coefficients in Fluid Mixtures and Particulate Systems by Using Dynamic Light Scattering (invited)
- Tobias Klein: Diffusivities in Electrolyte Systems from Dynamic Light Scattering (invited)
- Chathura J. Kankanamge: Diffusivities in Electrolyte Systems from Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics Simulations
- Francisco E. Berger Bioucas: Effective Thermal Conductivity of Dispersions with a Continuous Liquid Phase
- Ziwen Zhai: Influence of Different Gases and Molecular Catalysts on Interfacial Tension and Viscosity of Ionic Liquids
- Wenchang Wu: Particle Diffusivity in Particulate Systems by Using Photon
- Frances D. Lenahan: Prediction Model for Fick Diffusion Coefficients in Liquids with Dissolved Gases Close to Infinite Dilution
- Thomas M. Koller: Surface Light Scattering Close to the Critical Damping of Surface Fluctuations and in the Presence of Molecular Orientation Effects
- Michael H. Rausch: Thermophysical Properties of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers
- Julius H. Jander: Thermophysical Properties of Polymer Melts with Dissolved Blowing Agents by Optical Techniques
Dr.-Ing. Tobias Klein Appointed as Member of IATP
(July 17, 2024) Tobias Klein has been elected as a member of the International Association of Transport Properties on the occasion of its 22nd Meeting in Boulder, CO on June 23, 2024. Together with Andreas P. Fröba, Michael H. Rausch, and Thomas M. Koller, AOT-TP is now represented with four members within this well-recognized committee.
AOT-TP in New Image Film of the Department Chemical and Biological Engineering of FAU
(June 06, 2024) In the new image film “Finding the Essence” of the Department Chemical and Biological Engineering of FAU, also a short insight in the labs of AOT-TP is given. The film can be accessed via the YouTube channel of FAU under the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIyDCppD3ts. In the film, the AOT-TP contribution showing mainly Lena Braun and Chathura Kankanamge can be found between about 0:47 and 1:04.
Successful Doctoral Thesis Defense of Wenchang Wu
(May 29, 2024) Congratulations to Wenchang Wu for his successful doctoral thesis defense today! Wenchang presented his work entitled “Light Scattering Techniques for the Determination of Mass Diffusivities in Molecular and Particulate Systems”. We are happy that Wenchang supports our research for some more months!
Lecture Given by Tobias Klein in Top Ranking auf FAU Evaluation
(May 08, 2024) The lecture “Thermodynamics and Heat and Mass Transfer” (category VP5) given by Tobias Klein is included in the top ranking of the FAU teaching evaluation for the winter term 2023/2024. It made it to rank 3 out of 47. Congratulations!
AOT-TP in New Image Film of Faculty of Engineering
(April 27, 2024) The Faculty of Engineering of FAU has produced new image films, where also a contribution of AOT-TP is given in the film “Moving Knowledge”. The film can be accessed via the website of the Faculty of Engineering (click here to reach the corresponding news page), where Chathura Kankanamge and our DLS measurement cell can be seen at around 1:18.
Paper in ACS Editors’ Choice
(April 18, 2024) The paper “Fick Diffusion Coefficients in Binary Liquid Mixtures Containing Alkanes, Aromatics, Alcohols, or Acetone by Using Dynamic Light Scattering” co-authored by Patrick S. Schmidt, Maximilian Piszko, and Andreas P. Fröba and published in the ACS Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data has been selected to be part of the ACS Editors’ Choice program. On this basis, it is freely available until October 2024. Congratulations to Patrick and Maximilian for this great achievemen
Hiking Tour to the Kreuzberg (Hallerndorf)
(April 15, 2024) In the morning of April 14, a group of AOT-TP members started in Erlangen for a hike to the Kreuzberg (Hallerndorf). Nice weather, good mood, beautiful nature and – not to forget – culinary pleasures made this trip a wonderful experience, although the plenty of kilometers covered also left some other reminders back ;-). Some impressions of the hiking tour are given in the picture gallery below.
Lecture and Exercise Given by AOT-TP Members in Top Ranking auf FAU Evaluation
(January 04, 2024) The combined lecture and exercise “Thermofluiddynamik der Biotechnologie” (Thermo-Fluid Dynamics in Biotechnology, category VP10) given by Thomas M. Koller and Patrick Schmidt is included in the top ranking of the FAU teaching evaluation for the summer term 2023. Congratulations!
Andreas P. Fröba Among Top 2% Most Widely Cited Scientists
(December 13, 2023) Together with nine further members of the Department CBI of FAU, Andreas Paul Fröba is for the first time among the top 2% of the most widely cited scientists worldwide according to an evaluation of Stanford University. Congratulations for this achievement! As it considers mainly the citations of the AOT-TP publications in 2022, it documents the success of the whole institute in its young history.
Successful Doctoral Thesis Defense of Frances Lenahan
(November 17, 2023) Congratulations to Frances D. Lenahan for her successful doctoral thesis defense today! Frances presented her work entitled “Diffusion in Liquids with Dissolved Gases by Dynamic Light Scattering Experiments, Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics Simulations, and Prediction Models”. We thank her for all her contributions to the AOT-TP team and wish her all the best for her future!
AOT-TP at Schnupper-Uni
(November 03, 2023) AOT-TP was present at the Schnupperuni on October 31, 2023 where pupils had the chance to attend their first lectures and get an idea on research at universities. For AOT-TP, Bara’a Al-khateeb, Francisco Bioucas and Thomas M. Koller showed our DLS setup for the measurement of viscosity via particle scattering and tried to explain the phenomenon of viscosity to the interested pupils.
AOT-TP Team Presenting at the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften 2023
(October 24, 2023) On the occasion of the Nacht der Wissenschaften 2023, the team of AOT-TP has shown live experiments to answer the question why whisky lubricates the throat better than pure water or pure alcohol. Capillary viscometry and dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments realized and used at AOT-TP were employed to measure the viscosity of mixtures of water and alcohol. More than 750 visitors used the opportunity to get an insight into thermophyiscal property research at AOT-TP and learn about the interesting behaviour of water-alcohol-mixtures. Do you know what is special about them in terms of viscosity?
Hiking Tour in October 2023
(October 12, 2023) With lovely sunny weather and corresponding mood, members of AOT-TP went for a hiking tour in the beautiful wineyards around Volkach on October 02, 2023. The tour included several stops at viewpoints, sights, for a wine tasting, a ferry ride over the Main river, and a lot of sun and fun.
AOT-TP at the Thermodynamik-Kolloquium 2023
(October 12, 2023) The AOT-TP team contributed with several talks and posters to the Thermodynamik-Kolloquium held in September 2023 in Hannover. The presenters and titles of these contributions are given in the following:
- Francisco E. Berger Bioucas: Measurement and Prediction of the Effective Thermal Conductivity of Dispersions with a Continuous Liquid Phase
- Thomas M. Koller: Surface Light Scattering for the Analysis of Molecular Surface Orientation Effects
- Patrick S. Schmidt: Determination of Mutual Diffusivities by the Shadowgraph Method
- Julius H. Jander: Optical Methology for the Characterization of Fluids Relevant for Hydrogen Storage and Transport
- Tobias Klein: Influence of the Molecular Structure of the Solvent on Diffusive Mass Transport in Binary Electrolyte Systems by Dynamic Light Scattering and Molecular Dynamics Simulations
ECTP-Netzsch Young Scientist Award 2023 for Thomas M. Koller
(September 14, 2023) The renowned ECTP-Netzsch Young Scientist Award 2023 was granted to Thomas M. Koller on September 12, 2023 during the 22nd European Conference on Thermophysical Properties (ECTP) in Venice, Italy. The award recognizes Thomas’ exceptional scientific achievements in the thermophysical properties research. Congratulations for this outstanding honor! Some impressions of the award ceremony are given below.
SAOT Student Award 2023 for Julius H. Jander
(August 16, 2023) The SAOT Student Award 2023 in the topic Optical Metrology was transferred upon Julius H. Jander within the Rethinking Photonics event on March 30, 2023. The award acknowledges Julius’s first authorship of the high-ranked publication “Determination of hydrogen loading in the carrier system diphenylmethane/dicyclohexylmethane by depolarized Raman spectroscopy” in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. The paper is co-authored by Manuel Kerscher, Shao Li, Michael H. Rausch, Peter Wasserscheid and Andreas P. Fröba.
Audience Award for Excellent Teaching to Thomas M. Koller
(July 06, 2023) Congratulations to Thomas M. Koller for receiving the 6. Audience Award for Excellent Teaching from the Student Representative Initiative CBI LSE CEN EnTe (FSI CBI) on the occasion of the initiative’s summer party. With this award, the students acknowledge the high quality of the lecture courses in Engineering Thermodynamics and Thermo-fluid Dynamics in Biotechnology given by Dr. Koller.
Particle-Diffusion Paper on Journal Front Cover
(May 19, 2023) We are happy to announce that our paper “Diffusion of gold nanoparticles in porous silica monoliths determined by dynamic light scattering” originating from a collaboration within the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Centre 1411 “Design of Particulate Systems” has been selected to serve for the design of the front cover of volume 644 of the renowned Journal of Colloid and Interface Science.
Hiking Tour in April 2023
(April 27, 2023) Members of AOT-TP went for a hiking tour from Erlangen to the Antoniuskapelle Lauberberg on April 23. After a relaxed coffee, the hike started towards the halftime break in Weisendorf.
On the way, we sent a music wish to BR Schlager, which was kindly granted with a wonderful introduction from the radio host Michael Philipp Strassmann. Enjoy this introduction produced and provided by courtesy of BR Schlager by clicking here.
After a sunny refreshment in Weisendorf, the final stage through the beautiful carp-pond landscape brought us to the final destination of this tour.
Exercise Given by AOT-TP Members in Top Ranking auf FAU Evaluation
(January 20, 2023) The exercise “Engineering Thermodynamics II for ET and CE” (category ÜP20) given by Tobias Klein and Maximilian Piszko is included in the top ranking of the FAU teaching evaluation for the summer term 2022.
AOT-TP at Schnupper-Uni
(November 03, 2022) AOT-TP was present at the Schnupperuni on October 31, 2022 where pupils had the chance to attend their first lectures and get an idea on research at universities. For AOT-TP, Frances Lenahan, Francisco Bioucas and Thomas M. Koller showed our capillary viscometers for the measurement of viscosity and tried to explain the underlying phenomenon to the interested pupils.
ATPC 2022 Best Presentation Award for Tobias Klein
(October 14, 2022) Tobias Klein was awarded with the Best Presentation Award of the Asian Thermophysical Properties Conference 2022. Tobias presented the contribution “Viscosity and Interfacial Tension of Long Linear or Branched Alkanes, Alcohols, and their Mixtures with Dissolved Gases” co-authored by Frances D. Lenahan, Manuel Kerscher, Ziwen Zhai, Thomas M. Koller, Michael H. Rausch, and Andreas P. Fröba.
Successful Doctoral Thesis Defense of Matthias Knoll
(October 07, 2022) Congratulations to Matthias S. G. Knoll for his successfully defended doctoral thesis entitled “Characterization of Heterogeneous Systems via the Determination of the Translational Diffusion Coefficient by Dynamic Light Scattering” today! We thank him for all his contributions to the AOT-TP team and wish him all the best for his future!
AOT-TP Team Presenting at the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften 2022
(May 30, 2022) On the occasion of the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften 2022, the team of AOT-TP explained by means of viscosity measurements based on dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments why whisky lubricates the throat better than pure water or pure alcohol.
Successful Doctoral Thesis Defense of Tobias Klein
(January 28, 2022) Congratulations to Tobias Klein who successfully defended his doctoral thesis entitled “Thermophysical Properties of Liquids with Dissolved Gases as Working Fluids in Chemical and Energy Engineering” today! We are happy that he will further contribute to the mission of AOT-TP as post-doc! The picture below shows Tobias with the doctoral hat prepared by his colleagues.
WATT Studienpreis 2021 for Julius H. Jander
(September 29, 2021) The WATT Studienpreis 2021 for excellent student theses in the field of engineering thermodynamics was awarded to Julius H. Jander in connection with his Master thesis entitled “Solubility and density measurements as well as the calibration of Raman spectroscopy for liquid organic hydrogen carrier/hydrogen systems”. The screenshot given below was taken during the award ceremony on September 27, 2021 within the Thermodynamik-Kolloquium 2021. Within this online event, the two award winners were announced by the head of WATT e.V. (Wissenschaftlicher Arbeitskreis Technische Thermodynamik e.V., Scientific Working Party for Engineering Thermodynamics), Burak Atakan.
SAOT Student Award 2021 for Maximilian Piszko
(July 15, 2021) The SAOT Student Award 2021 in the topic Optical Metrology was transferred upon Maximilian Piszko within the online award ceremony held on July 15, 2021. The award acknowledges Max’s first authorship of the high-ranked publication “Dynamic light scattering for studying mutual diffusion coefficients in electrolyte systems comprised entirely of ions” in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society. The paper is co-authored by Chathura J. Kankanamge, Michael H. Rausch, Tobias Klein and Andreas P. Fröba.
AOT-TP Presenting at the 21st Symposium on Thermophysical Properties
(May 25, 2021) AOT-TP will contribute with 12 talks from recent research to the 21st Symposium on Thermophysical Properties held on June 20 to 25, 2021. This year, this major international conference in this field usually taking place in Boulder, CO, USA is organized as an online conference. An overview of the topics and the corresponding presenters is given in the figure below.
Successful Doctoral Thesis Defense of Ubaya A. Higgoda
(September 24, 2020) Congratulations to Ubaya A. Higgoda for passing his doctoral thesis defense successfully on September 22, 2020! His talk given via video conference from his home country, Sri Lanka, covered the topic “”Improvement of the predictive power of molecular dynamics simulations for the determination of transport properties demonstrated for selected fluid systems” and was attended, in addition to the examination committee, by his colleagues, family members and friends online. For AOT-TP, this dissertation is a special one because Ubaya A. Higgoda is the first doctoral candidate who performed his complete research contributing to his thesis at the still young institute. The photographs given below show the happy candidate celebrating with his family (with nonalcoholic drinks) after the announcement of the result as well as the doctoral hat prepared by his colleagues at AOT-TP and presented within an entertaining speech.
SAOT Student Award 2020 for Matthias S. G. Knoll
(July 16, 2020) The SAOT Student Award 2020 in the topic Optical Metrology was transferred upon Matthias S. G. Knoll within the online award ceremony held on July 16, 2020. The award acknowledges Matthias’ first authorship of the high-ranked publication “Simultaneous study of molecular and micelle diffusion in a technical microemulsion system by dynamic light scattering” in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science which is co-authored by Cédric Giraudet, Christian J. Hahn, Michael H. Rausch and Andreas P. Fröba.
AOT-TP Members in New Editorial Board of the International Journal of Thermophysics
(Januar 08, 2020) AOT-TP is represented well in the reformed Editorial Board of the International Journal of Thermophysics. While Andreas P. Fröba still serves as a Senior Editor, Michael H. Rausch has been appointed an Associate Editor and Thomas M. Koller contributes in the Advisory Editorial Board.
AOT-TP Team Presenting at the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften 2019
(October 23, 2019) On the occasion of the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften 2019, the team of AOT-TP explained by means of viscosity measurements based on capillary viscometry and dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments why whisky lubricates the throat better than pure water or pure alcohol. During the event, we were happy to be a station for the VIP tour including the President of FAU and the Bavarian Secretary of the Interior Joachim Herrmann.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas P. Fröba Appointed to Executive Committee of IATP
(September 23, 2019) The head of AOT-TP, Andreas P. Fröba, has been voted by the current Executive to join the Executive Committee of the International Association of Transport Properties.
Best Poster Award at the Diffusion Fundamentals VIII Conference for Frances D. Lenahan
(September 05, 2019) The Second Best Poster Award within the international conference Diffusion Fundamentals VIII held in Erlangen was transferred upon Frances D. Lenahan. She presented the contribution “Improvement of a transferable force field for the prediction of self-diffusivity, viscosity, surface tension, and density of long-chained linear and branched alkanes and alcohols up to 573 K by molecular dynamics simulations” co-authored by Tobias Klein, Thomas M. Koller and Andreas P. Fröba. The participants of the conference were asked to consider the quality of the poster pitch, the personal discussion at the poster, the quality of the scientific work and the style of the poster.
ETI Grant for Dr.-Ing. Thomas M. Koller
(July 01, 2019) Thomas M. Koller has been granted support for the project “Properties of the gas-liquid interface of surface-enhanced SILP systems” from the Emerging Talents Initiative of FAU. With this initiative, FAU aims to identify and promote outstanding projects and talents at an early stage. It is designed to support excellent postdoctoral researchers by providing them with an opportunity to develop scientific independence and establish themselves in their field of research.
AOT-TP at the International Conference on Advanced Optical Technologies in March 2019
(March 20, 2019) The doctoral candidates of AOT-TP contributed with seven talks to the International Conference on Advanced Optical Technologies International Conference on Advanced Optical Technologies held in Erlangen from March 13 to 15, 2019. In addition, Thomas M. Koller and Cédric Giraudet chaired in total four sessions on Optical Metrology. As one of the social events within the conference, a dinner took place where also the contributing members of AOT-TP enjoyed the evening.
AOT-TP at the Day of the Faculty of Engineering
(December 17, 2018) Cédric Giraudet and Thomas M. Koller presented some pieces of AOT-TP research on occasion of the Day of the Faculty of Engineering on November 16, 2018.
AOT-TP at Schnupper-Uni
(December 17, 2018) AOT-TP was present at the Schnupperuni on October 31, 2018 where pupils had the chance to attend their first lectures and get an idea on research at universities. For AOT-TP, Maximilian Piszko and Thomas M. Koller showed our DLS setup for the measurement of viscosity via particle scattering and tried to explain the phenomenon of viscosity to the interested pupils.
Lecture and Exercise Given by AOT-TP Members in Top Ranking auf FAU Evaluation
(October 05, 2018) The lecture “Engineering Thermodynamics II for ET and CE” given by Andreas P. Fröba (category VP5) as well as the corresponding exercises given by Tobias Klein and Maximilian Piszko (category ÜP5) are both included in the top ranking of the FAU teaching evaluation.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Andreas P. Fröba Awarded as a High-End Foreign Talent of Shanxi Province
(September 17, 2018) Andreas P. Fröba has been awarded as a High-End Foreign Talent of Shanxi Province, China, which can also be regarded as a guest professorship at the Taiyuan University of Technology. This honor originates from an ongoing cooperation with Dr. Guanjia Zhao from Taiyuan University, who has been visiting our institute twice for several months as a guest scientist. The corresponding certificate was conferred by Mr. Luo Huining, Secretary of the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee, during the “Symposium über Wirtschaft, Handel, akademischen Austausch und unternehmerische Aktivitäten mit der chinesischen Province Shanxi in Deutschland” (Symposium on Economy, Trade, Academic Exchange, and Entrepreneurial Activities with the Chinese Province Shanxi in Germany) in Berlin on September 5, 2018.
2018 SPIE-FAU Best Thesis Award for Maximilian Piszko
(July 04, 2018) Maximilian Piszko received the 2018 SPIE-FAU Best Thesis Award from the SPIE Student Chapter at FAU for his Master thesis entitled “Mass Diffusion Coefficients of Mixtures Related to Fuels with Biogenic Components by Dynamic Light Scattering” performed at AOT-TP. We are happy that Max continues his successful work as a doctoral candidate at AOT-TP.
AOT-TP Research Team at Symposium on Thermophysical Properties
(June 29, 2018) The research team of AOT-TP has successfully contributed to the 18th Meeting of the International Association of Transport Properties and the 20th Symposium on Thermophysical Properties held in Boulder, Colorado from June 24 to 29, 2018. In total, 12 talks have been given by AOT-TP members. Another highlight of the conference was the ceremony where the 2018 Yeram S. Touloukian Award has been conferred upon Prof. Alfred Leipertz. Some impressions from the conference are given below.
Dr.-Ing. Thomas M. Koller and Dr. Cédric Giraudet Elected as Members of IATP
(June 29, 2018) The group leaders of AOT-TP, Cédric Giraudet and Thomas M. Koller, have been elected as members of the International Association of Transport Properties on the occasion of its 18th Meeting in Boulder, CO on June 24, 2018. Together with Andreas P. Fröba and Michael H. Rausch, AOT-TP is now represented with four members within this well-recognized committee.
AOT-TP at Markttage des Wissens in Nürnberg
(June 29, 2018) After the events in Erlangen and Fürth, AOT-TP has also contributed to the “Markttag des Wissens” (Market Day of Knowledge) held on the Hauptmarkt of Nuremberg on June 9, 2018. Some impressions are given below.
AOT-TP at Markttage des Wissens in Fürth
(May 29, 2018) Following up the event in Erlangen, AOT-TP has also contributed to the “Markttag des Wissens” (Market Day of Knowledge) held on the station square in Fürth on May 26, 2018. Some impressions are given below.
AOT-TP at Markttage des Wissens in Erlangen
(May 11, 2018) AOT-TP has contributed to the first “Markttag des Wissens” (Market Day of Knowledge) on the occasion of the 275th birthday of FAU held on the market place in Erlangen on May 5, 2018. Besides giving general information on the research performed at the institute, live demonstrations on what viscosity is and how it can measured with conventional and optical methods have been offered to the interested visitors. In particular, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) experiments were employed to answer the question why whisky lubricates the throat better than pure water or pure alcolohol. AOT-TP will also be present at the further “Markttage des Wissens” on the Bahnhofsplatz of Fürth on May 26 and on the Hauptmarkt of Nürnberg on June 9. Some impressions from the event in Erlangen are given below. Further impressions also from our activities can be found in, e.g., the television contribution broadcasted by Frankenfernsehen TV and the online articles and photo galleries published on the Marktspiegel or the FAU websites.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Andreas P. Fröba Elected as a Member of FPS
(December 18, 2017) The Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS) of FAU has elected Andreas P. Fröba as a new member. Aim of FPS is to develop innovative methods and processes to generate, formulate, and apply particles (building blocks) with tailored size, shape, and structure as well as customized surface properties. Based on the cross-sectional topic of particles, FPS brings together chemical engineering, materials science, chemistry, physics, and medicine.
2018 Yeram S. Touloukian Award for Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h.c. Alfred Leipertz
(December 07, 2017) The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) announced that the 2018 Yeram S. Touloukian Award will be transferred upon Alfred Leipertz “for internationally recognized leadership in developing optical methods, particularly advanced dynamic light scattering, that have been adopted by laboratories worldwide as reliable tools for measuring a large variety of thermophysical properties.” He will receive the related bronze medal and a certificate during the Twentieth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 24-29, 2018, in Boulder, Colorado. With his support also of the activities of Andreas P. Fröba during the past two decades, Alfred Leipertz paved the way for the development of the dynamic light scattering techniques which are now a major backbone of the research activities at AOT-TP.
Award of the “Freundeskreis der Technischen Fakultät” for Dr.-Ing. Thomas M. Koller
(November 20, 2017) Thomas M. Koller was awarded with the “Promotionspreis des Freundeskreises der Technischen Fakultät” for his doctoral thesis titled “Experimental Investigation and Modeling of Thermophysical Properties of Ionic Liquids in Chemical and Energy Engineering”. He received the award consisting of a certificate and a prize money within the “Day of the School of Engineering of FAU” on November 16, 2017.
MegaWATT Award 2017 for Dr.-Ing. Thomas M. Koller
(September 27, 2017) Thomas M. Koller received the yearly MegaWATT Award of the “Wissenschaftlicher Arbeitskreis Technische Thermodynamik e.V. (WATT)” (Scientific Working Committee Engineering Thermodynamics) for the most outstanding doctoral thesis in Germany in the field of Engineering Thermodynamics. With this award, Dr. Koller’s achievements summarized in his thesis “Experimental Investigation and Modeling of Thermophysical Properties of Ionic Liquids in Chemical and Energy Engineering” were honored. He received the award comprising a certificate and a prize money within the opening ceremony of the Thermodynamik-Kolloquium (Thermodynamics Colloquium) 2017 in Dresden.
Best Poster Award at the Diffusion Fundamentals VII Conference for AOT-TP Co-author Team
(July 7, 2017) The Best Poster Award within the international conference “Diffusion Fundamentals VII” held in Moscow, Russia, was transferred upon the AOT-TP co-author team Cédric Giraudet, Tobias Klein, Michael H. Rausch, Thomas M. Koller, and Andreas P. Fröba for the contribution titled “Mass Diffusivities of Binary Mixtures of Normal Alkanes with Dissolved Gases” (download poster) presented at the conference by Thomas M. Koller.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Andreas P. Fröba Promoted to a Senior Editor of the International Journal of Thermophysics
(June 18, 2017) Andreas P. Fröba has been promoted to a Senior Editor of the International Journal of Thermophysics, where the Editor-in-Chief Andreas Mandelis stated that “this is a token in recognition of your excellent services to, and hard work for, our journal through the years, and the pains you always successfully undertook to keep the quality of published articles high and the time to publication minimal”.