Name: Prof. Dr. Santosh Kurinec  
Herkunft: USA
Entsendende Hochschule: Rochester Institute of Technology
Fachgebiet: Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen

Lehrveranstaltungen: 

• Photovoltaic Engineering & Economics (5 ECTS)

• Bachelorstudierende IBE & BWW, 5.-7. Semester

Forschung:

• Entwicklung eines kooperativen Forschungsplans mit Prof. F. Scheller, der folgende Themen adressiert:
  • Aufstrebende Solar-PV-Fertigung in Deutschland
  • Anteil der Primärenergie aus Solar-Photovoltaik und zukünftige Relevanz
  • Modellierung der solaren und nuklearen Koexistenz

Time is the most precious commodity - make full use of it.  Have curiosity and passion to learn, connect and communicate with people around and across.  Develop partnerships for the missions envisioned with confidence, honesty & humility.   

 

1. Would you please tell us from which country and university you are coming from?   

I am a Professor of Electrical and Microelectronic Engineering Department at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, NY, USA.

2. Since when have you been working at your home university and which is your function there?

I joined RIT in 1989 as Associate Professor of Microelectronic Engineering.  I have been teaching semiconductor related courses covering materials, devices and fabrication. My research has been on advanced semiconductor devices and solar photovoltaics. I served as the Department Head for eight years and had a year of academic sabbatical at IBM, NY.  I am a Fellow of IEEE, IEEE distinguished lecturer and serve on many committees.  I emphasize the global impact and collaborations on advanced fields such as semiconductors and energy.  

3. We know that you have already been at Würzburg in Lower Franconia several times before. What is your opinion about this region? When was your first time you came here for a visiting professorship?

Through RIT Global initiatives, Lyndsey McGrath of RIT introduced me to Daniel Wimmer of FHWS (now THWS). I submitted a proposal to offer a course “Photovoltaic Engineering & Economics” at the FHWS  2021 International Technology Week which was accepted.  Due to Covid restrictions, the course was presented online.   Following that experience and students’ interest, this course was offered again in 2022 and 2023.   I visited Schweinfurt-Wurzburg in May 2022 for the first time.  It was an amazing experience. The Franconia region is full of marvelous historical iconic structures, art, industrial innovations, great food and culture of festivity.  The faculty and staff of THWS have been extremely welcoming, helpful and supportive. I visited again in 2023, attended a stunning Mozart Festival, Kleine Nachtmusik and met Mayor Roth-Jörg, Professional mayor and city school inspector (head of the education, school and sport department) and visited the famous Röntgen-Kuratorium museum.

4. Which is your experience field? Please give us some detailed information.

I am an Engineering Professor and have decades of teaching experience of engineering/science courses.  My research focusses on advanced electronic materials and devices that find applications in products for computing, communications, and energy.  I like to connect engineering with business and that is why my participation with THWS is so helpful and exciting.

5. You will be teaching at the Faculty of Business and Engineering of the THWS. Which courses you will offer in the upcoming summer semester?

This summer, I will be teaching the course „ the Sun: economics, engineering, and Sustainability of Photovoltaic Systems (PVSY“ participating with Prof. Fabian Scheller.

6. Please give us some information of what have been the most interesting or fascinating experiences in your professional career? 

As a teacher, I must say that the most fascinating experiences have been educating young minds and see them grow and become significant contributors to the society.  In research, exploring the unknown frontiers has been my major motivation.  How materials can be tailored to specific properties needs strong understanding of fundamental science that leads to engineering/designing them.  Then, to move them to applications, business and economic aspects become important.

7. What is the moving spirit for your work?

Science & Engineering need constant learning as the technology keeps on evolving.  More so, we need global perspectives and collaborations.  That motivates me to seek partnerships across disciplines, institutes – nationwide and worldwide.

8. What is the most important advice you could give to young scholars studying at the Faculty of Business and Engineering?

My take on this is to tell them:

Time is the most precious commodity - make full use of it.  Have curiosity and passion to learn, connect and communicate with people around and across.  Develop partnerships for the missions envisioned with confidence, honesty & humility.   

Name: Prof. Dr. Rafael Batres  
Herkunft: Mexiko
Entsendende Hochschule: School of Engineering and Sciences Tecnologico de Monterrey
Fachgebiet: Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen

Lehrveranstaltungen: 

• Machine Learning (MALA), regular lecture, Degree programs: Bachelor Business and Engineering IBE / Bachelor Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen BWW
• Production engineering with optimization and artificial intelligence methods, lecture in the FWI International teaching week, Degree programs:  Bachelor Business and Engineering IBE / Bachelor Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen BWW / Bachelor Logistik BLO / Bachelor Logistics IBL

I learned that one must be humble and unpretentious to be able to achieve significant improvements in the classroom, in the lab, or in our life.   

 

1. Would you please be so kind as to tell us from which country and university you are coming from?

I am a professor at the School of Engineering and Sciences at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico.

2. Since when have you been working at your home university and which is your function there?

After living 18 years in Japan and one-and-half years in France, I returned to Mexico in 2014. Since then, I have been a professor at Tecnologico de Monterrey. I teach at the department of industrial and systems engineering department and occasionally at the computer science department. I also do research at the intersection between artificial intelligence and engineering.

3. Have you already been at Würzburg in Lower Franconia before or is this your first trip to Würzburg? What is your first impression of this region?

This is my second time in Franconia. Last year I came to Schweinfurt to participate in the International Teaching Week and also had the opportunity to visit Würzburg. This region is very beautiful because of its balance between urban and nature but also because people here are friendly, kind, and unpretentious.

4. Which is your experience field?

My expertise includes Industry 4.0, surrogate-model based optimization, supply chain management, modeling for decision making, operations management, business process modeling, business dynamics, material and product design, operating procedure synthesis, metaheuristic optimization, machine learning, case-based reasoning, agent-based modeling, and lean thinking.   

5. You will be teaching at the Faculty of Business and Engineering of the THWS. Which courses you will offer? Did you teach at THWS before?

I will be teaching “Production Engineering with Optimization and Artificial Intelligence” during the International Teaching Week. During this course, students will learn how to apply AI methods and techniques to solve problems ranging from demand-forecasting, production scheduling to supply-chain decision making. This is going to be the third time at teach this course, the first time being online during pandemics and the last one here at THWS.

6. Please give us some information of what have been the most interesting or fascinating experiences in your professional career

It is very interesting to realize how many achievements that we think of as ours actually happen as the result of the actions of many people. One example is my current collaboration with THWS. It started when I learned about a grant opportunity from a colleague who knew about my previous collaborations with German universities. I contacted a professor from THWS who was interested in the grant after meeting a faculty member from THWS at the international teaching week in 2021. We submitted a proposal that was accepted and started a collaboration with another professor from THWS and one from Tec. Later, we found some common research interests and applied for another fund that enabled me to visit THWS as a Guest Professor.

7. What is the moving spirit for your work?

To watch students, develop competences and grow. It is so rewarding when current or former students share their achievements with me or tell me that they found the job of their dreams, or when they tell me that they managed to get a scholarship to study abroad and so on.

8. What is the most important advice you could give to young scholars studying at the Faculty of Business and Engineering?

Learning from other colleagues has been an important influence in my career, and this applies to teaching or research. There were moments early in my career when I was arrogant and then discovered that such an attitude is one of the largest obstacles for personal and academic growth. I learned that one must be humble and unpretentious to be able to achieve significant improvements in the classroom, in the lab, or in our life.

Name: Prof. Dr. Mónica Aguilar Alba  
Herkunft: Spanien
Entsendende Hochschule: Universidad de Sevilla    
Fachgebiet: Kunststofftechnik und Vermessung       

Lehrveranstaltungen: 

• Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten

• Studiengänge: Bachelor: BGV und BVG;
• Master MGT

Forschungsprojekte:

Erforschung der Ausbildung von Krankheiten im Zusammenhang mit georäumlichen Zusammenhängen; Zusammenhang physische geographische Faktoren mit dem Klimawandel.

Name: Prof. Dr. Alexander Pérez Ruiz  
Herkunft: Bogotá, Kolumbien
Entsendende Hochschule: Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería Julio Garavito Bogotá D.C.

Fachgebiet: Vermessung und Geoinformatik

Lehrveranstaltungen: 

• Durchführung von Lehrveranstaltungen im Teamteaching: Projektseminar "Digitale Bildverarbeitung - Geodaten für Ashaiman (Ghana)" im Masterstudiengang Geodatentechnologie

Forschung:

Seit ca. 6,5 Jahren arbeitet der Stbr Geo intensiv mit der ESCUELA im Themengebiet der Auswertung von digitalen Bilddaten zusammen. Ein  Schwerpunkt der Zusammenarbeit ist die Nutzung von Drohnendaten. Die Forschung ist an das Krankenwagenprojekt in Ghana angedockt, wo aktuell das Stadtgebiet photogrammetrisch per Drohne  erfasst wurde.

 

Learning to learn is the most important part while you are doing your bachelor's. Then, focus all your effort on solving small problems around you and make possible the future with your own hands.   

 

1. Would you please be so kind as to tell us from which country and university you are coming from?

I’m from Colombian School of Engineering Julio Garavito University, placed in Bogotá, Colombia.

 

2. Since when have you been working at your home university?

I have been working at my home university from January of 2002.

 

3. Which is your function there?

I’m a professor in the Electronics Engineering program at my home university. The main areas I teach and research include Robotics and automation, embedded systems, and control systems. I also instruct undergraduates in finishing work projects and advise master's and PhD students on their theses. I have been a master's program head for 6 years and a dean of the Electronics Engineering bachelor's program for the last 5 years.

 

4. Have you already been in Lower Franconia before or is this your first trip to our region?

Because I have been collaborating with THWS since 2018, I have been to Würzburg once before. This region is a beautiful place, especially during the summer when the wine culture is booming.

5. What is your first impression of this region?

The wine culture is the core of this region.

 

6. Which is your experience field?

I have my master's in Electronics and Computer Engineering and PhD in Advanced automation and have been teaching and researching in path planning, autonomous robots and control and embedded systems along last 20 years.

 

8. Would you please give us some information of what have been the most interesting or fascinating experiences in your career?

Collaborating with THWS in the students exchange program and guest teaching has been fascinating because I can follow the growing of the student facing an international experience.

 

9. What is the moving spirit for your work?

Stay learning and asking questions about how to create or apply theoretical concepts to build technology apps.

10. What is the most important advice you could give to young scholars at the Faculty of Engineering?

Learning to learn is the most important part while you are doing your bachelor's. Then, focus all your effort on solving small problems around you and make possible the future with your own hands.

Name: Prof. Dr. Taih-Cherng Lirn   
Herkunft: Taiwan
Entsendende Hochschule: National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU)

Fachgebiet: Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen

Lehrveranstaltungen: 

• im Rahmen der International Teaching Week 2024: „Seminar on Modern Maritime Logistics Management“, 4 SWS

Forschung:

Zusammenarbeit mit Prof. Dr. Bremer im Forschungsprojekt „A Study on the Core Competency of Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) and Logistics Professionals - A cross-cultural perspective“.

 

The more you work, the more you learn.   

 

1. Would you please tell us from which country and university you are coming from?   

I am a professor from the National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU), Taiwan

 

2. Since when have you been working at your home university and which is your function there?

I have been teaching in the NTOU since Feb. 2010 and I am a professor and was a director for internship and career development office between Aug. 2017 ~Dec. 2023

 

3. Have you already been at Schweinfurt or Würzburg before or is this your first trip to Lower Franconia?What is your (first) impression of this region ?

I have been to  Würzbur twice and Schweinfurt once. Lower Franconia is a very beautiful and safe region and people are friendly as well.

 

4. Which is your experience field?

International Logistics Management, Maritime Transportation Management

 

5. You will be teaching at the Faculty of Business and Engineering (FWI) at Schweinfurt. Which courses you will offer at THWS? Did you teach at THWS before?

I have taught the Modern Maritime Transportation course in 2023 at THWS and I will offer the same course in 2024.

 

6. Will you be also working on research projects during your visiting professorship?

Yes, I will work together with Prof. Peik Bremer on a collaborated research project related with logistics management.

 

7. Please give us some information of what have been the most interesting or fascinating experiences in your professional career?

I was a deck officer on a container ship that provided round-the-world service in the late 1980s. This experience has indeed broadened my view about the world.

 

8. What is the moving spirit for your work?

Self-accomplishment

 

9. What is the most important advice you could give to young scholars of the Faculty of Business and Engineering?

The more you work, the more you learn.

Name: Prof. Dr. Shrikumar Margabandhu  
Herkunft: Indien
Entsendende Hochschule: Christ University

Fachgebiet: Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen

Lehrveranstaltungen: 

• im Rahmen der International Teaching Week 2024: SIXS SixSigma

   

Forschung:

In Zusammenarbeit mit Prof. Dr. Ing. Ulrich Deutschle:

• How to incorporate Demand Sensing in Supply Chain inventory planning: Model for generating business insights or scenarios – advanced versions of data visualization reports; Factors influencing optimization an a green supply chain.
• Development of case studies in the areas of (a) Supplier Sourcing and (b) Operational Excellence