Our academic supervisors

Prof. Debora Clever completed her studies in techno mathematics and then did her doctorate at the Technical University in Darmstadt (2001 – 2013). She was principal scientist for robotics with focus on motion and control technologies at the ABB research center from 2016 to 2025, while also working as cooperation professor from 2018 onwards. In 2025 she became a full professor for robotic systems in the department of mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt. Her research focus is on robotics, including energy and actuated systems. Application wise her interest is in both, industrial applications and new areas, like agriculture, construction, and domestics – deploying artificial intelligence, human robot collaboration, and system optimization.

Prof. Rainer Nordmann is Professor, emeritus for Mechatronics in Mechanical Engineering at TU Darmstadt. His research activities at are concentrated on the development of Mechatronic Systems with applications to Rotating Machinery, Machine Tools and Automotive Systems. He was involved in several special domain research projects and supervised more than 100 PhD students. The methods and results of the research projects were published in several papers in International Journals and were also presented at national and international conferences. Rainer Nordmann is coauthor of three Springer books Rotor Dynamics, Magnetic Bearings and Vibrations of Power Plant Machines. He served as Dean of the Mechanical Engineering Department at TU Darmstadt from 2003 until 2005. After his retirement in 2009 Rainer Nordmann worked from 2009 to 2012 as manager for Rotor Dynamics in the International R&D Center of Alstom Power in Baden (Switzerland). Today he is consult for the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability  LBF (Darmstadt) in the area of Adaptronics. He is also involved in other consulting activities in the area of Rotor Dynamics and Mechatronics.

Prof. Stephan Rinderknecht completed his studies in aerospace engineering and then did his doctorate at the same university in Stuttgart (1984 – 1995). He was Head of Research & Development at GETRAG Getrieb- und Zahnradfabrik Hermann Hagenmeyer GmbH & Cie. KG and became professor for mechatronic systems in mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt in 2009. He has been Dean of the Mechanical Engineering Department there from 2017 to 2019, and a member of the Senate since 2019. His research focus is on mechatronic vehicle systems, energy storage systems, active vibration systems and recently also on robotic systems. On some of his research fields as for example innovative drivetrains and propulsion systems for e-mobility as well as highly integrated designs for kinetic energy storage systems, he works in very close cooperation with industry. For others, like active piezo electric systems to reduce bending vibrations of flexible rotors, the projects approach more fundamental problems.

Prof. Mohamed Ichchou is Professor of Solids Mechanics, Département de Mécanique des Solides Génie Mécanique et Génie Civil and Laboratoire de Tribologie et de Dynamique des Systèmes, LTDS UMRCNRS 5513 in Ecole Centrale de Lyon (ECL). He is the scientific coordinator of the LIVE-I project. He is also the founder and the co-head of the vibroacoustic and complex media research group. He received from the University de Franche-Comté/ Faculté des Sciences, Licence és Science, 1990, Ecole Centrale/University Claude Bernard, DEA, Mechanics, 1992, Ing., Ecole Centrale de Lyon, 1992, Dr. Ing., Mechanical Engineering, 1996, Ecole Centrale de Lyon/University Claude Bernard, HDR, 2004.

Pascal Fossat is an Associate Professor in vibrations and acoustics at ENTPE (École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l’État, France). After graduating from a Master’s degree in Acoustics from Université du Maine, he completed his PhD in structural dynamics in 2018, co-supervised by ENTPE and École Centrale de Lyon. From 2018 to 2024, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Ecole Centrale de Lyon, and gained experience in advanced vibroacoustic modeling and experimental techniques. His research focuses on homogenization and wave propagation in periodic media, while his teaching activities are integrated into the Vibroacoustic and Complex Media research group. He continues to develop expertise in vibration control, composite materials, and piezoelectric devices to address innovative and multiphysics challenges in both academic and industrial contexts.

Dr. Sven Herold studied mechanical engineering focused on applied mechanics at the University of Magdeburg and received his doctorate in 2003 from the Technical University of Darmstadt on the topic of “Noise and vibration control through smart structures”. From 2012 to 2019, he established and headed the new Structural Dynamics and Vibration Technology department at the Fraunhofer Institute LBF in Darmstadt. He has been head of the Smart Structures division since 2016 and, since 2023, has also been deputy director of the Fraunhofer Institute LBF.

He is the author of numerous publications and holds patents on intelligent structures. For more than 25 years, he has been involved in various national and EU-funded projects, primarily in the field of smart structure technologies since FP 6 (6^th Framework programme of the European Community). Sven Herold was a member of the board of the European Automotive Research Partners Association from 2019 to 2023. He is currently spokesperson of the Fraunhofer business area Smart Structures and chairman of the board of Kompetenznetz Adaptronik e.V.

Jonathan Millitzer received his B.Sc. degree in Mechatronics from the University of Applied Sciences in Darmstadt, Germany, in 2010, and his M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from the FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany, in 2018.

From 2010 to 2014, he served as a research assistant in the Smart Structures Division at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF in Darmstadt. From 2014 to 2021, he continued within the same division as a group manager for Active Control. Since 2021, he has been leading the group for Autonomous Control of Dynamic Systems.
His current research interests include neuro-symbolic artificial intelligence, adaptive control, and prognostics and health management.

Ilaria Papa is an assistant researcher at the Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Technology of the University of Naples Federico II. She holds a PhD in Aerospace, Naval, and Quality Engineering. Her research deals with the manufacturing and characterisation of composite materials and non-destructive analysis of isotropic and non-isotropic materials by traditional and innovative manufacturing technologies (3d printing). She is co-chair and a member of the Scientific Committee of ‘International Symposium on Dynamic Response and Failure of Composite Materials.
Identifiers: ORCID: 0000-0002-5711-8822, Scopus: 36171126800.

Prof. Francesco Franco  is active in many fields of mechanical and aerospace engineering such as structural dynamics, structural-acoustics, i.e. coupling among vibrating structures and acoustic enclosures, structural-acoustic optimization, computational methods in structural-acoustic with reference to low and medium-high modal density problems, experimental techniques for the modal analysis – flutter clearance in aeronautics – localization and characterization of vibration and noise sources, active structural-acoustic control, smart materials with particular reference to magnetostrictive and piezoelectric materials, damage detection by using frequency response functions. Up to date Dr. Franco has been involved in several research projects funded by the European Directorate for the Research and Industrial Development (DG XII). Many European research centers have collaborated in these research projects and Dr. Franco has served with different roles: partner, task and work-package leader, member of the steering committee. Moreover, Dr. Franco has been involved in many research projects sponsored by industrial companies (Alenia Aeronautica, Piaggio Aero Industries, Fiat, AnsaldoBreda, etc.) for the structural-acoustic design and optimization of transportation mean prototypes.

Prof. Sergio De Rosa was, from the beginning of his research activity, involved in the engineering fields concerning the structural dynamics, the vibroacoustics and the fluid-structure interaction in large sense. In 1988, he became researcher at the Italian Aerospace Research Center, CIRA and, in 1992, he became researcher at University of Naples “Federico II”; in 2014 he was appointed as full professor: his entire academic career is developed in the sector named Aerospace Structures and belongs to the pastalab group (http://www.pastalab.unina.it/home.html). His main research fields are: (i) Models for the structural dynamics and interior acoustics; (ii) Asymptotical Scaled Modal Analysis; (iii) definition of similitudes and asymptotical modelling for structural Acoustics; (iv) stochastic response of structural and fluid-structural systems under random and convective excitations; (v)  Convective effect on the acoustic radiated power by structural components. He is one of the founder of flinovia research community (flinovia.org) and one of the editors of the associated books (http://www.flinovia.org/flinovia/Books.html). He has been involved in several research projects funded by the European Directorate since 1991. He acts in many peer-reviewed journals with different roles: from the simple reviewer to the deputy position for Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science (SAGE).

Dr. Giuseppe Petrone is an assistant professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering – Aerospace Section of Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico”. Dr. Petrone gained an MSc and a BSc in Aerospace Engineering at University of Naples Federico II and Second University of Naples in 2010 and 2008, respectively and in 2014, he received his Ph.D. in Aerospace, Naval and Quality Engineering from the University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy. Dr. Petrone spent research periods at CACM (Centre for Advanced Composite Materials) of the University of Auckland (New Zealand) where he worked on the characterization of natural fibre composite panels with Profs. D. Bhattacharyya and B. Mace; and at University of Santiago de Chile where he worked with prof. V. Meruane on damage detection techniques. His research activities are focused in many fields of mechanical and aerospace engineering such as mechanical characterization, structural dynamics, structural-acoustics and damage detection by using both frequency response functions and ultrasonic waves techniques. Dr. Petrone has been involved, as principal and co-investigator, in several research projects, funded by industrial companies and/or European Community, for many engineering sectors, including aircraft, comfort, safety,  noise and vibration.  He serves as referee and associate editor for many peer-reviewed journals.

Alexandre Kawano is Associate Professor at the Escola Politécnica, University of São Paulo (USP). Trained in Naval Engineering (USP), he holds a Dr. Eng. from Yokohama National University – Japan (1995) and a PhD in Applied Mathematics from USP – Brazil (2007). His research centers on mathematical inverse problems for engineering systems, bridging rigorous analysis and computational mechanics. Kawano has held visiting appointments at Yokohama National University and at École Centrale de Lyon, and coordinates cooperation agreements with Osaka University (Graduate School of Engineering Science) and the University of Udine (DPIA). He serves on USP’s Editorial Board for the Open Books Portal and on the Scientific Committee of the USP Journals Portal. He has taught a wide range of foundational and advanced courses in mathematics and engineering. ORCID: 0000-0002-2248-6422 · ResearcherID: D-8317-2012.

Prof. Mohamed Amine BEN SOUF is a Professor in Mechanical Engineering at National Engineering School of Sfax – Laboratory of Mechanics, Modeling and Production (LA2MP) since 2012. He received his PhD degree at Ecole Centrale de Lyon and National Engineering School of Sfax. During his PhD, he worked on extending the Wave Finite element Method to periodic structures with mechanical and geometrical uncertainties in mid frequency range within the European project ‘MID-FREQUENCY’. His main research topics are mechanical vibrations, Vibroacoustics in Mid and High Frequencies, Composite structures, auxetic structures, and inverse problems..