Premiere at Aalen University: For the first time, a doctoral thesis, doctoral dissertation was successfully defended according to the new doctoral law for Universities of Applied Sciences (HAW) in Baden-Württemberg. With his doctoral thesis, Yannick Bauckhage has achieved a real pioneering achievement. For Aalen University of Applied Sciences, the degree of the first process, procedure marks another important step in the funding of junior researchers.
Yannick Bauckhage is the first doctoral candidate, doctoral student at Aalen University of Applied Sciences to successfully complete the new doctoral degree procedure within the framework of the HAW-Promotionsverbands BW. Previously, academic staff members of the institution of higher education were able to earn a doctorate, but only in collaboration, cooperation with a university. The doctoral candidates were supervised, counselling, mentoring by a tandem of a Professor / lecturer / member of the academic staff at Aalen University of Applied Sciences and a Professor / lecturer / member of the academic staff at a university. The research activities took place mainly in Aalen, the title was awarded by the participating university, as in the past only this university was allowed to award the doctorate.
Research strength
Since fall 2022, Professors / Professal students from Baden-Württemberg who are particularly strong in research can now independently guide doctoral candidates to a doctorate. A doctoral association with all 24 Universities of Applied Sciences in Baden-Württemberg and the associated Doctoral Center of Applied Research (BW-CAR) was founded specifically for this purpose. Currently, more than 350 professors / lecturers / members of the academic staff with a proven track record in research work together in the network, 38 of whom are from Aalen University of Applied Sciences alone.
Many years of commitment
Aalen University of Applied Sciences has been instrumental in shaping the long path to the right to award doctorates. In particular, the long-standing and persistent commitment of the former President of Aalen University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schneider, contributed significantly to the fact that the right to award doctorates for research-strong HAW finally became a reality. The Research Academy, as a central point of contact at the institution of Applied Sciences, has also been providing generic, comprehensive support for all doctoral candidates for four years now, thus creating excellent conditions for doctoral candidates in Aalen.
New perspectives
All the greater is the joy that Aalen University of Applied Sciences can now congratulate its first doctoral candidate, doctoral student. The title is awarded by the doctoral organization - the doctoral degree certificate also states the institution of higher education where the doctoral thesis, doctoral dissertation was completed. "I warmly congratulate Dr. Bauckhage on the oral defense of his doctorate. The right to award doctorates opens up more flexible and dynamic ways of funding young academics in the region," says President Prof. Dr. Harald Riegel. It offers talented young researchers new perspectives and once again underlines the special role that research now plays at HAW. "The attractiveness of Aalen University of Applied Sciences for those interested in doing a doctorate, but also for new Professors / Professors who would like to build up their research at the university, can thus be significantly increased once again."
Great interest in School of Engineering and natural sciences
Yannick Bauckhage, who has been training as a process developer at Zeiss SMT since the beginning of the year, is also delighted - and of course a little relieved. "Now I don't have to spend my free time working on it in the evenings, and my girlfriend is happy too," jokes the 33-year-old. He does, however, miss his working group at the institution of higher education, which is a "really cool group". He expressed his gratitude for the great support: "The excellent conditions at Aalen University of Applied Sciences have enabled me to conduct intensive and practical research. I am delighted to have successfully completed my degree." Bauckhage first completed a Bachelor's degree in "Optoelectronics / Laser Technology (Optical Engineering)" at Aalen University of Applied Sciences, followed by a Master's degree programme in "Applied Photonics". It quickly became clear to him that he wanted to do a doctorate afterwards. "After my masters, I had the feeling that I didn't know as much as I wanted to know," says Bauckhage, who was interested in School of Engineering and natural sciences from an early age. As a pupil at Aalen's Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium, the model railroad club awakened his passion for circuits, soldering and experimental setups.
"Doctoral candidates, doctoral students are our fuel"
The title of his doctoral thesis, "Temperature- and structure-dependent analysis and modeling of curing curves for projection microstereolithography", is not immediately obvious to the layman. Bauckhage has developed a new model for resins that can now be used to specifically adjust the hardness and, derived from this, the optical properties of optical microlenses during 3D printing based on knowledge. "Research is simply fun. Looking at things that none of us have looked at before and finding a solution ourselves is so much more exciting than just applying existing knowledge," said Bauckhage enthusiastically. His supervisor, Professor Dr. Andreas Heinrich, was also enthusiastic: "I am very pleased about the degree of this outstanding doctoral thesis. It's great that we can now guide our junior researchers to a doctorate 'in-house'. Research is fundamentally important for our society and for Germany as a technology location. And the doctoral candidates, doctoral students are our fuel - without them, there would be none."
