Made in Science – The official podcast of the University of Stuttgart

In this episode, host Dr. Wolfgang Holtkamp sits down with Professor Michael Resch, director of the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart, to talk about supercomputers like Hunter and their impact on science, industry, and society. The conversation goes beyond raw processing power: touching on energy efficiency, strategic foresight, and Europe's role in the global tech race. Along the way, u...

How does a technology travel from the lab into real-world traffic? In this episode, Wolfgang Holtkamp talks with Prof. Nejila Parspour from the University of Stuttgart about inductive charging, autonomous buses, and why even the most promising innovations can stall. She explains the role of patents and risk-taking in advancing new technologies — and why universities are indispensable as a bridge b...

In this episode of Made in Science, host Wolfgang Holtkamp sits down with Professor Marco Aiello - Head of the Service Computing Department at the Institute for Architecture of Application Systems (IAAS) at the University of Stuttgart - to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming not just computer science, but every facet of research and daily life. Together, they dive into the metaphor...

What is marketing really about and why are we all more influenced than we think? In this episode, Prof. Christina Kühnl, Chair of Marketing at the University of Stuttgart, explains why marketing goes far beyond advertising and how digital communication, customer experience and leadership are reshaping the field. We talk about interdisciplinary research, data-driven insights from social media, and...

Companies shape our world: economically, politically, and culturally. In this episode of Made in Science, Dr. Wolfgang Holtkamp talks to Prof. Boris Gehlen, Endowed Professor of Business History at the University of Stuttgart, about the role of corporations in modern societies. What can business history explain that other disciplines cannot? How do companies make decisions under uncertainty? What...

Few people know that George Orwell once walked across a small footbridge in Stuttgart and that the experience may have shaped one of the most influential dystopias ever written. In this episode of Made in Science host Wolfgang Holtkamp talks to Dr Geoff Rodoreda, literary scholar and former journalist, about Orwell’s little-known three months as a war correspondent in 1945 and his visit to Stuttga...

In this episode of Made in Science, psychologist Prof. Cornelia Sindermann explores the ambivalent effects of social media on our mental well-being. From fostering social connection and identity to creating stress and addictive patterns, her research uncovers how digital platforms can be both empowering and harmful. Learn how her team combines surveys, behavioral data, and experiments to understan...

What if machines could learn from the softness of human skin? In this episode of Made in Science, we talk to Junior Professor Aniket Pal from the Institute of Applied Mechanics at the University of Stuttgart. He leads a cutting-edge research group exploring soft robotics – machines made entirely of soft materials like rubber or polymers. Pal shares how his Emmy Noether-funded research bridges fund...

Transformation is not a trend – it’s a necessity. In this episode, Professor Thomas Bauernhansl shares his vision of the future of industrial production. As Director of the Institute of Industrial Manufacturing and Management (IFF) at the University of Stuttgart and Director at Fraunhofer IPA, he discusses the shift from digital to biological transformation, the importance of sustainability as an...

In this 50th edition of Made in Science, Prof. Inés de Castro – director of the Linden Museum Stuttgart and member of the University Council of the University of Stuttgart – reflects on the role of ethnological museums in a rapidly changing world. She discusses the responsibility of institutions with colonial legacies, the importance of provenance research and restitution, and the need to foster n...

How would governance work on Mars? And what can we learn about democratic preferences on Earth? In this episode, Professor André Bächtiger, a political scientist at the University of Stuttgart, discusses his ERC-funded research into the design of governance systems for the Red Planet and compares democratic models in the US, Germany and the Global South. He examines how dominant discourses shape d...

Professor Zamira Daw discusses her research on AI certification and integration in aerospace applications. She highlights her journey from Colombia to Germany and the US, emphasizing the importance of safety-critical systems in both medical devices and aviation. Daw explains the need for model-driven development and embedded systems to ensure AI safety in aviation. She notes the growing interest i...

Our interviewee is Amrei Bahr, a philosopher specialising in applied ethics, aesthetics and the philosophy of technology at the University of Stuttgart. She is one of the co-founders of the university policy initiative ‘I am Hanna’. We talk about her research on applied ethics. She criticises the current open access publication system, which she believes is still a financial burden for many resear...

The podcast features Dr. Gidok Kim, a leading scientist in thin-film technology at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart. The host discusses his career journey, his experiences as a researcher, and his time at Samsung Electronics. The episode offers fascinating insights into the life of a scientist and the intersection of industry and research.

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Dr. Thilo Hagendorff, a visionary researcher and ethical trailblazer in the field of generative artificial intelligence. He heads the Ethics of Generative AI research group at the University of Stuttgart, where he also conducts research in the[ Interchange Forum for Reflecting on Intelligent Systems (IRIS)](https://www.iris.uni-stuttgart.de/). Find out ho...

This episode is about ‘3D computational geometry and architecture’. Our guest is Dr Gene Ting-Chun Kao, an R&D engineer from Stockholm. Dr Kao studied on the ITECH (Integrative Technologies and Architectural Design Research) Master's programme at the University of Stuttgart. In our conversation, we talked about the triple challenge of being a designer, engineer and scientist, about the role of tec...

Our guest is Emese Weissenbacher, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Deputy Chairwoman of the Management Board at MANN+HUMMEL. She completed her studies in technically oriented Business Administration at the University of Stuttgart in 1994. The study programme is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary. Weissenbacher is one of the few women to have reached a position of influence in the male-dom...

We are talking to Franziska Hild, doctoral researcher at the Institute of Space Systems in the group Numerical Simulation at the University of Stuttgart. We talk about the prestigous Amelia Earhart Fellowship and what Franziska Hild thinks about theory and testing. Furthermore, we would like to know what she would bring back to Earth from a visit to space.

We speak to tenure-track professor Anja Lauer from the Institute for Construction Materials. Topics of the discussion include the IntCDC excellence cluster and its novel approach for the construction sector, the importance of diversity in her field of research, her stay abroad in Japan and which robot she would like to have to make everyday life easier.

Our guest is Prof. Andrea Barth, Head of Research Group for Computational Methods for Uncertainty Quantification at University of Stuttgart. We talk about the uniqueness of the Cluster of Excellence SimTech https://www.simtech.uni-stuttgart.de/, how to find a doctoral adviser, what she has learnt from her time as a Phd student for her current interactions with them and why it is wise to have a pla...

He knows the University of Stuttgart from different angles: Prof Ingmar Kallfass studied electrical engineering here, and since 2013 he has been Director of the Institute for Robust Power Semiconductor Systems, a newly founded facility of the Robert Bosch Centre for Power Electronics. Let us find out, why he returned and what is currently going on in his field of research. Why he thinks electrical...

Prof. Peter Pott is Head of the Institute of Medical Device Technology at the University of Stuttgart and an expert in mechatronic systems in a medical technology context. We talk to him about biomedical systems as an up-and-coming field at the University of Stuttgart and the importance of meaningfulness for prospective students when choosing a study program. We also find out what significance a r...

Episode 37 of our podcast "Made in Science" is all about Shakespeare. We discuss this with our guest Professor Sybille Baumbach, who has been full Professor of English literature at the Department of English Literatures and Cultures at the University of Stuttgart since 2018. She has just been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant by the European Research Council for her "LitAttention" project. Baumbach is...

Our interview partner is Prof. Dr. Michael Totzeck, ZEISS Fellow and Head of Corporate Research and Technology. His focus today is on quantum technology, artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing. The physicist set up his own working group at the Institute of Technical Optics at the University of Stuttgart in 1995, which he headed for seven years. Through his research activities at ZEISS,...

Our guest is Dr. Luiz Chamon from Brazil, who came to the University of Stuttgart in 2022. He heads is own research group at the at the Cluster of Excellence SimTech and ELLIS. His research areas covers optimization, signal processing, machine learning, and control, particularly in some intersection of these fields. In our conversation we hear about different forms of learning, some of his interna...