Two new professorships in the Faculties of Geosciences, Geoengineering and Mining, and of Mechanical Engineering, Process and Energy Engineering will be filled from October: Professor Thomas Frühwirt has been appointed to the Chair of Rock and Mountain Mechanics, succeeding Professor Heinz Konietzky. At the Institute of Ceramics, Refractories and Composite Materials, Patrick Gehre, who has completed his habilitation, is now working as an adjunct professor with immediate effect. As part of the process to fill the Chair in Biology/Ecology at the Faculty of Chemistry, Physics and Life Sciences, Dr Tobias Brügmann has been appointed as acting professor.
Before his appointment in Freiberg, Professor Thomas Frühwirt conducted research and taught at the Montanuniversität Leoben. There, he specialised in rock mechanics, rock engineering and underground mining methods. As holder of the Chair in Rock and Mountain Mechanics/Rock Engineering, Frühwirt aims to further develop research at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg at the interface between engineering, geosciences and applied geotechnical engineering.
“My research focuses on understanding the behaviour of rock and mountains under natural and man-made influences. The aim is to develop safe, economical and sustainable solutions for complex rock engineering tasks – ranging from underground mining voids, through tunnels and caverns as well as infrastructure projects, to rock slopes and opencast mines,” says Frühwirt, describing his main areas of research.
Particular emphasis is placed on combining experimental laboratory investigations, numerical simulation methods and practice-oriented applications. Using modern methods of rock mass characterisation and modelling, he aims to gain a better understanding of rock mass behaviour and to develop innovative approaches to the planning, design and operation of rock-based structures.
Frühwirt also intends to draw on his experience from research and practice in his teaching: “Students should learn to systematically analyse geotechnical challenges in rock and to develop scientifically sound solutions. In doing so, it is particularly important to me to closely link theory and practice – through illustrative examples, laboratory investigations and the use of modern calculation and simulation methods.”
Sustainable building for tomorrow
As the new adjunct professor at the Institute of Ceramics, Refractories and Composite Materials, Dr Patrick Gehre, a long-standing research associate, aims to further embed research into sustainable high-temperature building materials and composites within Freiberg’s academic profile. Current research topics include, for example, reducing CO₂ emissions and energy consumption in materials production, investigating alternative and recycled building materials, and the use of AI in the development of these materials.
“I would like to intensify research into sustainable building materials at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, making it more interdisciplinary and more practice-oriented. Students should be actively involved, thereby turning the subject into an open field of experimentation where innovations can be tested and solutions for the sustainable construction of tomorrow developed,” says the new adjunct professor.
Temporary Professor of Biology/Ecology appointed
Since September, Dr Tobias Brügmann (personal website) has held the Chair of Biology/Ecology. His research focuses on the ecophysiology of woody plants and plant biotechnology. The molecular biologist joins from the Thünen Institute, where he headed the early-career research group ‘Genetic Technologies’ at the Institute of Forest Genetics.
A recruitment process is currently underway to fill the vacant professorship.
