Another IPM research associate receives doctoral certificate

The new year is off to a good start for the largest research institute at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. On January 23, 2016, Mr. Kittan, a research assistant at the Institute for Process Engineering, Process Automation, and Measurement Technology (IPM), was invited to the graduation ceremony at the Technical University (TU) of Ilmenau. During the ceremony, he was presented with his doctoral diploma.

From January 2011 to December 2013, Mr. Kittan worked on a project funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology on the topic of “Modeling/Simulation of the Dynamics of Deposition and Penetration Processes in Particle-Contaminated Coolant Flows.” The goal of the project was to develop dynamic models for the transport and deposition processes of insulation material. Multi-agent modeling and cellular automata methods were used for the modeling. This approach was novel in the context of nuclear safety research. As a result, Mr. Kittan succeeded in increasing the diversity of available models and improving the quality of the simulation results, particularly with regard to the dynamic analysis of fibrous filter cakes.

Since the project was funded as part of the “Preserving Expertise in Nuclear Technology” initiative, the opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. was available alongside the project work. The Ph.D. program was conducted in cooperation with the Technical University of Ilmenau. On behalf of the IPM, Prof. Kästner served as the thesis advisor. Prof. Ament served as the advisor on behalf of the Technical University of Ilmenau. In addition, the doctoral process gained international recognition with Prof. Prasser from ETH Zurich serving as a reviewer. After obtaining the degree and writing the PhD thesis (submitted in October 2014), Mr. Kittan successfully passed the oral defense on September 17, 2015, and defended his PhD thesis with the distinction magna cum laude. With the publication of the PhD thesis in November 2015, the doctoral process was officially

This continued the IPM’s longstanding tradition of offering young research staff the opportunity to pursue a doctorate as part of project work. Since 1993, 17 collaborative doctoral programs have been successfully completed to obtain a degree in this manner. This, too, contributes to enhancing the reputation of the Zittau/Görlitz university region and strengthening the appeal of engineering education and continuing education.

However, it should be noted that Mr. Kittan’s hard work is not yet fully over, as the traditional “lively and festive” post-defense celebration with his critical circle of colleagues and friends is still to come. We wish Mr. Kittan much success and perseverance for this as well.