"Engineers tackle a wide variety of problems in order to find solutions and make them 'usable' for an application."
A. Schreyer: Congratulations on your appointment as Professor of Electronics and Analogue Circuit Technology at the Faculty of Engineering at HTWK Leipzig. Can you briefly explain the areas of responsibility associated with your professorship?
Prof Sallier: Thank you very much for your congratulations. I am very pleased about the appointment to the professorship of "Electronics and Analogue Circuit Technology" and I am particularly looking forward to the future tasks that this appointment entails.
In terms of teaching, I teach the modules "Electronics" (EIB and STB), "Analogue Circuit Technology" (EIB-ESS) and "Electrical Engineering and Electronics" (MTB) on the Bachelor's degree course. As part of the Master's programme, I teach an elective module on "Circuit development and simulation of electronic circuits".
In my research areas, I deal with the development of application-adapted and application-optimised matching networks for impedance matching as well as the associated electrode system, circuit development and simulation of electronic circuits. I am also involved in the development of sensors, especially for the construction sector. The research areas are interlinked here so that synergies can be optimally utilised.
A. Schreyer: How did you decide to specialise in this area of research and teaching? Did you already know which path you wanted to take before you started your studies?
Prof Sallier : During my school education, I wasn't really aware of what career path I would take. However, I became interested in the field of electrical engineering very early on. After leaving school, I trained as an energy electronics technician and worked in this profession for some time. During this time, my interest in electronics continued to grow and I decided to study electrical engineering. I completed my first degree in automation and drive technology at the Harz University of Applied Sciences in 2004 and then worked for some time at the Institut für Automatisierung und Informatik GmbH. During this time, I was involved in various project tasks in the fields of electronics, modelling and programming, including a project on electromagnetic valve control. During this project work, the idea of doing a doctorate matured in me. As a result, I completed a second degree (Master's degree) specialising in electrical engineering at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, which I completed at the end of 2007. I then moved to Saarland University, initially to the Chair of Microelectronics, which at the time was focussing on driver stages and algorithms for organic displays, among other things. After some time, I moved to the Chair of Measurement Technology as part of a project, where I also completed my doctorate (Dr.-Ing.). At the Chair of Measurement Technology, I focussed on applications relating to gas sensors and the development/application of didactic STEM concepts for engineering education. At both chairs, electronics and the development of analogue circuits made up a large part of my project and research work. This allowed me to fully develop and consolidate my interest and skills in these areas. Even after completing my doctorate, I remained loyal to electronics and circuit technology and worked in these fields in various companies. However, I was always drawn back to research, so I moved to the Institute of Electrical Engineering at TU Bergakademie Freiberg at the end of 2015.
In 2017, I then joined the Department of Civil Engineering at HTWK Leipzig as part of a research project on dielectric heating via radio waves. This is where I met Prof Dr Lutz Nietner. Together with Prof Nietner, I supervised various projects on dielectric heating, focussing on the design of (impedance) matching networks, among other things. During this time, I was also able to network with other research groups at HTWK Leipzig, so that further research questions and tasks arose here, such as in the field of sensor technology, which then also led to corresponding project applications.
In 2021, I was given the opportunity to read the lectures/modules "Electronics" and "Analogue Circuit Technology" in the summer semester, as Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Wolfgang Reinhold went into retirement. This meant that I could also devote myself to teaching in these areas. It was therefore a great pleasure for me when, after applying for the advertised position for the professorship of "Electronics and Analogue Circuit Technology", I received the appointment in 2022 and have been head of this professorship since 1 October 2022. The appointment was therefore a goal that gradually developed over the course of my various positions.
The fields of work of an engineer were and are fundamentally important to me in order to be able to actively contribute to the technical developments of our society. The professorship also gives me the opportunity to contribute to the academic training of new engineers. I am looking forward to the future tasks associated with this professorship in the areas of teaching, academic self-administration at HTWK Leipzig and research in the fields of analogue circuits, sensor technology and simulation.
A. Schreyer: What skills and interests do you think students who decide to study electrical engineering and information technology should have?
Prof Sallier : First and foremost, students need to have fun and enjoy creative solution-finding processes with regard to complex issues that are currently being brought to the engineering sciences or arise from them. Of course, this requires various skills and abilities. These relate, among other things, to the understanding and application of mathematical methods and physical relationships. The interaction between the analogue world (e.g. in the form of circuit technology) and the digital world (e.g. in the form of programming such as VHDL) is also part of the basic understanding of an engineer today.
The application of scientific work in order to objectively investigate issues and analyse the results is increasingly developed during the course of study. It takes motivation to open up to this way of working and to refine it for yourself.
Engineers face a wide variety of problems in order to find solutions and make them "usable" for an application.
A. Schreyer: What new projects would you like to realise in the future?
Prof. Sallier : As part of my future research, I would like to work in the fields of (analogue) circuits, sensor technology and simulation as part of research projects. Various research activities with companies are already in progress or planned. The expertise within the individual research areas is not clearly separated from each other, but rather the boundaries are fluid. I would like to utilise the great strength of a university and integrate students in solving these issues, e.g. as part of graduate theses. The results should then, of course, be incorporated into teaching and practical courses and thus benefit all students.
Networking with other colleagues and specialist disciplines is also an essential part of my future activities.
