From theory to practice: THI professor gains industrial experience at MTU

Dr Martin Landesberger is the first scientist to gain the necessary industrial experience at MTU as part of a part-time position limited to three years. The materials science and engineering specialist previously researched and taught as a research assistant at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) before moving to THI as a junior professor in January 2023. ‘Among other things, I supervise Bachelor's and Master's students here, and this summer semester I'm also giving a basic lecture on “Material Science”,’ says the 35-year-old. His conclusion after six months of industry experience: ‘First of all, I learned a lot about the aviation industry, MTU, and the corporate culture. What immediately impressed me was that quality is the number one topic and is practiced at every point in the company.’

And what does his working day at MTU look like? ‘I spend two and a half days a week in the office, dealing with material standards, acceptance limits for components, and quality testing standards, for example. High-temperature materials are particularly exciting for me. I'm also working on a promising project: We are shedding light on defects that occur during the production of rotor blades and vanes and identifying those that lead to the greatest impairments. We aim to reduce concessions by 50 percent and increase profitability,’ says Landesberger.

During a visit to partner MTU, THI President Professor Walter Schober emphasized: ‘I am delighted that we are creating even closer cooperation between MTU and THI with the first junior professorship in the practice track of the Professional Tenure Track program. Dr Reinhard Brandl, a Member of the German Bundestag, played a key role in ensuring that this cooperation came about quickly and unbureaucratically. We thank him for his support.’

The THI's Professional Tenure Track Programme is an evaluation-based qualification programme with two different career paths, the ‘Practice Track’ for young academics and the ‘Doctoral Track’ for young practitioners. The program aims to take on a W2 professorship. The ‘Practice Track’ is aimed at postdocs who, as part of the program, primarily complete the practical phase required by law for a HAW professorship. The focus is on the professional qualification of outstanding post-docs with professorial potential. The ‘doctoral track’ is aimed at interested parties with an excellent Master's degree and at least five years of professional experience, who primarily acquire the academic qualification for an HAW professorship through the program by completing a doctorate. The program focuses on the academic post-qualification of experienced professionals with professorial potential.