In April 2025, your career path took you from Villingen-Schwenningen in Baden-Württemberg to Chemnitz, right into the heart of the federal state that is considered the top microelectronics location in Europe. What made you decide to move to Fraunhofer ENAS to shape the future of the “Process, Device and Packaging Technologies” business unit?

As part of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft with its 76 institutes and research facilities, Fraunhofer ENAS enjoys an outstanding reputation for its scientific excellence in the field of smart systems – not just nationally, but also in the international research landscape and in industry. Above all, the institute’s distinctive expertise in front-end and back-end semiconductor processing – from wafer processes and technologies as the basis for the development of electronic components, sensors and actuators, through to their packaging – appealed to me both professionally and personally. Not only because I have many years of experience in these areas, but also because the interaction of these processes produces complex, miniaturized and intelligent systems that play an essential role in almost all areas of our everyday lives. In applications such as autonomous driving, medical engineering and soon also in the field of quantum technology, they ensure that our lives become more comfortable, faster and safer. Being able to work at this interface is an exciting prospect.

The culture and cooperation at the institute is another key factor in my decision to work for Fraunhofer ENAS. An open and liberal mindset characterized by diverse perspectives and experiences with complementary skills as well as a “culture of doing” are invaluable when it comes to developing powerful new ideas into revolutionary solutions for the world of tomorrow. It is precisely this mix that drives innovation and shapes progress.

 

We live in a complex and highly dynamic world in which markets are changing, new requirements are emerging, and innovations are being driven forward ever faster. What trends and developments are you observing that are relevant to your new position?

I would like to mention two current examples that are representative of many trends and foreseeable changes:

Quantum computing is a major trend in the field of IT and communication, and has gained tremendous momentum in recent years. Although quantum computers are still in the early stages of development, they already promise to decisively change the fundamentals of computing and information processing in just a few years’ time. They will be able to provide answers to complex questions within seconds, perform significantly more demanding computing operations and process enormous amounts of data – tasks for which today’s computers require considerably more time and computing power.

Another megatrend is mobility, which has undergone a profound transformation in the automotive sector in recent years. The transition from the combustion engine to the electric motor is just one of the changes that are shaping the automotive industry. Autonomous driving, which enables safe and comfortable travel, is also fundamentally changing the way we get around and transport goods.

 

How can Fraunhofer ENAS successfully respond to these trends?

It is important for us at Fraunhofer ENAS to follow these trends and assess the challenges and opportunities they present for us as an institute. After all, nothing is more enduring than constant change. For us as an institute, this means that proven and established technologies may take a back seat in the coming years and new, promising solutions, technologies and fields of application will emerge. One of the challenges for our institute and for me within the business unit will be to actively participate in this change, which will ultimately also create new markets.

One of my key tasks in the coming years will therefore be recognizing such changes and trends at an early stage and helping to shape them with new ideas, solutions and innovations in order to remain fit for the future and assert ourselves in a dynamic market landscape. Because only those who remain flexible and react quickly to changes will remain successful.

In the field of quantum computing, for example, we are using innovative technologies to help realize significantly smaller, more economical and more cost-effective supercomputers based on quantum technologies in the future – and thus become part of this new computer era.

We are also contributing our expertise in the automotive sector: LiDAR technologies play a central role in enabling safe, autonomous driving in road traffic and in shaping the future of mobility. LiDAR sensors record their environment with high precision so that distances between vehicles and objects can be detected in real-time and obstacles on the road can be avoided in good time. MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) technologies, which have been developed at Fraunhofer ENAS for many years, are an important component of such state-of-the-art LiDAR systems. As an institute, we are therefore also contributing to this important development in the field of mobility and the future of driving.

 

In addition to technological and scientific expertise, what else do you think is needed to master these and similar challenges as an institute?

I believe one thing is particularly important: a strong team. Colleagues who work together to advance the world through new ideas and innovations are indispensable. Only the interplay of different perspectives, experiences and strengths on the one hand and close communication with one another on the other can create space for creativity and pave the way for something new. A positive attitude and the ability to see setbacks not as a defeat but as a learning opportunity help you to stay motivated, continue on your path, and pursue your goals. This requires stamina, but above all, a love of your own work and of working with other people. My aim is to create a working environment in which exactly that is possible – in which we not only grow together as a team with motivation, inspiration, trust and good communication, but also achieve a lot and contribute to the success of the institute.

 

What are you looking forward to in your new position?

I am looking forward to further expanding the economic and scientific success of Fraunhofer ENAS together with my colleagues in the business unit and the entire institute. I would like to contribute both to the positive perception of excellent science and to a positive impression of the city of Chemnitz as an outstanding location for innovation and technology. I am honored to be able to play an active role in shaping the reputation of Fraunhofer ENAS among industrial customers, its excellence in research and its innovative power in the future.

With regard to the “Process, Device and Packaging Technologies” business unit, I am looking forward to giving further weight to the topic of MEMS, developing our research activities in this area, and opening up new fields of application for these miniaturized components. I am also very excited about the topic of quantum computing, because there is something fascinating about working on a technological revolution that has the potential to change our lives in many positive ways.

Personally, I am looking forward to getting to know the Capital of Culture Chemnitz and the region of Saxony. After almost 30 years of professional experience, which has taken me to many regions of Germany – from the north to the south – I now have the opportunity to explore the east of Germany, not only in terms of the landscape, but also culturally and socially. I am looking forward to new experiences and to discovering the region as my new professional and personal home.

 

Thank you very much, Mr. Müller, for this interview. We wish you every success and a good start in your new role as head of the “Process, Device and Packaging Technologies” business unit.