Preparing students for a complex working environment

Jan Philipp Schmidt has held the Chair of Systems Engineering for Electrical Energy Storage since 1 July 2022. The chair is part of Bavaria's high-tech agenda and thus part of the technology initiative, which aims to help Bavaria move forward with targeted innovation drivers.

By appointing Jan Philipp Schmidt, the University of Bayreuth has recruited a professor to the Bavarian Battery Centre (BayBatt) who has a wealth of practical experience. Until his appointment to the University of Bayreuth, Schmidt was a systems engineer at Mercedes Benz, and prior to that he worked at BMW developing batteries for electric vehicles. Schmidt completed his studies and doctorate at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. "For me, the exciting practical questions and the work at the university do not represent a contradiction," says Schmidt. "The interesting thing about it for me is being able to pursue exciting, technology-related questions and at the same time pass on knowledge and my enthusiasm for the topics to young people."

The Chair of Systems Engineering of Electrical Energy Storage addresses the optimal design and configuration of battery storage systems from the cell level up. "One topic that has fascinated me for a long time and has stayed with me over the years is the question: how can I elicit more information from the battery (cell) about its condition and thus operate it more effectively?" says Schmidt. He adds: "One example is impedance measurement, which can be found everywhere in the laboratory but has not (yet) made the leap into series production. Integrated impedance measurement could easily measure the temperature of each individual cell without a sensor. However, many other possibilities are also conceivable, including optimal fast charging and early detection of dangerous conditions. Many people are involved in these questions – scientists working on the cells, the electronics and, indeed, the systems."

Prof. Jan Philipp Schmidt's first courses will be held in Winter Semester 2022/23. "During my time in industry, I was often able to work at the interfaces between the disciplines. In the BMW cell technology research, there were natural scientists on one side, engineers on the other. In series development at Mercedes, I was involved as a systems engineer between software developer, test engineer, hardware developer and finally the project. This means that many students will have to find their way around in a very complex environment " explains Schmidt. "That's why I don't just want to present the topic of systems engineering in the form of diagrams in a lecture, but also make it a practical experience for the students. In my teaching, I will also address other topics such as safety and reliability, which ultimately become visible at the system level, and thus complement the work of my colleagues focusing on the component level of the battery."