About us
The Department of Mechanical Engineering is part of KIT's Area 3 "Mechanical and Electrical Engineering" together with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, four Helmholtz programs, and eight institutes of the large-scale research area. The department consists of more than 20 institutes with about 1,000 employees, including about 45 professors, 460 scientific employees, and 200 employees in administration and technology. In addition, there are several hundred tutors and scientific assistants.
Against the backdrop of a globally changing security situation, KIT aims to strengthen Germany's and Europe's security and sovereignty through research and innovation. A recently published position paper formulates KIT's willingness to make scientific contributions to strengthening internal and external security and thus to the resilience of democracy. It also underlines the need for a critically reflective and ethically sound approach. "The changing geopolitical situation has a significant impact on our security," says Professor Jan S. Hesthaven, President of KIT. "We stand for fundamental values such as democracy and freedom, including academic freedom. At the same time, we have our obligations to society. That is why we are determined to strengthen security through our work and to contribute to the common good as a public research institution."
On April 20, 2026, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the KIT booth at the Hannover Messe. Together with Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche, he focused his attention on the so-called First Wall, the tritium breeding blanket, which represents a crucial step toward a future fusion reactor. Professor Jan S. Hesthaven, President of KIT, presented the state of research and the significance of the First Wall to the Chancellor and thanked the federal government for its support. Fusion research at KIT is unique worldwide, Hesthaven said. Merz praised the work being done at KIT. “We need fusion technology!” said the Chancellor. He reiterated his goal that the first fusion reactor should be located in Germany. KIT’s research is indispensable for this. (from KIT News ckö/tsc, April 20, 2026)
Innovative material system for 3D printing technology enables high-performance ceramic components.
A research team at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has developed a material system as part of the CeraMMAM project that enables the production of high-performance components made of multiple materials using a universal binder system in a single process. The technology opens up new possibilities for industrial applications—particularly in medical technology, mechanical engineering, and aerospace. From April 20 to 24, 2026, the researchers will present industrial prototypes and demonstrators for the first time at the Hannover Messe at the KIT booth (Hall 11, Booth B06), along with the potential applications of additive multimaterial manufacturing. KIT Press Release
The KIT Department of Mechanical Engineering warmly welcomes Dr. Marco Lorenz from the Institute of Thermal Fluid Machinery (ITS), who was newly appointed as Professor of Thermal Turbomachinery effective April 1, 2026.
With the Department Teaching Awards, the Executive Board recognizes courses that stand out in particular for their research- and application-oriented teaching modules, as well as new forms of teaching and learning, interdisciplinarity, or the high relevance of the subject matter taught. This year, the introductory course “Information Technology and Automation Technology” in the second semester of the bachelor’s programs in Medical Technology, Electrical and Information Technology, and Mechatronics—taught by Prof. Mike Barth, Marwin Madsen, Marcel Auer, and Jakob Pfefferle—received the Department Teaching Award in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. The Department Teaching Award in Mechanical Engineering went to Prof. Sven Matthiesen, Oliver Liewerenz, and Christoph Wittig from the Institute for Product Development (IPEK) and Prof. Sören Hohmann and Armin Teltschik from the Institute for Control and Regulation Systems (IRS) for the course “Mechatronic Systems and Products.”
Four funded projects strengthen research infrastructures in production technology, climate research. Battery recycling and quantum communication. KIT has been extraordinarily successful in the current competition for EFRE funding organized by the state of Baden-Württemberg. For three projects as an applicant and another as a partner, KIT has raised a total of 5,855,000 euros. The funds will be used for the targeted expansion of modern research infrastructures in strategic future fields.
more News