Honor for Three RWTH Scientists
Dr. John Kettler, Dr. Alexander J. C. Kühne and Dr. Jaan-Willem Simon have been accepted to the “Junges Kolleg“ of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts. The Kolleg, which provides support for outstanding young academics, was established in 2006 with financial support from the Mercator Foundation.
Up to 30 excellent young researchers of all disciplines can be elected into the Junges Kolleg, for a maximum period of four years. They participate in the activities of the Academy and receive an annual stipend of 10,000 Euros.
Furthermore, members are given the chance to network with other outstanding researchers and benefit from the Academy's resources and infrastructure. A doctoral degree as well as exceptional academic and research achievement at one of the NWR universities or research institutions are among the prerequisites for election into the College.
Since 2014, the College has been funded by the Federal State of NRW. Acceptance to the Young College is one of the most meaningful honors for young researchers in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In a celebration event on January 20, 2015, the 17 new members were officially appointed to the Junges Kolleg. Academy President Professor. Hans Hatt and NRW Science Minister Svenja Schulze congratulated the new members on the selection to the organization.
John Kettler
John Kettler has been a research associate at the RWTH Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Technology Transfer since 2010. He studied Physics at TU Dortmund and subsequently worked at Forschungszentrum Jülich. For his dissertation, he received the Excellence Prize from Forschungszentrum Jülich and the Future Award sponsored by RWE AG. Kettler’s key research area is radiation measuring technology, with a focus on developing non-destructive technologies for the characterization of radioactive waste.
Alexander J. C. Kühne
Alexander J. C. Kühne studied Chemistry at the University of Cologne and at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, where he also completed his binational doctorate. After conducting research at the universities of Cologne and Harvard, Kühne joined DWI, the Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials Research at RWTH Aachen, where he investigates the development of opals using artificial materials. These opals shall facilitate the development of future applications in the fields of telecommunication, photonics and biomedicine. They might contribute to more efficient ways of data transfer, or be used as printable protection labels, for example, on packaging of drugs and vaccines.
Jaan-Willem Simon
Jaan-Willem Simon studied Civil Engineering and Physical Engineering at TU Berlin. During a study abroad semester at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he completed the final theses for both courses of study. In 2006, Simon took on a position at the RWTH Institute of General Mechanics, where he completed his dissertation, and then became a senior researcher at the RWTH Institute of Applied Mechanics. In 2014, he was a visiting scholar at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. His key research areas include high-strength fibre composite components, with a focus on material behavior and failure mechanisms.
Caption
RWTH researchers Alexander Kühne (left), Jaan-Willem Simon (back, mid position) und John Kettler (right) were accepted to the Junges Kolleg of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts. RWTH Vice-Rector Rudolf Mathar (2nd from left), NRW Science Minister Svenja Schulze, and Academy President Professor Hans Hatt (second from right) congratulated the new members on the acceptance into the Junges Kolleg.
Photo: North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts/Endermann