He has been employed at Landshut University of Applied Sciences for eight years and is celebrating his 25th anniversary with the Free State of Bavaria this year: Prof Dr Andreas Breidenassel, Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Electrical and Industrial Engineering. He works on the Biomedical Engineering degree programme in the field of medical device technology. The father of two finds his appointment as a professor in 2016 very fulfilling: "It is a meaningful task that supports and advances society - because teaching students is a privilege. As a professor, you entrust me with some of the most valuable things people have to offer: Their lifetime.
Breidenassel's scientific career path to professor and dean of studies
Professor Breidenassel studied physics at the Ruprecht-Karls University in Heidelberg and subsequently completed his doctorate on the subject of "Optoelectronics". He attempted to realise some of the properties of the human eye in electronic hardware. Breidenassel entered full-time employment with the Free State of Bavaria when he began working as a research assistant. This is how he started his career in a university environment.
He then spent a total of ten years in industry: two years at Siemens AG, eight years at OSRAM GmbH - starting as a research scientist and climbing the career ladder step by step, first as a developer, then as a project manager and finally as a senior key expert. He was finally appointed professor in 2016. Since then, he has made a significant contribution to the establishment and development of the laboratories for medical device technology and for optical metrology and laser technology. With the support of the research department, he implemented his ideas in the form of publicly funded research projects and helped the research group to grow in this way.
He was also involved in the organisation of the university and took over the management of the Biomedical Engineering degree programme two years after his appointment. From 2022, he was responsible for the position of Dean of Studies, acquiring the knowledge of how degree programmes are structured and planned, as well as how the deployment planning of the available professors works.
Breidenassel has thus been in the service of the Free State of Bavaria for a total of 25 years and is still enthusiastic about his work as a professor: "Teaching the exciting topics of medical technology is a great thing in itself. But when I also have the opportunity to increase my knowledge and skills by passing them on to many students at the same time, it's simply marvellous," explains Breidenassel.
Teaching and research as an ideal career field
Prof Breidenassel describes himself as an inquisitive physicist with an engineering background who has discovered medical technology as an ideal career field as well as an interesting area of teaching and research: "It is a very innovative and interdisciplinary industry in which there are constantly new developments and improvements."
He also sees his subject as an area with future prospects for his students: "Employment figures in this field have been rising continuously for many years, and this is unlikely to change in the future, taking demographic change into account."
For him, research in particular is a versatile addition to teaching: "On the one hand, it offers the opportunity to maintain contact with companies and participate in current developments. On the other hand, students can get a taste of current research topics and make their own contributions through final theses within the research projects - a very appealing and intellectual challenge against the background of expanding their own knowledge."
Current research activities with external partners
Prof Breidenassel is currently working with two doctoral students on two research projects that have only recently started: As part of "HEAR-MOTION", they are working with the cosinuss° company in Munich to develop an earable, a wearable ear sensor that ensures reliable measurement of oxygen saturation during movement and blood pressure measurement in medical emergency situations. "INMOTION", on the other hand, deals with innovative tracking technologies in medical applications. The latter project is being realised across faculties with the Department of Computer Science and various industrial partners.
University President Prof. Dr Fritz Pörnbacher congratulates Prof. Dr Andreas Breidenassel on his 25th anniversary: "With his work as a professor and the associated research activities, Prof. Breidenassel has made a decisive contribution in recent years to strengthening and further expanding cooperation between Landshut University of Applied Sciences and local companies in the region around Landshut. This ultimately benefits our students. Many thanks for this commitment!"
