New Head of Mechatronics Department

Fresh boost for the mechatronics programs with Phillip Krontahler, Monja Hauswicka, and Georg Saxl

Since the beginning of July, a lot has changed in the team of the Department of Mechatronics. Phillip Kronthaler has taken over as Head of the department, replacing DI Dr. Andreas Mehrle, who will be dedicating himself to new professional goals.

Holding a doctorate degree in Automation and Control Engineering, he was most recently employed at Stihl Tirol at the robotics functional development division and previously gained a great deal of academic experience as a research assistant at the Institute for Automation and Control Engineering at UMIT Tirol. There, among other distinctions, Phillip Kronthaler was awarded a prize for his outstanding teaching in 2017 and 2020.

Monja Hauswicka joins the team in the area of assistance and project management and will be responsible for the master's degree programs in Mechatronics – Smart Technologies and Mechatronics – Automation, Robotics & AI. In a few weeks, she will complete her MCI bachelor's degree in Business & Management and is therefore currently mastering an additional challenge on top of her new area of responsibility.

With Georg Saxl, the long-awaited upswing in the field of electrical engineering and electronics will follow. He also comes from the academic field of mechatronics and completed his doctorate in technical sciences at the University of Innsbruck. Until recently, he was also a post-doctoral researcher there, working mainly on his research focus "Chip design for the development of passive wireless sensor networks".

For the department of Mechatronics, the expertise, experience, and specialist knowledge brought in by the Head of department and the new team members will bring a lot of momentum, opportunities, and ideas that will flow directly into the development and expansion of the degree programs.