Project Details
Projekt
GSC 111: Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science (AICES)
Subject Area
Mechanics and Constructive Mechanical Engineering
Mathematics
Systems Engineering
Mathematics
Systems Engineering
Term
from 2006 to 2019
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 24613455
The graduate school "Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science" (AICES) addresses some of the well-known concerns regarding PhD education in Germany: the high time-to-degree, the comparatively high isolation during dissertation work, and insufficient international exposure. In AICES, each PhD student is advised by a junior and a senior faculty co-advisor. Through a competitive fund allocation process, AICES faculty are motivated to
(1) form interdisciplinary mentoring teams, and to
(2) provide PhD project plans, thus guaranteeing careful project preparation early on. By involving existing and hiring new young faculty, the student-to-faculty ratio is improved, allowing for more intensive advising. As a desired side-effect, senior faculty members not only provide guidance to PhD students, but also to junior faculty. AICES will therefore have an impact on several stages of education: the M.S., the PhD, and the postdoctoral stage. A PhD schedule is introduced in order to streamline PhD education. In an additional effort to reduce the time-to-degree, AICES offers B.S. holders a shortened path to a PhD.
The graduate school is supported by the existing RWTH Aachen activities in computational engineering science (CES). This includes an established B.S./M.S. study programme in CES, and the Center for Computational Engineering Science (CCES). AICES gathers the expertise of a diverse group of RWTH institutes with a strong history of collaboration in research and teaching.
The scientific focus is placed on emerging synthesis and challenging analysis topics with a common emphasis on the multiscale nature of most problems in the considered application areas: materials science, chemical engineering, transportation systems, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, and geoscience. This broad spectrum of applications provides fertile ground for targeted research on topics of synthesis, concentrating on broadly-defined inverse problems. This concept, coming to life only in the context of computational engineering science, involves model discovery and identification, model interaction on multiple scales, as well as optimal design, control and operations of complex engineered systems. Another unique element of the graduate school is a dedicated seed funding for experimental projects to be performed by on-campus partners, jump-starting required collaborations with experimental laboratories.
Finally, AICES complements recent university-wide improvements in doctoral education, including the Centre for Doctoral Studies (CFDS), which provides soft skills training and many other student services, and the institutional efforts to assure gender equality.
(1) form interdisciplinary mentoring teams, and to
(2) provide PhD project plans, thus guaranteeing careful project preparation early on. By involving existing and hiring new young faculty, the student-to-faculty ratio is improved, allowing for more intensive advising. As a desired side-effect, senior faculty members not only provide guidance to PhD students, but also to junior faculty. AICES will therefore have an impact on several stages of education: the M.S., the PhD, and the postdoctoral stage. A PhD schedule is introduced in order to streamline PhD education. In an additional effort to reduce the time-to-degree, AICES offers B.S. holders a shortened path to a PhD.
The graduate school is supported by the existing RWTH Aachen activities in computational engineering science (CES). This includes an established B.S./M.S. study programme in CES, and the Center for Computational Engineering Science (CCES). AICES gathers the expertise of a diverse group of RWTH institutes with a strong history of collaboration in research and teaching.
The scientific focus is placed on emerging synthesis and challenging analysis topics with a common emphasis on the multiscale nature of most problems in the considered application areas: materials science, chemical engineering, transportation systems, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, and geoscience. This broad spectrum of applications provides fertile ground for targeted research on topics of synthesis, concentrating on broadly-defined inverse problems. This concept, coming to life only in the context of computational engineering science, involves model discovery and identification, model interaction on multiple scales, as well as optimal design, control and operations of complex engineered systems. Another unique element of the graduate school is a dedicated seed funding for experimental projects to be performed by on-campus partners, jump-starting required collaborations with experimental laboratories.
Finally, AICES complements recent university-wide improvements in doctoral education, including the Centre for Doctoral Studies (CFDS), which provides soft skills training and many other student services, and the institutional efforts to assure gender equality.
DFG Programme
Graduate Schools
Applicant Institution
Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
Participating Institution
Forschungszentrum Jülich; Max-Planck-Institut für Nachhaltige Materialien GmbH (MPI SusMat)
Spokesperson
Professor Marek Behr, Ph.D.
Participating Researchers
Professor Dr.-Ing. André Bardow; Professor Paolo Bientinesi, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Stefan Blügel; Professor Dr. Christoph Clauser; Professor Dr. Wolfgang Dahmen; Professor Dr. Nicolas R. Gauger; Professor Dr. Ahmed E. Ismail; Professor Dr. Leif Kobbelt; Professor Dr.-Ing. Steffen Leonhardt; Professor Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt; Professor Georg May, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Uwe Naumann; Professor Dr.-Ing. Heinz Pitsch; Professor Dr.-Ing. Dierk Raabe; Professorin Dr.-Ing. Stefanie Reese; Professor Dr. Arnold Reusken; Professor Dr.-Ing. Roger A. Sauer; Professor Dr. Thomas Schmitz-Rode; Professor Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Schröder; Professor Dr. Andreas Schuppert; Professor Dr. Robert Svendsen; Professor Dr. Manuel Torrilhon; Professorin Karen Veroy-Grepl, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Felix Wolf
