Unfold your career
Jürgen Kosel, Head of Research Unit Advanced Sensors and Electronics Technologies & Head of Research Division Sensor Systems
From Vienna to South Africa, Saudi Arabia and back to Austria again: Jürgen Kosel has traveled quite a bit of the world in his scientific career. Now we are all the happier that he has returned to Austria, where he has joined SAL as Head of Research Unit Advanced Sensors and Electronics Technologies (formerly Sensor Applications) in Villach in 2020. Whenever Jürgen is not working, he enjoys being active outdoors and recharging his batteries in nature. The picture on the left was taken this April when he got elected as a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
"Our research has a direct impact on people"
Dear Jürgen, what did you do for a living before you joined SAL?
I completed my master’s degree, PhD, and habilitation in Electrical Engineering at the Vienna University of Technology. After that, I worked in the industry at Magna before moving to South Africa for a postdoc position. My next stop was Saudi Arabia, where I got a founding professorship at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. In addition to conducting research, I helped build up teaching at the University from scratch, worked as a professor for electrical engineering, and started a bioengineering program. I also lead the laboratory for advanced micro-mano-technology as well as the research group for sensing, magnetism and microsystems.
Then I came back to Austria and took up my position at SAL at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns.
How did things progress for you at SAL?
I immediately started as Head of Research Unit Sensor Applications. Back then, our research focus was on Harsh Environment Applications & Technologies, which we have expanded to include Printed & Flexible Electronics since then. As a result, my team doubled in size, and we were able to open our own laboratory for Printed & Flexible Electronics in the fall of 2022.
Is there anything about SAL you would like to share with interested applicants or possible future colleagues?
SAL is the perfect place if you want to work in a dynamic and rapidly growing environment and leave an impact in industry-oriented research!
More about the research area "Advanced Sensors and Electronics Technologies"
Do you have a professional role model?
In my professional career, I was lucky enough to have met people who like to get up in the morning because they look forward to work. In this sense, anyone who enjoys what they are doing for a living is a role model for me.
What was your highlight at SAL so far?
At a conference in spring, my team and I had the opportunity to present new demonstrators for all kinds of printed electronics applications, such as lighting, batteries, prostheses, temperature sensors and much more. It is great to see what we have achieved over the course of the last two years.
What do you appreciate about SAL?
I really appreciate the proximity of our research to industry, which was also one of my reasons for applying at SAL. We are attractive partners for companies, and we link our research directly to end users. Thus, our research has a direct impact on people.
Join our team!
You want to start your success story at SAL? Are you looking for a new challenge? If you want to actively shape the technologies of the future and enjoy working in an international team, then you've come to the right place.
