Stay curious and try new things!

Our Alumnus of the month is an expert in electrical engineering. Dr. Stefan Rothe's doctorate focused on lightwave programming and now conducts research at Yale University.

Back then, he regarded the broad scope of the electrical engineering program as both a blessing and a curse. “During the course of the studies, you undoubtedly get to know many fascinating and highly diverse technologies and their characteristics. However, until late in my studies (seventh semester), I still had no idea which industry I really wanted to work in later on,” he remembers.

Among the topics advertised, he was attracted to the current research topics of Daniel Haufe, then a doctoral student in measurement technology. He was programming light waves that he sends through a glass fiber to build hair-thin microendoscopes. “I still remember being completely astonished that something like this was actually possible – I was immediately captivated by the topic. So much so that I ended up doing my PhD on “secure fiber-optic communication” using light-wave programming – a topic I still work on today.

His advice for new students: “Don’t stress yourselves out, and enjoy your time at university as much as possible! It won't hurt you to consciously extend your time a little, for example with semesters abroad (I really enjoyed my ERASMUS semester in England) or by doing an internship or two.“

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Did you also study at TU Dresden and would like to stay in touch with your alma mater? Then become a member of the TUD alumni network.

Contact:
Susann Mayer
Alumni Relations Office of the TU Dresden
Phone: +49 351 463-36278
susann.mayer@tu-dresden.de