Dr.-Ing. Eric Elzenheimer

Chair of Microwave Engineering
Room: C-03.017 (ZEVS)
Kaiserstraße 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany
Phone: +49 431 880-6170
E-mail: ee@tf.uni-kiel.de
ORCID: 0000-0002-4841-4646

From 2015 to 2023, Eric served as a research assistant and postdoctoral researcher in the Digital Signal Processing and System Theory Group at Kiel University. Since 2016, he has been involved in the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1261, Magnetoelectric Sensors: From Composite Materials to Biomagnetic Diagnostics.

During his doctoral studies, his primary research centered on Multimodal Mapping of Nerve Pathologies Using Magnetoelectric Sensors, particularly emphasizing Magnetoneurography (MNG) and Magnetomyography (MMG). He also maintained a strong interest in clinical gold-standard techniques, including Electroneurography (ENG) and Electromyography (EMG). His work led to initiating a productive and ongoing collaboration with the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany’s national metrology institute. In 2020, he was one of three organizers of the Biosignals Workshop: Innovative Processing of Bioelectrical and Biomagnetic Signals. In 2022, he earned his Dr.-Ing. degree with distinction for his dissertation titled Analysis of Stimulation-Evoked Muscle and Nerve Signals Using Electrical and Magnetic Sensors. His doctoral work was recognized in 2023 with an award from Kiel University and the German Society for Biomedical Engineering (DGBMT). Since September 2023, he has been serving with the chairman team of the DGBMT board for Magnetic Methods in Medicine. In 2024, he joined the Chair of Microwave Engineering at Kiel University as a postdoctoral researcher and, in recognition of his expertise, became an affiliate researcher at PTB, Department 8.2 Biosignals, in Berlin.

His current postdoctoral research focuses on the quantitative characterization of highly sensitive magnetometers, transferring knowledge gained from ME sensors to other magnetometer types and multichannel systems, one of the key objectives of his research project within the third and final funding period of the CRC 1261. This work is further strengthened through close collaboration with the PTB and partnerships with institutions such as the Laboratory for Clinical Neurotechnology at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, including the MEG Core Facility of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH). In parallel, he also contributes to the scientific community through regular peer-review activities for journals, workshops, and international conferences.

In addition to his research activities, he is actively involved in teaching and student supervision at Kiel University, where he leads a master’s-level module titled (Bio-)Magnetometry and Metrology in the Low-Frequency Range, following the university’s approval of his teaching assignment for non-habilitated researchers. Beyond academia, he contributes to the community as a founding member of the Society for Applied Signal Processing (Gesellschaft für angewandte Signalverarbeitung e.V., GaS), a non-profit society supporting science, research, and student projects in applied signal processing at Kiel University, where he served as Vice Chair for eight years (2017–2025).

News and Updates:

April 9, 2026: An invited talk was presented at Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster. The talk, “Magnetometer Characterization: A Key Foundation for Magnetic Field Sensors?”, highlighted recent evaluation results and sparked engaging discussions on current OPM-MEG systems and their associated challenges. Thanks are given to Prof. Joachim Groß, Prof. Carsten Wolters and Andreas Wollbrink for providing the opportunity to visit the institute and for the invitation, their generous hospitality, and for providing an excellent insight into the institute through an informative lab-tour.

March 19, 2026: Participation in the CRC 1261 Retreat at Akademie Sankelmark, including the presentation of current project related results of Project Z2 (Link). The retreat provided an excellent platform within the CRC1261 for scientific exchange, fostering discussions on recent progress, methodological approaches, and future research directions in biomagnetic sensing with magnetoelectric (ME) sensors.

March 3, 2025: Our last characterization article is now available in Measurement, the prestigious journal of IMEKO. For the first time, we present a vendor-comprehensive timing benchmark of commercial SERF-OPMs, comparing Neuro-1 and QZFM Gen. 2 (QuSpin) with HEDscan and FLv2 (FieldLine). We reveal how time delay, synchronization, and settling behavior differ across systems. 👉 Read how timing differs across the systems and what it means for research and experiments worldwide today (Article Link).

March 3, 2026 - March 17, 2026: A successful CRC 1261 spring measurement campaign was conducted at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, accompanied by participation in the 3rd OPM Networking Workshop (PTB & Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin). The workshop provided valuable opportunities for in-depth exchange on current developments and challenges in biomagnetic sensing and biomagnetometry, including discussions on future prospects for the OPM-MEG Center at Charité (Link). As part of the campaign, an in-depth scientific exchange with MAG4HEALTH addressed strategies for the future evaluation of 4-He-OPMs.

February 15, 2026 - March 1, 2026: A highly productive research stay was conducted at the Biomedical Engineering Department of Prof. Daniel Baumgarten at University of Innsbruck. The visit enabled intensive collaboration and in-depth discussions on current research topics, particularly MEG and MNPs, fostering the fundament for a potential joint research project. Sincere thanks are extended to the entire team for their warm hospitality and support throughout the stay, as well as for the enjoyable table football sessions. Finally, the “Biosignale Workshop 2026” hosted by the institute (Link) provided an excellent and fitting culmination of the stay, combining scientific presentations with valuable discussions in a stimulating and collegial atmosphere, complemented by well-organized social activities surrounded by the mountain landscape of Innsbruck. In total, one session on "Magnetic Methods", co-chaired with Prof. Silvio Dutz, comprised six contributions, of which four were co-authored. The corresponding abstracts will be published soon.

Febuary 17,2026: Acceptance of two focus sessions at BMT 2026 in Augsburg was confirmed. One session, “Advances in (Bio-)Magnetic Sensing: From Next-Generation Magnetometers to Multichannel Systems and Emerging Clinical Applications”, is jointly organized with Marion (Brickwedde, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Berlin & Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin). A second session, “Recent Advances in Medical Applications of Magnetic Nanoparticles”, is jointly organized with Prof. Silvio (Dutz, WH Zwickau) and Frank (Wiekhorst, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Berlin). We look forward to strong submissions and engaging scientific exchange within the sessions, which are also supported by the national committee on "Magnetic Methods in Medicine".

Research: Highly-Sensitive Magnetometers, Biomagnetic Sensing, Sensor Readout and Biomedical Signal Processing

Topic: Magnetoelectric Sensor Characterization

The Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1261 focuses on the development and investigation of diverse thin-film magnetoelectric (ME) sensor concepts for advanced (bio-)medical sensing. These innovative sensors enable contactless detection of weak magnetic signals, even in environments with external interference such as the Earth's magnetic field. A key advantage is their ability to operate at room temperature, eliminating the need for additional heating, as required by Optically Pumped Magnetometers (OPMs), or cryogenic cooling, as required in Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs).

Project Z2, a service project within CRC 1261, plays a central role in the metrological characterization of magnetoelectric (ME) sensors and systems developed in the sensor-focused sub-projects and required for application in the corresponding medical research areas. In close collaboration with nearly all CRC sub-projects, Z2 systematically analyzes sensor performance metrics, focusing on quantifying variability arising from complex fabrication processes. Additionally, the project maintains a strong collaboration with the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) to contribute to the establishment of standardized performance benchmarks for magnetometers. Through its comprehensive support in sensor evaluation, selection, and integration, Project Z2 helps ensure the reliable deployment of ME sensor systems tailored to specific (bio-)medical sensing applications, while advancing harmonization efforts across the field.

Related Topics:

• Sensor Characterization
• Biomedical Signal Enhancement and Signal Analysis
• Electronics / Digital Signal Processing
• Magnetometry / Biomagnetism
• Bioelectric Measurements

Scientific Interests:

• New Magnetoelectric Sensor Concepts
• Novel Magnetometers for Biomagnetic Applications (MxG)
• Optically Pumped Magnetometers (OPMs)
• Electroneurography (ENG)
• Electromyography (EMG)

Membership in Scientific Socities:

• IEEE, Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
• German Society for Biomedical Engineering (DGBMT), Society of German Engineers (VDI), Fachausschüsse „Magnetische Methoden in der Medizin“ and „Biosignale”
• VDE-ITG-Fachgruppe „Signalverarbeitung und maschinelles Lernen“