Postdoctoral Researcher · Kiel University
Affiliate Researcher · PTB Berlin
Research: Ultra Low-Field Magnetometers, Biomagnetic Sensing, Sensor Readout and Digital Signal Processing
ee [at] tf [dot] uni-kiel [dot] de
+49 431 880-6170
Chair of Microwave Engineering
Room: C-03.017 (ZEVS)
Kaiserstraße 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany
Making weak magnetic fields measurable – and meaningful.
“From fundamental signals to real-world applications.”
I am a research scientist working at the intersection of biomagnetism, magnetometry, and metrology. My research focuses on the quantitative measurement of weak magnetic fields and on translating emerging magnetometer technologies into reliable tools for biomedical research and future clinical applications. My approach considers the complete sensor signal chain, from the sensing element through readout and signal processing to the analog or digital sensor output.
My scientific background is rooted in digital signal processing, systems theory, and biomedical sensing. I earned my Dr.-Ing. degree (summa cum laude) at Kiel University in 2022. Within the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center 1261, my doctoral research focused on the multimodal investigation of nerve and muscle activity using electrical and magnetic sensors, particularly magnetoneurography (MNG) and magnetomyography (MMG). This work initiated an ongoing collaboration with the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Berlin and shaped my continuing interest in quantitative magnetometer characterization.
Today, I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Microwave Engineering at Kiel University. My research spans sensor-level metrology and multichannel biomagnetic measurement systems. I investigate and apply methods for noise analysis, transfer-function characterization, and timing assessment. I also study magnetic shielding and system-level performance across emerging magnetometer technologies.
Alongside my research, I am actively involved in teaching and student supervision at Kiel University, where I lead the master’s-level course “(Bio-)Magnetometry and Metrology in the Low-Frequency Range.” I also contribute to academic peer review for scientific journals, conferences, and research funding organizations, including foundations. I serve on the speaker team of the DGBMT Technical Committee “Magnetic Methods in Medicine.”
October 11, 2026: Back in Kiel after an eventful week at BMT 2026 in Augsburg. A highlight was our two focus sessions on magnetic nanoparticles and (bio-)magnetic sensing, each in two parts, which brought together researchers from different institutions and disciplines. Many thanks to all speakers, co-authors and participants, and to Dr. Marion Brickwedde, Prof. Silvio Dutz, Frank Wiekhorst and Tilmann Sander-Thömmes for jointly organizing and chairing the sessions. The conference proceedings and abstracts are available online. Looking ahead to BMT 2027 in Rostock, September 28-30, 2027.
October 5, 2026: Kiel University reports on the international summer school of CRC 1261 “Biomagnetic Sensing”, held on September 9-11, 2026, at the InnoPier in Kiel. Researchers from academia and industry, together with early-career scientists, discussed how room-temperature magnetic field sensors can advance medical research: helium-based OPMs, diamond sensors, magnetoresistive sensors and our magnetoelectric (ME) sensors. My talk covered the basic principle of ME sensors and magnetometer characterization, the systematic determination of sensor performance carried out together with PTB Berlin. Many thanks to my co-organizers Mona Stölting, Linda Nolte, Lucie Bangert, Johan Arbustini and Rahil Radfar. Read the press release (in German).
September 25, 2026: Minimum detectable signal: toward a fairer comparison of emerging magnetometers. Biomagnetic fields decay steeply with distance, yet magnetometer technologies are still compared mainly by their noise floor. In our open-access handout accompanying the BIOMAG 2026 presentation, we propose MDS20, a practical figure of merit that combines sensor noise and standoff under three reference conditions, our “20/20/20”: power spectral density at 20 Hz, 20 mm source-to-housing distance and SNR = 20. MDS curves complement it for visualization. A joint work of Kiel University, PTB and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Read the handout or try the MDS20 calculator.
August 22 and 25, 2026: Two talks on magnetometer characterization were presented in Beijing, China. At the 14th Workshop on Optically Pumped Magnetometers (WOPM 2026), the tutorial-style talk “Metrological Terms for Benchmarking Optically Pumped Magnetometers: From Ambiguous Specifications to Comprehensive Metrics” covered our sensor evaluation work within CRC 1261 and at PTB. At BIOMAG 2026, attended for the first time, an oral presentation and a poster on “Magnetometer Characterization as Fundamental for Non-Cryogenic Biomagnetic Sensing: Requirement for a Fair Cross-Technology Comparison” introduced the minimum detectable signal (MDS) and the MDS20 figure of merit.
June 25, 2026: We are happy to announce that the German Patent and Trade Mark Office has granted our patent “Magnetfeldmessvorrichtung” (Magnetic field measuring apparatus), DE 10 2025 101 432 B8. The patent covers a magnetoelectric (ME) sensor apparatus based on a mechanically driven magnetostrictive substrate strip and a gradiometric induction-coil readout, enabling enhanced detection of magnetic-field gradients and improved suppression of common-mode disturbances. The patent is held by Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel. Inventors are Andreas Bahr, Eric Elzenheimer, Michael Höft, Dennis Seidler, and Johan Solis-Arbustini.
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.
February 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".
From sensors to biomagnetic measurements
My research connects sensor metrology, biomagnetic sensing, magnetic shielding, and digital signal processing to enable quantitative and reproducible measurements across the complete measurement chain, from individual sensing elements to multichannel biomagnetic systems.
Quantitative characterization of magnetometers with a focus on noise, transfer-function behavior, timing, gain matching, linearity, and cross-axis effects to enable reproducible measurements and robust comparisons across sensor technologies.
Explore the characterization frameworkBiomagnetic measurements of brain (MEG), heart (MCG), nerve (MNG) and muscle activity (MMG), using quantum sensors such as optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) and nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, as well as other sensitive magnetometers, with a particular focus on OPM-MEG.
Characterization and optimization of low-field measurement environments through magnetic shielding, degaussing, residual-field mapping, and interference suppression to support high-sensitivity magnetometry and stable biomagnetic measurements.
Explore the KMSR facilityIntegration of magnetic sensors, readout electronics, data acquisition, and digital signal processing to enable transfer-function compensation and quantitative characterization of multichannel sensor systems.
Designed new laboratory experiments, authored innovative exercise material, and led tutorials employing state-of-the-art didactical methods:
Contact
Questions about my research, a possible collaboration, teaching or reviewing? I look forward to your message.
ORCID: 0000-0002-4841-4646
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