The ECE department recently welcomed Clara Kümpel, a fellow of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. Kümpel is currently studying computer science at the ETH Zürich and is participating in the Foundation’s annual shadowing program. Her participation marks three generations of current and former German Academic Scholarship Foundation fellows to be involved with the ECE department, each at different exciting points in their careers.

During her time at the U, Kümpel is being mentored by Dr. Simon Binder, a postdoc with the ECE department since 2020 and a former fellow of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. Dr. Binder is a member of the lab of ECE Department Chair Florian Solzbacher, who is himself a former fellow of the foundation.

Each year, alumni of the foundation invite current fellows to accompany them at work through the shadowing program. Through this experience, fellows invited to participate can get a first impression of a typical workday in their respective field, exciting insights into current topics, and the opportunity to expand their network.

Dr. Simon Binder and Clara Kümpel

Dr. Binder initiated the ECE department’s participation in the Foundation’s shadowing program earlier this year, and will be accompanied by Kümpel in his daily work as a Postdoctoral Researcher. The two will be focusing largely on projects involving glucose sensors and brain implants as well as academic teaching.

In addition to his involvement in mentoring activities on a voluntary basis, Dr. Binder has also been an active juror on the Foundation’s selection committees for the awarding of scholarships for several years now.

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