Teena tom Dieck conducts research into molecular communication systems
She has excellent grades, she actively contributes to the community, and she is down to earth: Teena tom Dieck was awarded the “Junge Macherin” Prize from the German National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) in recognition of her dedication and her Master’s thesis at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
In her Master’s thesis, Teena tom Dieck builds a bridge into a world that is normally unreachable for standard communication technology: inside the human body. Using mathematical models, she navigates nanoparticles in such a way that molecules transport information to a particular place within the body, for instance in order to guide vital medicines to where they are required. Her interdisciplinary Master’s thesis in the Elite degree program Advanced Signal Processing and Communications was supervised by Prof. Dr. Robert Schober, Chair of Digital Communications, and Prof. Dr. Kathrin Castiglione, Chair of Bioprocess Engineering.
The acatech award also recognizes voluntary work. For instance, Teena tom Dieck completed a year of voluntary social service at the Internationaler Bund and organized computer courses for people with mental disabilities at Lebenshilfe Erlangen.
From the Master’s degree to a doctoral degree
Teena tom Dieck graduated with a 1.0 in her Master’s degree. She is currently working as a doctoral candidate in the research training group “Synthetic Molecular Communications Across Different Scales: From Theory to Experiments“ at FAU.
According to Teena tom Dieck: “Women are unfortunately still under-represented in engineering. Initiatives like the Schnieder Prize raise visibility and encourage the next generation of female researchers and students to pursue their interests.”
A role model for young women
The “Junge Macherin” Prize is donated by Antonio and Katharina Schnieder. They both work in the IT sector and hope that by recognizing the achievements of talented young female graduates they can motivate them to continue to pursue a career in the science or engineering after graduating and to act as a role model for other women in STEM subjects.
Further information:
Teena tom Dieck
Chair of Digital Communications