Abstract:

In this talk, Prof. Bergmann introduces the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Structured Matter-Based Sensing, a joint initiative of TU Graz and the University of Graz (with Prof. Peter Banzer), in collaboration with industry partners voestalpine, Infineon, ams OSRAM, and TDK. The central idea is simple: structure matters — on both sides of the sensing equation. By engineering meta-atoms as artificial building blocks, the lab tailors the optical, mechanical, and electromagnetic response of matter far beyond what naturally occurring materials provide, using physics-informed and inverse design to realize 2D and 3D metamaterials such as metalenses and beam-shapers. In parallel, light and millimeter waves are sculpted in intensity, polarization, and phase, treating spatial structure as an additional degree of freedom for encoding information and optimizing wave-matter interactions. This dual perspective — structuring matter on one side, structuring waves on the other — opens new avenues for sensing, metrology, microscopy, and optical communication. Prof. Bergmann will illustrate the approach with selected results from the lab, including telemetric mm-wave meta-sensors for contactless drivetrain torque and rotational monitoring, and outline how the combination of structured matter and structured waves is shaping the next generation of multi-functional, robust, and highly sensitive sensor systems.

Biography:

Alexander Bergmann received his PhD from Karl-Franzens University Graz in 2000 and spent 15 years in industrial R&D on sensors and sensor systems before being appointed Professor at Graz University of Technology (Austria) in 2016. He heads the Institute of Electrical Measurement and Sensor Systems and leads the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Structured Matter Based Sensing. His research covers photonic, photoacoustic, aerosol and integrated sensor systems, e.g. for battery diagnostics, with more than 250 publications and over 30 patents to his name. He received the Nikola Tesla Medal of TU Graz in 2023 as the university’s most successful inventor and was honored with the 2025 IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award in Instrumentation and Measurement for his contributions to pollution measurement and environmental sensing.