About DENISE
Doctoral School for Dependable Electronic-Based Systems

Profile
Electronics-based systems (EBS) make our world “smart” by combining advanced electronics and software, often in networked systems that interact with the physical world through sensors and actuators. Most EBS applications in production or transportation are safety-critical: EBS failures may cost human lives. We thus aim to find fundamental concepts and methods, but also application-oriented tools to make EBS dependable, where dependability summarizes attributes of a system allowing humans to trust EBS.
"The number of electronics-based systems is growing enormously. They can make areas such as production, infrastructure or transport intelligent and sustainable, but they will only be accepted if people trust these systems. Reliability is therefore becoming the cornerstone for social acceptance of EBS."
DENISE extends existing close ties among TU Graz and FH JOANNEUM with a truly joint doctoral programme introducing many novel elements (e.g., cross-institutional supervision teams, cross-institutional curriculum, cross-institutional joint experimental infrastructures) based on the vast international experience of the faculty and thus meeting highest international standards.
Graz is an international EBS hotspot, thus existing strengths are strengthened and critical mass is generated by bundling expertise of both institutions. Demands of Graz’ ecosystem for researchers dually trained in basic and application-oriented research are met. A lasting doctoral education network will be established among FH JOANNEUM and TU Graz which will bring the spirit of top research to FH JOANNEUM with full support of both rectorates who will donate substantial additional resources.
"FH JOANNEUM is delighted about this cooperative doctoral programme, which will not only be a bridge between basic and applied research, but also between two institutions that are already closely interlinked."
DENISE Faculty Members

The DENISE faculty currently consists of 5 members. Their competences cover a large share of dependable EBS, with a track record both in basic and application-oriented research.
The Members of the Faculty:
- Prof. Dr. Annette Mütze
Graz University of Technology, Electric Drives and Machines Institute - Prof. Dr. Kay Römer
Graz University of Technology, Institute of Technical Informatics - Assoc.Prof. Dr. Olga Saukh
Graz University of Technology, Institute of Technical Informatics - Priv.-Doz. Dr. Joachim Schauer
FH JOANNEUM, Institute of Internet Technologies & Applications - FH-Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Christian Vogel
FH JOANNEUM, Institute of Electronic Engineering
DENISE PhD Candidates
The doctoral students of DENISE will be employed for 4 years in predoc research positions either at TU Graz or FH JOANNEUM, based on the matching with supervisors.
Advisory Board
- Prof. Dr. Marco Liserre
Kiel University (CAU), Institute of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (EE&IT) - Prof. Dr. Lothar Thiele
ETH Zürich, Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Networks Laboratory - Prof. Thiemo Voigt
Uppsala University, Sweden, Department of Information Technology, Division of Computer Systems
Funding Provider
The Austrian Science Fund FWF is funding the joint training of doctoral students from the two Styrian universities TU Graz and FH JOANNEUM in the field of electronics-based systems (EBS) through the new funding framework doc.funds.connect. Additional funding is provided by the host institutions to allow for full-time employments of the candidates.
Programme for cooperative doctoral education between universities of applied sciences and universities:
This funding measure initiated by the BMBWF facilitates the creation of a cooperative doctoral programme between universities and universities of applied sciences. The programme promotes collaboration between the institutions, enhances the research capabilities of universities of applied sciences, and provides PhD students with additional career development opportunities.