Starting September 1, 2025, Dennis Ehlert will receive an internal doctoral scholarship for three years. He completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Process and Environmental Engineering in Wismar at our University of Applied Sciences (UAS). During a three-month internship at the University of Newcastle in Australia, funded by the DAAD, he already worked in an international research team on current research topics.
He would like to use the Wismar doctoral scholarship to contribute to the development of a process for removing organic micropollutants from wastewater using green hydrogen. The problem: Sewage treatment plants are unable to adequately clean wastewater of pharmaceutical substances and other micropollutants using established methods. In addition, the processes are very resource-intensive. The “RED-OX-EMikro” research project, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, therefore aims to develop a new wastewater treatment process that enables the extensive elimination of micropollutants. In addition to the scholarship, Dennis Ehlert is employed part-time on the project. The process to be developed promises to find widespread application and will make a significant contribution to environmental protection and the economic efficiency of sewage treatment plants.
The project in Malchow on Poel is headed by Prof. Volker Birke. He has around 30 years of experience in practical environmental chemistry, particularly in the destruction of hazardous waste and toxic compounds in the environment. Dennis Ehlert's partner in the cooperative doctoral project is Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Tränckner, Professor of Water Management at the University of Rostock.
When asked why he wants to stay at Wismar UAS to pursue his doctorate, Dennis Ehlert replies: "In addition to the fundamentals taught in the bachelor's and master's programs, Wismar University offers excellent conditions for further research, especially in the fields of environmental process engineering and process technology. The intensive support, well-connected working groups, and excellent chemical analysis equipment make it possible to delve deeply into a research topic, which is essential for a doctorate."
The Rectorate of Wismar University of Applied Sciences awards one doctoral scholarship per semester, for which all disciplines can apply. In addition, a scholarship from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Graduate Funding Program is awarded annually for the solitary subjects of architecture, interior design, architectural lighting design, and maritime studies.
Most recently, Julia Matela (Prof. Dr. Frank Krüger), Huanhuan Xie (Prof. Martin Wollensak), and Franko Wegner (Prof. Dr. Christine Linke) were awarded doctoral scholarships. The Vice-Rectorate for Research supports doctoral activities at Wismar University with networking meetings, workshops to strengthen key competencies, publication and travel grants, and other measures. (jo)