Rüdiger Quay

Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Quay holds the Fritz-Hüttinger Chair for Energy-Efficient High-Frequency Electronics at INATECH (Institute for Sustainable Systems Engineering), Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, while simultaneously serving as Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF. His dual appointment bridges academic research and industrial application in sustainable electronics.

His research vision centers on creating a worldwide web that saves more resources than it consumes, addressing the enormous energy, CO2, and material consumption of digital infrastructure. Key focus areas include:

• Sustainable internet traffic and efficiency optimization
• Resource-efficient data transmission and sensor technologies
• Electronic waste reduction and closed-loop recycling systems
• Next-generation communication technologies (6G, GaN, millimeter-wave)

Quay's work examines how digitization can contribute to sustainability while preventing data traffic itself from becoming an environmental problem. His approach investigates energy minimization at all levels - from individual components like amplifiers to novel system concepts.

Notable research projects include:

• Open6GHub - 6G for people, environment & society
• MyWave: Efficient Millimetre-Wave Communications for mobile users
• UltimateGaN
• 5G_GaN2

His scientific awards highlight his contributions to the field:

• European Microwave Prize (2012)
• Ernst von Siemens Scholarship
• Cusanuswerk Scholarships

As an educator, Quay teaches Energy Efficient Power Electronics, RF and Microwave Systems, Circuit Technology, and Sustainable Systems Engineering. His academic journey includes a 2008 Habilitation at TU Vienna in Microelectronics, research at Fraunhofer IAF since 2000, and work at the University of Illinois/Urbana Champaign in 1999.