Franz Aurenhammer

Franz Aurenhammer is a University Professor (Univ.-Prof.) at the Institute of Machine Learning and Neural Computation, Graz University of Technology, Austria. He holds the academic title DI Dr. techn. and has been active in computational geometry research for several decades. His position as Full Professor was appointed in October 1992 at the Institute of Theoretical Computer Science, where he also served as head of the research group on algorithms, geometry, and optimization.

Professor Aurenhammer earned his academic credentials at Graz University of Technology: his MS degree (Dipl. Ing.) in Technical Mathematics in April 1982, his PhD degree (Dr. techn.) in November 1984, and completed his Habilitation (Universitätsdozent) in Theoretical Computer Science in May 1989. Prior to his current position, he served as Assistant Professor at the Institute for Information Processing from January 1985 to April 1989, and held research positions including at the Free University of Berlin (April 1990 to May 1992).

Aurenhammer's research focuses primarily on computational and combinatorial geometry, data structures and algorithms, and graph algorithms. His work has particularly emphasized Voronoi diagrams and straight skeletons, with numerous publications on these topics spanning several decades. His research has strong theoretical foundations while also addressing practical applications in computer science, optimization, and geometric modeling.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a continued focus on geometric structures, particularly Voronoi diagrams in various forms (including piecewise-linear farthest-site variants) and straight skeletons in both 2D and 3D contexts. His work often bridges theoretical computational geometry with practical applications in computer-aided design, shape analysis, and spatial data structures. The research demonstrates progression from fundamental theoretical work to increasingly sophisticated applications in 3D modeling and complex geometric structures.

Professor Aurenhammer has been actively involved in research funding, with grants from major institutions including the Austrian Ministry of Science (BMWFK), Austrian National Bank (ÖNB), National Science Foundation (FWF), Austrian Academic Exchange Program (ÖAD), and the Special Research Council (SFB) 'Optimization and Control'. His current project FWF I1836-N15 (2015-2020) focuses on Voronoi diagrams as versatile data structures for spatial proximity problems.

As an educator, Aurenhammer has supervised numerous MS and PhD theses in theoretical computer science and taught courses including Basic Data Structures & Algorithms, Languages and Automata, Design & Analysis of Algorithms, Computational Geometry, and Information Theory. His teaching responsibilities include Privatissimum courses on Algorithms and Geometry and Dissertation seminars.

His international research collaborations span numerous institutions across Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and China, reflecting the global significance of his work in computational geometry. These collaborations have resulted in significant contributions to the field, particularly through the DACH project on Voronoi diagrams and related geometric structures.