Gerd Simons

Prof. Dr. Gerd Simons is Head of the FHNW Institute for Sensors and Electronics and a Lecturer in Measurement and Sensor Technology at Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz FHNW. His career spans academia and industry, including roles at Kistler Instrumente AG, Baumer Electric AG, and Jaquet Technology Group. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich (2005), focusing on mechanical size effects in copper foils, and a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich (1998).

Research interests include sensor technology, IoT applications, microstructure analysis of metals, and mechanical behavior of thin foils. His work combines experimental mechanics with materials science, particularly in copper foil tensile testing and MEMS material characterization. Recent projects involve high-order dynamic mode decomposition for vibration analysis and weigh-in-motion sensor systems.

Publications span peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Materials Science and Engineering A) and conference proceedings, focusing on sensor technology, material characterization, and size effects in thin materials. He has supervised theses on copper foil mechanics and holds patents on sensor mounting techniques.

Labs/teams: Leads the Sensors & Electronics Institute, collaborating with industry partners like Kistler and Augsburg University. Active in strategic R&D for automotive and agricultural sensor applications.