Johannes Pfau

Dr. Johannes Pfau serves as a Scientific Assistant at the Institute for Information Processing Technology (ITIV) within Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), working in Prof. Becker's research group. His position combines postdoctoral research in advanced FPGA architectures with teaching responsibilities including System-on-Chip internships and academic advising for specialized engineering tracks.

Education:

• Doctorate (Dissertation) in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 2024

Research Interests: Pfau's work centers on reconfigurable computing with three interconnected pillars: (1) Next-generation FPGA architectures using emerging technologies like RFETs that require fundamental toolchain redesigns; (2) Digital beamforming systems for satellite Earth observation that replace analog processing with FPGA-based solutions to enable on-orbit data compression; and (3) High-throughput data acquisition systems for 6G prototyping handling multi-100Gbps streams through RFSoC platforms. His research bridges semiconductor physics, hardware architecture, and practical applications in communications and remote sensing.

Publication Trends: Pfau's 15 most recent publications (2021-2024) reveal a strong focus on practical FPGA implementations addressing real-world constraints. His work increasingly integrates power management (7 papers), 6G infrastructure (5 papers), and novel semiconductor technologies (4 papers), with a clear trajectory toward hardware solutions for satellite communications and next-generation wireless systems. The research demonstrates consistent progression from architectural innovations (RFET, V-FPGAs) to applied systems (beamforming, 6G testbeds).

Advising and Mentorship: Pfau maintains an active student supervision portfolio with documented guidance of 7+ Bachelor's and Master's theses since 2021. His projects emphasize hands-on hardware development, spanning power management techniques, beamforming filter design, and prosthetic control systems. The academic advising role for specializations 13 and 21 positions him at the intersection of computer science and electrical engineering education.

Research Context: As a core member of Prof. Becker's group at ITIV, Pfau contributes to KIT's leadership in reconfigurable systems research. The group maintains strong industry connections through 6G initiatives and satellite technology development, with Pfau's work directly supporting German and European efforts in secure communications infrastructure and Earth observation systems.