Ralf Kundel

Ralf Kundel is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Germany. He holds a Ph.D. (2022) and dual M.Sc./B.Sc. degrees (2015-2017) from TU Darmstadt. His research focuses on network programmability, hardware acceleration using FPGAs and P4-programmable switches, Quality of Service (QoS), Time Sensitive Networking (TSN), and Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS). He leads the Adaptive Communication Group (ACS) since 2021, emphasizing network data plane programmability.

Key projects include BMWK's Real Lab Drive 4.0 (TSN in industrial networks), Deutsche Telekom's Dynamic Networks (SDN and FPGA-based carrier networks), and BMBF initiatives like Open 6G Hub (disaggregated O-RAN architectures) and AI-NET-PROTECT (machine learning for network security). He contributed to open-source frameworks like P4-UPF (5G UPF implementation), P4-CoDel (AQM), and P4STA (network testing).

Publications span over 25 peer-reviewed works and five patent applications, with recent focus on high-performance network evaluation and programmable hardware applications.