Stefan Mönch

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Mönch is a Junior Professor at the Institute for Electrical Energy Conversion (Institut für Elektrische Energiewandlung) at the University of Stuttgart, where he leads the research group "Smart Converters for Emission-Free Mobility of the Future" as part of the InnovationsCampus Mobility of the Future (ICM). He was appointed to this position in December 2023, establishing his junior professorship within the framework of this Baden-Württemberg-funded initiative focused on sustainable mobility solutions.

Dr. Mönch completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Electrical and Information Technology with a focus on power electronics and microelectronics at the University of Stuttgart. He earned his doctorate (Dr.-Ing.) in 2021 with research on Gallium Nitride-based and integrated power semiconductor circuits. Prior to his current position, he worked as a scientist and project leader at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics (IAF) in Freiburg, and from 2017 he was an academic staff member at the Institute for Robust Power Semiconductor Systems (ILH) at the University of Stuttgart.

Dr. Mönch's research focuses on highly efficient electrical energy converters for sustainable mobility applications. His work spans power electronics with novel topologies and operating concepts, compact voltage converters for intelligent charging and driving, and electrocaloric heat pumps for thermal management in mobile applications. His Smart Converters group investigates beyond 99% efficient partial-power-processing, multilevel topologies, integrated converters with sensors and control systems, AI-aided design optimization, and wide-bandgap semiconductor technologies including GaN and SiC across voltage ranges from 48V to 1.5kV. The group's mobility-specific research includes bidirectional DC battery charging, traction drive topologies, and wireless power transfer inverters, while their energy research explores solid-state cooling, electrocalorics, magnetocalorics, and energy recovery circuits.

Analysis of Dr. Mönch's recent publications reveals a strong focus on high-efficiency power conversion technologies, particularly using wide-bandgap semiconductors like GaN. His work demonstrates consistent progress in achieving over 99% efficiency in various converter topologies, with significant contributions to electrocaloric heat pump systems, multilevel converter architectures, and novel GaN-based circuit designs. The research shows a clear trend toward integration, with numerous publications on monolithic and highly-integrated GaN power ICs that combine multiple functions on a single chip.

Dr. Mönch actively supervises student research and thesis work at the University of Stuttgart and has guided numerous student projects throughout his career. He leads multiple research projects including HiPower 5.0 (2025-2028), COOLPOL (2024-2028), and SmartEnergyConversion (2024) at the university, while continuing his involvement with Fraunhofer IAF projects such as ECO-KÜHL (2025-2027), GaN4EmoBiL (2023-2026), and ElKaWe (2019-2024).

The Smart Converters research group, led by Dr. Mönch, currently consists of the professor and four academic staff members (as of July 2025). The team includes researchers Adrian Söllner, Ines Bennour, Jan Schipper, and Ole Bauer, who collaborate on developing next-generation power electronics solutions for sustainable mobility applications. The group operates within the broader framework of the InnovationsCampus Mobility of the Future, which connects research expertise from both the University of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology to accelerate progress in sustainable transportation technologies.