From TUBAF to industry and back again: Professor Ulf Kirsten is following in the footsteps of Professor Matthias Reich at the Faculty of Geosciences, Geotechnical Engineering, and Mining – known as Germany's only professor of deep drilling technology and active with his own YouTube channel. With the new appointment, the professorship has been renamed the Chair of Drilling Technology and Well Completion. Professor Ulf Kirsten will take up his post at the Institute of Drilling Technology and Fluid Mining on September 1, while Professor Matthias Reich will retire in October.
Ulf Kirsten is an alumnus of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg and completed both his studies and his doctorate at his alma mater. He is delighted to be returning to Freiberg: “The field of the professorship is currently undergoing profound change in terms of both the technologies used and the objectives of drilling. The core topic will be the efficient and sustainable exploitation of resources.”
In his teaching, the engineer aims to combine traditional drilling technology with the complex field of energy resource supply. “Collaboration is essential in drilling today; tasks must be viewed holistically—and I want to teach students the skills they need to do that!” At TUBAF, Professor Ulf Kirsten sees excellent conditions for combining geology, geotechnical engineering, mechanical engineering, automation, and computer science in teaching.
Before and after completing his doctorate, the expert in tunnel construction and underground drilling gained around fifteen years of experience in various international construction companies. "From my time in industry, I take with me above all the determined solution of ambitious tasks. Always in contact with the specific application or with a clear reference to technology, whether above or below ground. The opportunity to do this now with a competent team – and with the students – at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg opens up many new and exciting possibilities.