Niklas Hornischer, a Master’s student in Simulation Technology, has been awarded the Wübben Foundation Student Grant in recognition of his academic achievements and strong research potential. The Wübben Stiftung Wissenschaft, a private foundation dedicated to advancing scientific excellence in Germany, grants funding to outstanding students who demonstrate bold and innovative approaches to significant research challenges.
Hornischer was nominated by several researchers from SimTech, including Benjamin Unger, Dominik Göddeke, and Felix Fritzen. His nominators praise his exceptional dedication, steep learning curve, and extensive research skills despite his early career stage, noting a clear trajectory toward a successful academic path.
In his studies, Hornischer has excelled in computational science and engineering, with his focus being on the numerics of partial differential equations. During a research stay at the University of Cambridge in the UK, he worked under the guidance of Professor Garth N. Wells, a leading figure in computational mechanics and scientific computing. In Cambridge, he contributed to the FEniCS Project, a widely used open-source computing platform in industry and research, supporting advanced computational techniques for solving complex scientific problems.
Hornischer has already published two peer-reviewed papers, which showcase his capacity to tackle intricate technical challenges:
- "Persival: Simulating Complex 3D Meshes on Resource-Constrained Mobile AR Devices Using Interpolation (2022)" – presented at the 2022 IEEE International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems. This paper, co-authored with J. Kässinger, D. Rosin, F. Dürr, O. Röhrle, and K. Rothermel, explores novel methods to enable efficient 3D simulations on mobile augmented reality devices with limited resources. The research proposes an interpolation-based approach, making advanced simulations feasible on devices that traditionally lack the computational power for such tasks.
- "Model Order Reduction with Dynamically Transformed Modes for Electrophysiological Simulations (2023)" – published in the GAMM Archive for Students. This work presents a method to reduce computational complexity for electrophysiological models in multiscale multiphysics simulations, enabling faster and more efficient analyses. Thereby, providing important insights towards developing on-demand patient-specific biophysical simulations in medicine and healthcare.
Hornischer’s innovative approach earned him the GAMM Best Paper Award for his latest publication, highlighting the impact of his research at an early stage in his academic career. Additionally, Hornischer presented at the Young Mathematicians and Model Order Reduction (YMMOR) conference in March 2024, further showcasing his commitment to advancing the field of numerical simulation.
Professor Garth N. Wells, Hornischer’s advisor during his Cambridge research stay, is a renowned expert in scientific computing and numerical methods for computational mechanics. Based at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, Professor Wells is instrumental in the FEniCS Project, an open-source platform widely adopted for finite element analysis and simulation tasks across various industries and research domains. Hornischer’s work with Professor Wells provided valuable exposure to cutting-edge computational tools and methodologies, reinforcing his academic focus on mathematical software.
The Wübben Foundation’s recognition not only acknowledges Hornischer’s accomplishments but also supports his promising future in research, where he continues to make substantial contributions to the field of simulation technology.