Corporate Research

Overview

Research and development Bosch: Our employees work on exciting ideas that lead to successful products, for instance in software development, engine management, robotics and fuel cell systems. This magazine regularly presents portraits of Bosch researchers who offer insight into their exciting work. Innovative developments become modern products. Our employees shape their own careers and the future of Bosch.

Who are you?

Hello! I am Stefan Ferber. I am 34 years old and I manage the Department of Software Development Processes at Bosch Research. That may sound a little arcane. What it really boils down to is this: When software developers program thousands of features of a navigation system, everything’s got to work together as smoothly as clockwork.

What are you working on now?

My team and I are improving software quality and the efficiency of software development. In the complex processes of software development every engineer must know exactly what needs to be done and who’s responsible for what. We emphasize that our engineers must systematically learn from each other as we all accumulate experience.

What’s so important about that subject?

Today you’ll find embedded systems just about anywhere: in DVD players, residential heating systems, washing machines, mobile phones and cars. In automotive software, European firms still have an edge over the US and Asia. Bosch is one of Europe’s major software companies and that bodes well for our future.



What’s your workday like?

I focus on communicating. Project meetings, presentations, employee discussions. About 50 of my e-mails daily concern coordination and human relations. Our work is becoming ever more international in character: Since many of our customers operate in foreign countries, I make sure that our team and our working relations too are becoming more international, for instance with the US, India, Hungary, Korea, Finland, Japan, Australia, the UK.

Where is your career taking you next?

As a junior executive I am still in the “learning mode”. But I want to continue my personal development. I enjoy being a leader. As soon as my young department and its projects are running smoothly – I hope in a couple of years – I should be moving on to my next challenge, preferably in one of our divisions.

Any special highlight?

Well, for one thing, a leading German automaker has praised our process improvement methods as a model for the entire industry. On a personal level, I’ve been the first person to be chosen as a certified software architecture evaluator (ATAM Lead Evaluator) by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), the leading American software institute. The review method is making an important contribution to the software quality in our products.

Who are you?

Hello! My name is Amos Albert, I’m 34. I’ve studied electrical engineering and economics at Hanover. After completing my doctorate thesis on service robots I joined Bosch Research in 2002 to conduct research on the electronic stability program system. But I’ve already moved on to a new assignment.

And what are you doing now?

I’m working on concepts for a research program on robots and autonomous systems. A great deal of knowledge on this subject is already dispersed throughout our company. I intend to consolidate that now. I’m building a dedicated team. That’s supposed to be in place by the end of 2006.

What’s your workday like on this mission?

The emphasis is clearly on networking – discussions with colleagues, development engineers in the divisions, external companies, and at research institutes. We’re working on specific approaches for prototype devices, and we’re developing visions – from simple subfunctions to the electronic butler for the household or for patient care.

What do you enjoy particularly in this work?

To begin with, robotics is a very interesting subject that has fascinated me ever since my student days. There’s a lot of creative freedom. I’m also pleased that my supervisors have a lot of confidence in me and allow me a lot of room for personal development. I’m very comfortable with being a project manager. I look forward to being assigned more responsibility and a wider range of action.

How to you envision your future career at Bosch?

I’d like to spend some time abroad. That shouldn’t be much of a problem in a company the size of Bosch. And with the first of our robots I could also transfer into one of the operational divisions. That would be a great way to expand my horizon.

Any special highlight?

Well, this past year was quite exciting. I had the opportunity to work on a strategically important subject and present the results to corporate management. I get a lot of feedback both from my superiors and colleagues. And I’ve learned a lot about myself in personal development sessions and seminars. I like my work a lot. Otherwise, I’d be in the wrong job.

Who are you?

Hello! I am André Kulzer. I have a passion for engines and cars. And I like to tinker with them myself – at home with my BMW, which is older than I am myself at 30, and here at Bosch Research at the engine test stand.

What are you working on now?

As part of a larger project team I’m working on a new combustion method for gasoline engines. The object is very clear-cut: Making engines run even cleaner and more economical. My own project group of five researchers and two students is taking a very close look at the combustion process.

What makes that so interesting?

The equipment we work with is superb, and the engine test stands are among the best I've ever seen. I like the way we combine experimental practice with theoretical considerations, such as modeling and simulations. This multi-tiered perspective really appeals to me.

How did you join Bosch?

I found my position on the Bosch website. After studying mechanical engineering in Lisbon and Brunswick, I was very determined to find some way in the industry that would allow me to combine theory and practice in my doctoral thesis. So I got to work here at Bosch on my thesis about the direct start system in gasoline engines with direct injection.

Any special highlight?

Certainly it’s a highlight for me that my doctoral thesis about the direct start system for the gasoline engine has already won two awards. But it’s equally important to me that this subject, in which I’m now breaking in my successors, is slated to become a project in the Gasoline Systems division.
And what comes next for you?
The current project about future engine designs will run for another two years. Since the auto industry is already extremely interested in this technology, I can then transfer to the division as a know-how provider. But there will also be opportunities in other research assignments. That’s what’s so great about this place.

Who are you?

My name is Gesine Arends. I’m an engineer with a penchant for foreign languages. Here at Bosch I’m working on new technologies for residential energy systems. One of our projects has the object of introducing fuel cells for residential use, and I’m putting together a research team for it.

How did you get to this point in your career?

Even as a student in Aachen I was very interested in efficient energy conversion, and my doctoral thesis got me involved with fuel cell technology, which was a less prominent subject then. Once I joined Bosch, it didn’t take long before I was put in charge of projects on energy systems, including with external partners.

What’s so important about that subject?

Fuel cell systems are very efficient in producing electricity and heat from natural gas or hydrogen, and are therefore an important alternative energy source for the future. My team in Bosch Research is responsible for establishing the basis for developing economical and reliable products in that field.

What’s your workday like?

I have to keep up with the latest state of research and evaluate new scientific findings. But at the moment I’m mostly preoccupied with building up the team. Project planning and management keep me busy at the computer. But what I like best is working out a course of action with my colleagues, or observing the progress we’ve made in the pilot systems at our technical center.

Is there a highlight you’ve particularly enjoyed?

I was very pleased when the first doctoral candidate I supervised did especially well in his degree program, and I’m proud of the work of our project team. We succeeded in building a fuel cell pilot system with an extraordinarily economical use of time and money. Of course I’m delighted to have been entrusted with greater resources and the responsibility to vigorously advance the long-term development of fuel cell technology at Bosch.

And how do you envision your further career at Bosch?

Leading a project team will be another good step forward for me: I can continue to develop as a manager, have a say in selecting staff, and work on a strategic, leading-edge project for several divisions. And I look forward to staying in close touch with applied research.