FH Upper Austria once again honors outstanding individuals in teaching and research

Regional Councillor for Economic Affairs and Research Markus Achleitner:
"Impressive showcase of achievements at FH Upper Austria: four new FH professors appointed, Gustav Pomberger awarded the FH Upper Austria Honorary Ring, Teufelberger Master’s Thesis Award presented, one habilitation recognized, and the 2026 research awards conferred."

“The traditional award ceremony of FH Upper Austria once again proved to be an impressive showcase of achievements, highlighting dedicated individuals in teaching and research and rightfully recognizing their accomplishments,” said Markus Achleitner, Regional Councillor for Economic Affairs and Research, yesterday evening during the ceremonial event held at the Minoriten venue in Wels. Four new FH professors were appointed, em.o. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gustav Pomberger received the FH Upper Austria Honorary Ring, the Teufelberger Master’s Thesis Award was presented, a habilitation was recognized, and six researchers were honored with the FH Upper Austria Research Awards 2026.

“The FH Upper Austria award ceremony highlights the strong development of its professors and the passion and commitment behind each field of expertise. The awards for the habilitation candidate and the researchers clearly demonstrate that research and development are actively promoted at FH Upper Austria, enabling the university to position itself among the leading institutions in the German-speaking region. This year’s winner of the Teufelberger Master’s Thesis Award also impressed with forward-looking, practice-oriented solutions. This is particularly important, as the faster innovations can be implemented in business, the more competitive Upper Austria becomes as a location,” emphasized Achleitner.

“I am especially pleased to see the dedication with which practice-oriented teaching and applied research are advanced at our university, and the tangible results and innovations that emerge from them. This year, the FH Upper Austria Honorary Ring was awarded to em.o. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gustav Pomberger, who, in his role as Head of the Faculty Council, was responsible for sustainable and forward-looking decisions. His legacy will have a lasting impact on FH Upper Austria. The annual Teufelberger Master’s Thesis Award demonstrates that a strong research focus already leads to success during one’s studies,” added Dr. Michael Rabl, President of FH Upper Austria.

MMag.a Isolde Perndl, Commercial Managing Director of FH Upper Austria, added:
“The annual award ceremony of FH Upper Austria clearly demonstrates how closely academia and industry collaborate here and how both sides benefit. The recognized habilitation candidate and the award-winning researchers provide impulses that directly impact companies and drive innovation. The award-winning master’s thesis also proves how practice-oriented and economically relevant the education is—with ideas that create real added value.”

This year, four FH professors and researchers were appointed and honored with their new titles:
From the Hagenberg faculty, Mag.a Dr.in Dagmar Auer; from the Linz faculty, DSA Franz Schiermayr, MSc; from the Steyr faculty, Dipl.-Betriebswirt (FH) Dr. rer. pol. Valentin Schmidt; and from the Wels faculty, DI Dr. Gernot Stübl.

Award for an outstanding master’s thesis
The Teufelberger Master’s Thesis Award, endowed with prize money of €2,500, recognizes and showcases outstanding student achievements. It has now been awarded for the twelfth time. Each year, a jury selects the winner from up to eight of the best master’s theses submitted across all four faculties of FH Upper Austria.

Together with FH Upper Austria President Dr. Michael Rabl and Mag. Florian Teufelberger, Member of the Executive Board and CEO of the Teufelberger Group, Regional Councillor Achleitner presented this year’s Teufelberger Master’s Thesis Award to DI Manuel Schachinger, BSc, a graduate of the Master’s degree program in Materials Science and Manufacturing Technology at the FH Upper Austria Campus Wels, for his thesis titled “Structural Optimization of Amorphous Carbon Films for Renewable Energy Technologies.”

As part of the master’s thesis, specialized coatings—so-called “diamond-like carbon” (DLC) layers, which combine the hardness of diamond with the self-lubricating properties of graphite—were specifically optimized for use in renewable energy applications. Through a sophisticated manufacturing process and the addition of nitrogen or silicon, novel surface solutions were developed for wind turbines, high-performance batteries, and electrolysis cells—an achievement that also resulted in two peer-reviewed scientific publications in addition to the master’s thesis.

“This year’s submissions once again impress with their exceptionally high quality and clearly demonstrate the innovative strength and research spirit of our future professionals. Master’s theses such as ‘Structural Optimization of Amorphous Carbon Films for Renewable Energy Technologies’ exemplify how forward-looking research can lead to concrete applications. This combination of scientific excellence and practical relevance strengthens both technological development and the industrial location of Upper Austria,” said Florian Teufelberger.

The habilitation of FH Assistant Professor Sascha Senck, Dipl.-Biol., PhD, was also honored. He was recognized for his outstanding achievements by FH-Prof. PD DI Dr. Johann Kastner, Vice President for Research and Development at FH Upper Austria.

Research Awards 2026
The 2026 research awards were presented to six researchers from FH Upper Austria:
Bernhard Blank-Landeshammer, Philipp Kastner, and Jan Zenisek received the “Young Researcher Award” 2026, while Karin Nachbagauer, Johannes Preiner, and Wolfgang Schildorfer were named “Researchers of the Year.”

Between 2024 and 2025, this year’s award-winning researchers published a total of 75 publications in (inter)national scientific journals and at academic conferences. In addition, they successfully secured €7.9 million in research and development funding.

“The staff of FH Upper Austria’s R&D sector demonstrated outstanding commitment, as this year’s scientific achievements surpass even the already high benchmark set in the previous year,” said Johann Kastner, Vice President for Research and Development at FH Upper Austria.

About FH Upper Austria
FH Upper Austria is the most research-intensive university of applied sciences in Austria. Across its four faculties in Hagenberg, Linz, Steyr, and Wels, it offers a broad and forward-looking portfolio of study programs. Partnerships with universities in more than 60 countries provide international perspectives.

The university also maintains strong and active connections with industry and the research community. In addition to lecturers from these sectors, research is conducted at six Centers of Excellence on current and relevant topics with both scientific rigor and strong industry relevance. FH Upper Austria participates annually in the CHE rankings and consistently achieves top results.

AI-generated translation