The Lineup

Research Associate at the Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM), RWTH Aachen University, specializing in battery safety engineering, testing, and simulation for automotive applications. My work focuses on battery cell abuse testing, thermal runaway analysis, safety validation, and simulation-driven assessment of battery behavior under critical operating and failure conditions. With more than four years of experience in zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle development, I have contributed to the design and validation of battery-electric and fuel-cell powertrain systems for 40-ton trucks. My expertise includes multi-physics CAE development using CFD/CHT, FEM, and system simulation for thermal management, structural durability, lightweight design, and battery system integration. My current research interests focus on safe and sustainable battery systems, including thermoplastic lightweight battery pack concepts, structural integration, and advanced validation methodologies to improve energy density, efficiency, and reliability in next-generation electric vehicles.

Albert Burgstaller is a seasoned professional in the field of battery technology and e-mobility, with over 15 years of experience in high-voltage battery development, testing, and integration. He has led international teams across the full product lifecycle—from requirements engineering and supplier management to validation, cost optimization, and innovation strategy. His expertise spans electric vehicle battery systems, component testing, charging infrastructure, and cross-functional leadership. With a strong focus on delivering competitive, future-ready energy solutions, he brings deep technical insight and industry perspective to the stage.

Thomas Carl studied mechanical engineering at FH Kempten with a focus on design and graduated in 1999 as certified engineer (Dipl.-Ing. FH). For the next 13 years he worked as a development engineer specialising in the design of custom and packaging machinery, as well as plant construction. He joined Intertek Deutschland GmbH in 2012 as a project engineer in battery testing and certification. In 2015 he became the technical lead of Intertek’s Electromobility Laboratory before again being promoted to Head of Operations in 2018 and assuming business management responsibilities. He currently oversees battery, charging infrastructure, and environmental testing, as well as coordinates global market access.

Roberto Diesel is Vice President Energy Systems & Drivetrain at EDAG Group, where he leads global electrification programs across e-motors, power electronics, and energy systems with full P&L responsibility. With over 20 years of international experience across Europe, Asia, and the US, he has held senior leadership roles in OEM, startup, and engineering environments. His career includes platform development at Opel/GM and serving as CTO at Sono Motors. Roberto specializes in system-level e-powertrain engineering, AI-driven development, and scaling high-performing global teams to deliver sustainable, profitable mobility solutions.

Basit Asipita Jimoh holds an M.Sc. in Electric Vehicle Propulsion and Control and currently works as a battery safety researcher at CARISSMA, Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt, Germany. His work focuses on battery safety evaluation through abuse testing and degradation analysis. Through experimental research and collaborative European projects, he contributes to the development of safer, more reliable, and more sustainable battery systems for electric vehicles and stationary energy storage applications. His current work helps translate battery safety research into practical testing, diagnostics, and demonstration solutions.

Dr. Frank Kindermann is leading NIO’s Battery System development in Europe out of Munich, Germany. He and his team in Europe cover a range of activities from software development to technology scouting. While the main focus is on battery monitoring and function development for the battery management system (on-board as well as in the cloud), he and his team also address hardware topics from cell analysis to recycling. Frank has a background in electrical engineering from Technical University of Munich, where he spent his entire academic career. Prior to joining NIO, Frank was working in cell development and application at a German premium OEM. His focus on batteries started more than 14 years ago.

Patrick Kolm studied mechanical engineering with a specialization in engine and powertrain technology, vehicle technology and safety at the TU Graz from 2010  to 2016. In 2014 he joined AVL List GmbH as a student employee and later as a development engineer in the field of powertrain development. Since 2018 he has been researcher in the field of battery crash safety with VIRTUAL VEHICLE Research GmbH. As part of his research, he earned his doctorate at Graz University of Technology on the topic: “Simulation-based short-circuit prediction of Li-ion cells due to mechanical crash loads”. As Key Topic Leader "Battery mechanics" he currently manages national and international research projects in the field of virtual development of battery electric vehicles with a focus on battery safety. His research experience covers battery finite element modeling, battery crash analyses, optimization, mechanical abuse tests, battery component characterization and post-mortem analyses of batteries.

Jan Krewinkel studied psychology at the University of Tübingen. The entry into the automotive industry took place at Daimler AG in 2012 with the focus on the development of safety-relevant control and display concepts for various vehicle model series. Since 2019, he has been working in the area of passive safety with the aim of further developing the topic of occupant and environmental protection in the event of thermal runaway and thermal propagation events. The focus of the team is on a holistic view of the vehicle and the possible effect of corresponding events.

Tobias Kurka is part of the Technical Business Development team at TEKON Prüftechnik GmbH. He has a background as an electronics technician and studied Mechatronics before joining TEKON in 2018. Initially, he worked as a project leader in design engineering, focusing on the development and design of technical contacts for testing applications. After completing his Master’s degree in 2024, battery technology and preventive monitoring solutions became a major focus of his work.

Natalia Lebedeva holds a PhD degree in chemistry from the Technical University of Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Thereafter she joined Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands to do research on fuel cells and led projects on corrosion and corrosion protection at the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research. For the last 10 years she works at the batteries group of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, where she currently leads a research team focusing on battery safety.

After the Masters study of technical physics at Graz University of Technology Christiane Mair started working as a researcher at the VIRTUAL VEHICLE in Austria on battery safety. Her focus is set on vent gas analysis and early battery failure detection. Christiane finished her PhD thesis 2021. The aim of her PhD work was to improve battery safety by gaining insight in the failing behavior of Li-ion cells and examining concepts for early battery failure detection. Since 2022 Christiane leads the battery safety team at VIRTUAL VEHICLE.

Jascha Rapp is Head of Business Development & Marketing at TEKON Prüftechnik GmbH. Together with his team, he is responsible for developing new strategic markets, one of which led to the establishment of TEKON’s Battery Monitoring activities. He has been with the company for eleven years and has actively shaped TEKON’s development from technical field sales for end-of-line test adapters to a broader strategic focus on future-oriented contact and monitoring solutions. In his current role, he drives the development of innovative solutions for battery technology and adjacent future markets.

Benjamin Schaufelberger has a master in Computational Mechanics of Materials and Structures from the University of Stuttgart. After graduation, he became a research fellow at Fraunhofer EMI. His professional expertise lies in the field of modeling and simulation of engineering structures under highly dynamic loading like blast, impact and crash. Within the last years, developing and improving models in the context of battery safety has become his major field of research.