Antrittsvorlesung von Prof. Dr. J. Daniel Prades 4. February 2026 | 16:00 h - 18:00 h
Antrittsvorlesung “Measuring Almost Nothing in Everything: The Challenge of Trustworthy Gas Sensing”
Gases play a central role in environmental issues, industrial safety, energy systems, and health. Measuring them reliably, however, is far more challenging than it may appear at first glance. Gas sensors must operate in open, chemically highly complex environments while detecting extremely low concentrations—often at the level of parts per million or even parts per billion. Despite decades of research, selectivity and long-term stability remain major unresolved challenges.
In his inaugural lecture, Prof. Prades explains why these difficulties are fundamental in nature and why many current sensor concepts reach their limits under real-world conditions. He discusses why a purely materials-driven approach is insufficient to deliver reliable and stable measurements over time. Instead, he presents a new perspective that combines physics-based measurement principles, microelectronic technologies, and metrological concepts.
The lecture offers an accessible overview of the key challenges in gas sensing and outlines a future in which low-cost sensors are not only widely used, but also provide reliable measurements with defined quality.
CV
J. Daniel Prades (Barcelona, 1982) is a physicist and electronic engineer with around 20 years of experience in research and teaching in the field of microelectronic technologies for environmental and gas sensing. His scientific contributions have been recognised with several distinctions, including the Eurosensors Fellow designation and the ICREA Academia Award.
He has led numerous international research projects (ERC, H2020, Horizon Europe) and has been involved in the creation of several research-based spin-off companies. In 2024, he was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, which brought him to TU Braunschweig.
Since April 2024, Prof. Prades has been establishing a new research direction at TU Braunschweig focused on Distributed Metrology. This approach builds on the combination of his experience in low-cost sensor technologies with metrological principles and microelectronics—areas in which Braunschweig has particular strengths. His work aims to make widely deployable sensor systems more trustworthy and reliable as quantitative measurement instruments. This research is carried out in close collaboration with the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany’s National Metrology Institute.
Lecturer
Prof. Dr. J. Daniel Prades, Institut für Halbleitertechnik