Research
The department was led by Rainer Helmig for 25 years. Since his retirement, Holger Class has taken over as acting head.
The research group has a strong international orientation and is involved in the following research projects:
- Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 404 "Mehrfeldprobleme in der Kontinuumsmechanik" (Multifield Problems in Continuum Mechanics)
- Excellence Clusters (EXC) 310 and 2075 "Simulation Technology"
- International Research Training Group (IRTG) 1398 "NUPUS: Non-Linearities and Upscaling in Porous Media"
- Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1313 "Interface-Driven Multi-Field Processes in Porous Media – Flow, Transport and Deformation"
The department has maintained its focus on modeling over the years, while the areas of application have expanded beyond classical hydrosystems. Research at the department mainly takes place in the broad field of flow and transport in porous media. Through intensive research in this area, the University of Stuttgart has developed into one of the leading competence centers in the field of porous media in recent years.
At the department, fundamental research is balanced with applications, each in a strongly interdisciplinary and international environment. The goal is to ensure a close link between research, teaching, education, and technologies in the engineering practice.
Teaching
The goal of the department is to provide a comprehensive, high-quality, and interdisciplinary education, primarily for students in Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Simulation Technology, as well as for those enrolled in the international master’s programs WAREM (Water Resources Engineering and Management) and COMMAS (Computational Mechanics of Materials and Structures). Students from other disciplines, such as Mathematics, Computer Science, or Process Engineering, are also encouraged to participate.
The department is involved in several doctoral programs. In addition to the international graduate program Environment Water (ENWAT), which has been running since 2001, these include the DFG graduate schools of the Excellence Cluster Simulation Technology, the International Research Training Group NUPUS (2007–2016), the International Research Training Group DropIT (since 2016), and the CRC 1313 (since 2018).