PhD Program

Miriam Wilmsen, 26, Innovation Strategy

Anyone who talks to Miriam Wilmsen about her job at Audi will immediately notice how enthusiastic the 26-year-old is. In the doctoral program, she is currently working on her PhD in innovation management in cooperation with the Institute for Product Development at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. She had previously studied mechanical engineering in Karlsruhe. Already in her bachelor thesis she worked with her current doctoral supervisor Professor Albert Albers on the subject of innovations. "Innovations shape the brand and play a fundamental role in Audi's future competitiveness. They are difficult to plan, especially in an early project phase, and are subject to a high degree of uncertainty." Miriam wants to change this and provides developers with useful processes and methods that provide them with the best possible support in their respective situation.

She got in touch with Audi early on: "During my studies I already did an internship at Audi and recognized early what I would like to study in my doctorate." When the time finally came, there was no officially advertised position and no official cooperation between Audi and her university. What to do? "Be brave, take chances and just ask", Miriam describes her approach. "Of course, there were a lot of interviews at the university and a job interview. Forms and the necessary bureaucracy were part of it, too, but I can only advise students to seize their opportunities and then proactively push everything forward. My experience is that most of the doors at the university and at Audi are open."

No wonder that she is grateful to Audi - and above all to her superiors and colleagues. "I ended up in a smaller area that is driving new software technologies and innovations for Audi. We are 150 colleagues here and we all know each other. This makes it much easier to work together and to network with each other. In addition, many colleagues know my PhD project and therefore simply show the will to help me if they can. I am perfectly supported by my superiors and also get any kind of help, resources or budget from them when I need it. I don’t take all of this for granted." What the native of Karlsruhe expects in the future is still uncertain. She is currently looking at "different options, but it is not yet ready to decide how to proceed after the doctorate."

Cornelius, 28, Doctoral candidate

As a doctoral student at Audi, Cornelius is working on the future – his own future and Audi's. The 28-year-old is currently writing his dissertation in cooperation with the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg at Professor März's Chair of Power Electronics. The focus of his research is how the capacitance of a traction inverter’s dc-link capacitor can be designed as small as possible. For those who haven't understood a word: Cornelius works at the interface between battery and engine in electric vehicles. His work helps Audi to save costs, space and weight.

Cornelius is a former spokesman of the 120 doctoral students at Audi. In addition to the regular events and seminars that Audi offers especially for doctoral students – like seminars on rhetoric or conflict management – the group does a lot together. "We form a very interesting community. The interdisciplinary exchange is very valuable, but also the support around organizational questions is very good."

The doctoral programme is not the only reason to rejoice: "We live and work in exciting times. And it is especially exciting to experience those times so close to Audi. There are many challenges. The shift towards e-mobility is in full swing and other areas such as autonomous driving are on the rise." Cornelius raves and this is no coincidence. "I've always wanted to work for Audi. If you work for your favourite employer, your own motivation is even higher." No wonder he applied years ago to be able to write his master's thesis at Audi.

Even then, he dealt with his current field of topics. If the possibility arises, he would like to continue in Ingolstadt after his dissertation. "I would very much like to stay at Audi and help to shape the future here and develop concepts for it. Audi is a very open company with a great atmosphere. The cooperation is really great and from a technical point of view there are many big challenges. You can't wish for more."