About us
The Department of Mechanical Engineering is part of KIT's Area 3 "Mechanical and Electrical Engineering" together with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, four Helmholtz programs, and eight institutes of the large-scale research area. The department consists of more than 20 institutes with about 1,000 employees, including about 45 professors, 460 scientific employees, and 200 employees in administration and technology. In addition, there are several hundred tutors and scientific assistants.
With 65 participants, registration closed: The organizing team for the 6th Hackathon hosted by the wbk Institute of Production Science at KIT closed the registration portal after just one week. Those who made the cut tackled a real-world business challenge in teams of three to five students on July 7 and 8, 2026.
Read more about it in clicKIT, the online magazine for students.
Source: clicKIT, Simone Heinrich, July 24, 2026
Interchangeable modules allow a single vehicle to function as a shuttle, delivery vehicle, or mobile service unit, depending on the need. Researchers from several scientific institutions in Baden-Württemberg have collaborated on the U-Shift II project to further develop a driverless vehicle concept that quickly and automatically adapts to different tasks. It builds on earlier U-Shift projects, in which the basic principle had already been introduced. The mobile platform can autonomously pick up and drop off various attachments—called capsules. For example, a single vehicle can transport people in the morning, deliver packages at noon, and serve as a mobile service or supply unit in the evening.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly helping to stabilize power grids, improve the predictability of electricity prices, and use energy more efficiently. However, in critical infrastructure such as the energy system, AI should not be a black box—decisions must remain traceable at all times. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a new method that allows AI-based predictions for energy systems to be analyzed with significantly greater transparency. The method combines Transformer models—known from modern language models—with techniques from explainable artificial intelligence (“Explainable AI”).
In contrast to conventional nuclear energy, nuclear fusion does not split atoms, but fuses them together. Researchers can thus generate large amounts of electricity comparatively cleanly and with low risks. "Nuclear Fusion is just emerging from research and is getting close to application," explains Professor Christoph Kirchlechner from the Institute for Applied Materials at KIT, who heads the FUSION program there [...] It is important to build resilient systems that are not based on a single technology.
Link to the complete Interview DAS WISSEN by SWR
A stay abroad during your studies offers many opportunities - at the same time, the decision brings with it many uncertainties and questions. In this interactive workshop organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, you will reflect on your personal targets, expectations and possible fears about going abroad. Through group work, exchange and systemic reflection methods, you will develop more clarity about whether a stay abroad is currently the right step for you personally - regardless of the expectations of others. The workshop is particularly aimed at Bachelor students with little or no international experience.
Date: 24.6.2026, 14:00 to 17:30, Building 10.91 Seminar room 380
Against the backdrop of a globally changing security situation, KIT aims to strengthen Germany's and Europe's security and sovereignty through research and innovation. A recently published position paper formulates KIT's willingness to make scientific contributions to strengthening internal and external security and thus to the resilience of democracy. It also underlines the need for a critically reflective and ethically sound approach. "The changing geopolitical situation has a significant impact on our security," says Professor Jan S. Hesthaven, President of KIT. "We stand for fundamental values such as democracy and freedom, including academic freedom. At the same time, we have our obligations to society. That is why we are determined to strengthen security through our work and to contribute to the common good as a public research institution."
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