University professors Richard Küng and Gudrun Mikota provided insight into their respective areas of research. Inaugural lectures by Ulrich Glogowsky, Marcel Steller, Jochen Güntner, and Markus Sinnl will take place later this month.

On May 6, researchers at the Faculty of Engineering & Natural Sciences kicked off the the inaugural lectures series. Univ. Prof. Dr. Richard Küng conducts research and teaches at the Institute of Integrated Circuits. His inaugural lecture titled "Die zweite Quantenrevolution - ein Streifzug von Science Fiction hin zu Science" took the audience on an intellectual and educational journey across 2,000 years of technological history in a way that non-experts can also follow. Beginning with analog devices in ancient China and Greece and progressing to present-day technology, he concluded his lecture with a look at future technologies, the seeds of which are being sown today.

Univ. Prof. Dr. Gudrun Mikota's (Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Fluid Technology) inaugural lecture titled "Gelöste und ungelöste Probleme der Fluidtechnik" focused on fluid power drives used in construction, agricultural and forestry machinery, as well as production plants. Prof. Mikota outlined just how sustainable system architectures are improving these types of drives, both in terms of noise and vibrations, as well as energy consumption.

New professors at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Economics & Business held their inaugural lectures on May 13. Univ. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Glogowsky’s (Institute of Economics) inaugural lecture titled "Geschlechterungleichheit und Maßnahmen zu ihrer Bekämpfung" focused on how the majority of difference in income between the sexes emerge particularly after becoming a parent. Given this background, he argued that policies, such as parental leave and childcare that are intended to support the work-life balance, could be pivotal in supporting gender equality.

Univ. Prof. Dr. Marcel Steller (Institute of Management Accounting and Auditing) followed with his inaugural lecture titled "Was kann die Wirtschaftsprüfung leisten? - Wirtschaftsprüfung - im Spannungsfeld von (neuen) Aufgaben, Regulierung und Erwartungen". Over the past decades, the world of auditing has changed and shifted significantly. Alongside increased regulations in terms of auditing financial statements, the field is significantly expanding. Steller also talked about why auditing sustainability reports is becoming increasingly important.

On June 3, Univ. Prof. Dr. Jochen Güntner’s (Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, Economics & Business at the JKU) inaugural lecture titled "60 Jahre Kausalanalyse von Geldpolitik und wo wir heute stehen", is based expert references and resources, focusing on the development of empirical measures supporting monetary policy shocks during the 20th and 21st centuries and why – beyond academic research - these are significantly important for the central banks’ activities.

Univ. Prof. Markus Sinnl, Ph.D. (Institute for Business Analytics and Technology Transformation) concludes the spring inaugural lecture series with his presentation titled "Eine Reise durch Prescriptive Analytics", covering a spectrum ranging from the mathematically abstract to practice-oriented applications as well as a detour into the field of bilevel optimization (in which game theory concepts can be modeled in an optimization context).

Event: Inaugural lectures by new professors at the Faculty of Engineering & Natural Sciences on May 6 / Inaugural lectures by new professors at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Economics & Business on May 13 and June 3.
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Uni Center at the JKU, Altenberger Straße 69, 4040 Linz

Kindly register in advance to attend: https://www.jku.at/veranstaltungsmanagement/veranstaltungsanmeldung/