Pic: Hauke Stars, Volkswagen Group board member for IT (left) with Angela Ittel, president TU BraunschweigVolkswagen Group and
Technische Universität Braunschweig have announced the creation of a new professorship dedicated to AI methods in product development, aimed at strengthening mobility research and accelerating the transfer of scientific insight into industrial practice.
The new role will focus on harnessing artificial intelligence across the full product development spectrum, including virtual engineering, mechatronic systems, autonomous driving functions and the analysis of real-world vehicle data. It is intended to drive advances at the intersection of modern mobility systems while supporting the development of new AI-based engineering processes.
Based at TU Braunschweig’s Institute of Engineering Design, the professorship will work closely with the university’s Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFF), one of Europe’s largest mobility research hubs, comprising more than 1,000 researchers, over 40 institutes and upwards of 50 industrial partners. The position is expected to be filled by October 2026, with plans to transition to a permanent professorship after five years.
Hauke Stars, Volkswagen Group Board Member for IT, said: “Artificial intelligence is a key technology for the future of the Volkswagen Group. By leveraging AI technologies, we are accelerating our processes and bringing new products and technologies to market significantly faster.
“We are consistently expanding our expertise required for this. With the new professorship at TU Braunschweig, we are specifically strengthening cutting-edge research in Germany. The close transfer of knowledge between research and industry enables us and our partners in the supplier industry to secure crucial know-how at an early stage.”
TU Braunschweig president Angela Ittel added: “Artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming product development. Software shapes modern vehicles, their development, and their production more than ever before. AI is the driving force for the next generation of mobility. To advance top level research with high societal relevance, close collaboration between science and industry is essential. I am proud that together with our long-standing partner, the Volkswagen Group, we are realising this professorship.”
The initiative is also designed to strengthen Lower Saxony’s regional innovation ecosystem, encouraging greater involvement from suppliers, start-ups and research organisations. By embedding practical industrial requirements into academic research, the partnership aims to accelerate the scaling of new technologies and support the sustainable transformation of mobility applications.