Daniel Nickelsen receives UGO Prize for his outstanding doctorate
Diplom physicist Dr Daniel Nickelsen was today awarded the University Society's 2015 Science Prize for his outstanding doctorate at the University of Oldenburg. UGO Chair Michael Wefers said at the award ceremony that he is always amazed at the achievements of young scientists like Nickelsen. Nickelsen was one of ten doctoral candidates nominated for the prize by professors.
In his dissertation in theoretical physics, which he completed in 2014, 32-year-old Nickelsen focussed on the representation of thermodynamic processes and turbulent flows. He combines two fundamental areas of physics, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, in a new and unique way. He has succeeded in establishing a new theoretical relationship between the two disciplines using methods of probability theory, the Markov processes.
So far, there have only been a few works on such references, emphasised jury member and laudator Prof. Dr Jürgen Heumann. However, the jury also considered the proof of the practical consequences of the new theoretical foundations to be particularly important. For the first time, calculations are possible that show estimates of the flows around wind energy motors in strong wind conditions. It is obvious that such estimates - now mathematically based - could have consequences for the energy output of wind rotors and ultimately also economic consequences.
Nickelsen began his studies in Oldenburg in 2003 and completed a research stay at Imperial College in London before graduating with honours in 2010. As a doctoral candidate, he supervised exercise groups in the bachelor's programme. Today he is a research assistant at the Institute of Physics.
