Asking questions does not always mean one does not know; it means one is looking for an answer.

Simon Rommel is an Assistant Professor in the Terahertz Systems team of the Department of Electrical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). His research focuses on highly converged high-capacity mm-wave and THz radio and optical links, something he has been working on throughout his time at TU/e and before, during his PhD. From the basic microwave photonics approaches and analyzing phase noise, to pushing data rates and frequencies and simplifying systems to allow easier deployment. At TU/e, this research focus involves 5G and 6G systems, fronthaul networks and architectures, and finding a home for this technology in different applications, especially autonomous driving. THz communications is the natural extension of converged radio and optical links, increasing carrier frequency and capacity and opening up new frontiers in short but ultra-high capacity wireless links.

Rommel is also interested in quantum key distribution (QKD), and he leads the design and construction of a local QKD testbed as part of QTe and Quantum Delta. This includes introducing QKD in communications networks, integrating it in classical network architectures and control schemes. Rommel is further interested in novel and advanced optical fibers, characterizing few-mode and multi-core fibers and using them for advancements in both converged radio and optical links as well as for QKD.

Simon Rommel holds a BSc degree from the University of Stuttgart (Germany) and an MSc degree from Aston University (Birmingham, England) and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa, Italy). He obtained his PhD from the Department of Photonics Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark in 2017. After his PhD, Rommel moved on to a position as postdoctoral researcher at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), which he held for three years. Since 2021, Rommel is an Assistant Professor in the Quantum and Terahertz Systems team in the TU/e Department of Electrical Engineering.