About Me
I work as a research & development engineer for digital solutions at STADLER Anlagenbau GmbH. My passion for environmental technologies began in school with “Jugend Forscht” competitions, leading me to pursue environmental engineering at RWTH Aachen University, where I also did my PhD on sensor-based material flow charactization and build up the “sensor technology & data science” research group at the Department of Anthropogenic Material Cycles (ANTS). My current research focuses on enhancing mechanical sorting and recycling processes using sensor technology and data science, particularly optical sensor data like NIR, VIS-RGB, and 3DLT. I apply machine and deep learning algorithms to characterize heterogeneous anthropogenic material flows and optimize the processes based on the acquired data.
- Machine & Deep Learning
- Data Science
- Sensor Technology
- Mechanical Recycling
PhD (Dr.-Ing.) in Environmental Engineering
RWTH Aachen University
M. Sc. in Environmental Engineering
RWTH Aachen University
B. Sc. in Environmental Engineering
RWTH Aachen University
Experience
Research & Development Engineer
STADLER Anlagenbau GmbHResearch & development activities as part of STADLER’s Digital Solutions Team.Research Group Leader
RWTH Aachen University, Department of Anthropogenic Material CyclesGroup lead of “Sensor Technology & Data Science” research group (10 researchers & developers, since 04/2023).
- Conceptualization and successful acquisition of 8 national and international research projects and larger research contracts (9.8+ Mio. € funding in total, 3.6+ Mio. € funding ANTS only).
- Initiator & overall project lead of BMBF-funded research projects „ReVise“ and “ReVise-UP” in the area of plastic recycling and sensor technology (consortium of 18 industry and research institutions, 3.9 Mio. € funding).
- Initiator of the BMBF-funded research project „KIMBA“ in the area of CDW recycling and sensor technology (consortium of 6 industry and research institutions, 1.2 Mio. € funding).
- Applied and fundamental research in the field of sensor technology & data science for mechanical recycling processes, resulting in 26+ scientific publications (10+ as first author, www.researchgate.net/profile/Nils-Kroell).
- Supervision of 25+ bachelor, project, and master theses on sensor technology applications in recycling processes.
- 7 lectures per semester for course “Sensor Technology in Resource Management” (approx. 35 students; overall rating from students: 1.1 [scale from 1 {++} to 5 {–}]).
Scientific Employee
RWTH Aachen University, Department of Anthropogenic Material CyclesSensor technology & machine/deep learning applications in mechanical recycling processes for plastics, construction & demolition waste & metals.
- Applied and fundamental research in the field of sensor technology & data science for mechanical recycling processes, resulting in 26+ scientific publications (10+ as first author, www.researchgate.net/profile/Nils-Kroell).
- Initiator & overall project lead of BMBF-funded research projects „ReVise“ and “ReVise-UP” in the area of plastic recycling and sensor technology (consortium of 18 industry and research institutions, 3.9 Mio. € funding).
- Initiator of the BMBF-funded research project „KIMBA“ in the area of CDW recycling and sensor technology (consortium of 6 industry and research institutions, 1.2 Mio. € funding).
- Supervision of 25+ bachelor, project, and master theses on sensor technology applications in recycling processes.
- Head of organization team for the “Sensor-Based Sorting & Control 2022” conference (international conference with 132 participants from 14 countries and 24 expert presentations, www.sbsc.rwth-aachen.de)
- 7 lectures per semester for course “Sensor Technology in Resource Management” (approx. 35 students; overall rating from students: 1.1 [scale from 1 {++} to 5 {–}]).
Student Research Assistant
RWTH Aachen University, Department of Processing and RecyclingStudent assistant in the research areas metal recycling and sensor technology.
- Programming in the field of sensor technology (image processing, machine learning; Python, MATLAB).
- Collaboration in research projects and scientific publications.
- Research, execution and evaluation of experiments at technical lab scale.
- Preparation of project proposals.
Tutor & Student Teaching Assistant
RWTH Aachen UniversityTutor for the courses “Principles of Mechanics and Machinery Components 1” (SoSe 2017), “Principles of Mechanics and Machinery Components 2” (WiSe 2017/18) and “Introduction to Process Engineering” (SoSe 2018).
- Preparation and execution of global exercises (80-120 students).
- Preparation and execution of tutorial sessions (20-40 students).
- Preparation of exercise and exam assignments.
- Creation of exercise and learning materials.
Student Trainee & Web Developer
BLACK 'n BLUE - IT-LösungenPart-time job during my university studies.
- Conception and implementation of web design projects.
- Independent planning and implementation of customer trainings on content management systems for websites.
Intern
STEINERT GmbHVoluntary internship during my master studies.
- Supporting customer trials and in-house research projects in the field of sensor technology and magnetic sorting.
- Supporting feasibility studies in the field of sensor-based sorting.
- Sensor technologies used: NIR, VIS-RGB, XRT, XRF, LIBS, Induction.
Intern
ABO WindVoluntary internship on wind turbine project development in preparation for my university studies.
- Preparation of plans and overviews in AutoCAD.
- Support in the preparation of feasibility studies.
- Support in the permission planning of wind farms (BImSchG).
Intern
LANUV NRWVoluntary school internship on surface water monitoring.
- Automated and manual sampling of water bodies.
- Analysis of the water samples in the laboratory.
- Support in embedding the analysis results in early warning systems.
Education
PhD (Dr.-Ing.) in Environmental Engineering
RWTH Aachen UniversityGrade: summa cum laude (with distinction) Topic: “Sensor-based characterization of anthropogenic material systems: Developing characterization methods and novel applications for optimizing the mechanical recycling of lightweight packaging waste”
Supervisors: Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Kathrin Greiff & Univ.-Prof. Dr. mont. Dipl.-Ing. Roland Pomberger
M. Sc. in Environmental Engineering
RWTH Aachen UniversityGrade: 1.1 (with distinction) [top 0.3% of all graduates] Area of Specialisation: Recycling
Master Thesis: “Optical material flow characterization of metal-containing fine fractions through machine learning” Grade: 1.0 (very good)
Project Thesis: “Development of a calibration software for dual camera 3D laser triangulation measurements” Grade: 1.0 (very good)
B. Sc. in Environmental Engineering
RWTH Aachen UniversityGrade: 1.3 (with distinction) [top 1.7% of all graduates]Grade: 1.3 (with distinction) [top 1.7% of all graduates] Bachelor Thesis: “Implementation of code systems for the identification of woven textiles with UV-active markers” Grade: 1.0 (very good)
