Institute for Digital Communications

The Institute for Digital Communications (IDC) is part of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Communications of the Faculty of Engineering at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Schober. IDC is complemented by Prof. Dr. Laura Cottatellucci, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Müller, and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Gerstacker.

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We Are Hiring

We are hiring — Join the SyMoCADS team as a doctoral student or postdoctoral researcher!

We are looking for nine dedicated doctoral students and one postdoctoral researcher to join the Research Training Group (RTG) on Synthetic Molecular Communications Across Different Scales: From Theory to Experiments (SyMoCADS) starting December 1, 2026!  

Extended application deadline: 30.06.2026

Application details: Click here or view this pdf

News

This year, the 3rd Workshop on Molecular, Biological and Multi-Scale Communication (WMBMC) took place directly after ICC. The workshop was co-organized by Dr-Ing. Maximilian Schäfer and took place at the University of Glasgow on May 28-29. The workshop featured two plenary talks and several short talks by established researchers in the field, as well as multiple young researcher lightning talks…

The IDC was strongly represented at this year’s International Conference on Communications (ICC 2026), held in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. IDC’s participation spanned leadership roles and scientific contributions. ICC is one of two flagship conferences of the IEEE Communications Society (COMSOC), alongside Globecom. It is recognized as a premier global forum for communications professionals and researchers…

Timo Jakumeit has received a travel grant from the IEEE Communications Society to attend the 3rd Workshop on Molecular, Biological, and Multi-Scale Communication (MBMC) in Glasgow, where he will present his research on molecular communications. The funding will help cover travel and accommodation costs associated with his participation. The workshop will take place on 28–29 May 2026 alongside the IEEE International Conference…
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IDC’s Lighthouse Projects

SyMoCADS

The Research Training Group (RTG) SyMoCADS is a research training program funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) to train scientists and engineers in the emerging interdisciplinary field of molecular communication.

EmpkinS

EmpkinS is a Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) with a the focus on capturing human motion parameters remotely in a minimally disturbing and non-invasive manner and with very high resolution.

KoRaTo

The Research Training Group (RTG) KoRaTo is a joint project between the Ulm University (UUlm) and the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg with the aim to develop a new UAV- and radar-based geophysical monitoring system to measure for instance earth mass movements, vegetation heights, or the cryosphere.

xG-RIC

xG-RIC is part of the 6G Platform Germany and serves as a technology transfer hub with the goal of advancing key 6G technologies and systematically accelerating their transfer into industry and society. 

IDC’s Fields of Research

Next Generation Wireless Communication

Molecular and Biological Communication Systems

Machine Learning, Signal Processing and Information Theory