Two scientists from TU Wien have been honored with prestigious awards: Georg Schitter was awarded the 2026 IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award for his contributions to measurement technology, and Hermann Knoflacher received the 2026 Leopold Kohr Prize for his decades-long commitment to people-centered transportation and urban planning. These two honors underscore the international recognition of their scientific achievements.
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Awards for Cutting-Edge Research and Societal Impact
Georg Schitter and Hermann Knoflacher are being honored for their outstanding scientific achievements.
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Ausgezeichnete Forschung an der TU Wien
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Georg Schitter
Georg Schitter Receives the 2026 IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award
Georg Schitter, Professor of Mechatronic Systems and Director of the Institute of Mechatronics and Power Electronics at TU Wien, has been awarded the 2026 IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award. This prestigious award from the IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Society recognizes his fundamental scientific contributions to high-speed, raster-based measurement systems for scientific instrumentation as well as for applications in the automotive industry and industrial metrology. The medal was presented during the International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC) in Nancy, France. The laudatory speech was delivered by IEEE President-elect Jill I. Gostin of the Georgia Tech Research Institute. During the conference, Schitter also presented the keynote speech “High-precision scanning measurement systems for scientific instrumentation and industrial applications.”
Schitter’s research ranges from precision positioning systems and nanometrology to in-line and robotic measurement systems, as well as automated telescopes and optical satellite communications. His work is considered groundbreaking for the development of mechatronic systems – from modeling and multidisciplinary system integration to industrial applications. “For me, the IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award is a special recognition of the innovative research we have conducted over the past 20 years in the field of mechatronics and scanning measurement systems. Above all, this award is a tribute to the tremendous dedication of my team, whom I would like to sincerely thank for their outstanding work,” says Schitter.
The IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award in Instrumentation & Measurement is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of electrical measurement technology. It is presented annually by the IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Society for outstanding scientific and technical achievements. The recipients are selected by the Technical Field Awards Council of the IEEE Awards Board. The award includes a bronze medal, a certificate, and a cash prize.
About Georg Schitter
Georg Schitter studied electrical engineering at Technical University of Graz and earned his Ph.D. in nanotechnology at ETH Zurich. Following a research fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he held professorships at Delft University of Technology and, finally, at the Vienna University of Technology. The IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award is yet another prestigious honor in his scientific career, which also includes the IFAC Young Researcher Award and numerous international Best Paper Awards.
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From left: Eva Knoflacher, Alfred Winter, Hermann Knoflacher, Bernhard Auinger, Hans Scharfetter, Susanna Vötter-Dankl, Günther Witzany.
Hermann Knoflacher Receives the 2026 Leopold Kohr Prize
Transportation planner Hermann Knoflacher has been awarded the 2026 Leopold Kohr Prize. The professor emeritus at TU Wien is receiving this honor, awarded every three years, for his decades-long commitment to people-centered transportation and urban planning. The prize recognizes social, cultural, and economic achievements that follow the fundamental ideas of the philosopher Leopold Kohr—in particular, the vision of a society on a human scale, characterized by sustainability, autonomy, and diversity.
For decades, Knoflacher’s academic work has focused on the interplay between mobility, public space, and quality of life. As a professor of transportation planning and engineering at TU Wien and as a long-standing director of the institute, he has had a decisive influence on research into people-centered transportation planning. His work centers on the question of how cities must be designed so that they serve people rather than automobile traffic. On the international stage, he has advocated for livable cities and sustainable mobility as the United Nations’ global pedestrian representative. “My research has always centered on people and the question of why they act the way they do,” says Knoflacher. Regarding the Leopold Kohr Prize, he adds: “I am particularly pleased to receive this award because it comes with no prize money, which aligns with my principle: ‘Mind times money is a constant.’”
The Leopold Kohr Prize is awarded every three years and honors individuals or projects that embody the philosophy of the Austrian economist and social thinker Leopold Kohr in a special way. The focus is on the principles of the human scale, autonomous development, and a decelerated and sustainable society. The award is considered a special recognition for individuals who bring these values to light through their work in academia, culture, or society.
About Hermann Knoflacher
Hermann Knoflacher was a professor at TU Wien starting in 1975 and headed the Institute for Transportation Planning and Engineering beginning in 1985. His research on the effects of mobility on society, spatial planning, and quality of life has shaped transportation planning far beyond Austria’s borders. With the Leopold Kohr Prize, Knoflacher receives yet another significant honor for his longstanding scientific and sociopolitical work, which consistently advocates for livable cities and public spaces that serve people.
We sincerely congratulate both laureates on these achievements!