Marc Eichhorn joins Fraunhofer IOSB institute management; co-lead with Jürgen Beyerer
Marc Eichhorn Joins Fraunhofer IOSB’s Institute Management Team
August 5, 2026 Page 1 | 3 Press release — Shared leadership at Fraunhofer IOSB Marc Eichhorn Joins Fraunhofer IOSB’s Institute Management Team The Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technologies and Image Ex- ploitation IOSB is strengthening its leadership team. Effective August 1, Marc Eichhorn has joined the institute management and will co-lead Fraun- hofer IOSB alongside Executive Director Jürgen Beyerer. The new dual lead- ership structure reflects the institute’s expanded expertise in laser technol- ogy, optronic systems, computer vision and AI-based robotics. With Eichhorn joining the institute management, Fraunhofer IOSB’s leadership team is gaining a distinguished laser expert. Since 2018, the renowned physicist has headed both the Photon- ics and Optronic Systems division and the Ettlingen site while also holding a newly established chair in optronics at the Electrical Engineering and Information Technology department of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Optronics combines optics and electronics, dealing with processes that convert electromagnetic radiation into electrical signals and vice versa. The field encompasses laser sources, atmospheric light propagation and imaging sensors. Eichhorn spearheaded the creation of a dedicated laser technology department at Fraunhofer IOSB. Today, this department has around 35 employees and specializes in infrared solid-state and fiber laser systems and the related photonic materials, components and process steps. Eichhorn had previously demonstrated his expertise in this field through his research on laser sources at the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL). Strengthening Germany’s technological sovereignty “With its unique expertise, Fraunhofer IOSB drives innovation in fields vital to German indus- try—from automation and Industry 4.0 to inspection and utility infrastructure up to security and defense research,” said Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. “Over the past two decades, Fraunhofer IOSB has thrived while strategically broadening the scope of its research. To reflect this broader scope, the institute has strengthened its leadership team, and I am delighted that Professor Eichhorn has agreed to take on this important role. He has already developed a new area of research at the institute and established Fraunhofer IOSB as a major player in laser technology.” “I look forward to taking on this new role and the opportunity to help shape the institute’s direction,” says Eichhorn. “One goal is to work with KIT to further strengthen the greater Karlsruhe-Ettlingen area’s standing as one of Germany’s and Europe’s foremost research hubs for optronics and related laser systems while bolstering Germany’s technological sovereignty.
...