Prof. Dr. Matthias Heller

Deceased April 2, 2020

Honorary Professor at TUM since 2017

Field

Highly Augmented Aircraft, Flying / Handling Qualities

Career

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heller (*1966) studied Aerospace Engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) from 1987 to 1992. He then worked as a research assistant at the TUM Institute of Flight Mechanics and Flight Control until 1998 and completed his doctorate on the topic of "Lateral Dynamics and Robust Control of Hypersonic Vehicles" (summa cum laude).

In early 1999, Professor Heller embarked upon his industrial career as a research and development engineer in the department of flight dynamics at Daimler Chrysler Aerospace. In 2007, he was appointed "Expert Advisor Flight Mechanics" for the business unit Airbus Defence and Space and has subsequently worked on a range of multinational industrial projects including Tornado, Eurofighter and Barracuda.

From 2002 to 2007, Professor Heller lectured in the fields control engineering, flight mechanics and control at the University of Applied Sciences FH Johanneum, Graz. In 2009, he took on a lectureship in “highly augmented aircraft systems” at TUM. The following year, the TUM Institute for Advanced Study (TUM-IAS) granted him a Rudolf Diesel Industry Fellowship. He then went on to direct the IAS Focus Group “Aircraft Stability and Control” (2010-2013) and also its successor research group “Safe Adaptive Dependable Aerospace Systems SADAS” (2014).

Functions

  • Head of the TUM-IAS Focus Groups “Aircraft Stability and Control” and “Safe Adaptive Dependable Aerospace Systems SADAS” as part of the Rudolf Diesel Industry Fellowships at the TUM Institute for Advanced Study (since 2010)
  • “Expert Advisor in Flight Mechanics” at Airbus Defence and Space, formerly EADS Military Air Systems (since 2007)
  • Lecturer and head of the department of control engineering, flight mechanics and control, performance at the University of Applied Sciences FH Joanneum, Graz (2002 – 2007)
  • Research and Development Engineer in the department of flight dynamics at Daimler Chrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) / EADS (1999-2006)
  • Research Assistant at the Institute of Flight Mechanics and Flight Control, Technical University of Munich (1992-1998) 

Awards

  • TUM-IAS Rudolf Diesel Industry Fellow Award (2010)
  • Willy Messerschmitt Prize, awarded by the Messerschmitt Foundation (2001)