150 Years of Electrical and Computer Engineering at TUM
Professor Wolfgang Kellerer conducts research at the 6G Future Lab on the key foundations of the new mobile communication standard, which shifts the focus from the "Internet of Things" to humans and their interaction with the surrounding environment. Photo: Andreas Heddergott / TUM
Professor Cristina Piazza studies human movements, researches the design of artificial aids based on “soft robotics technologies,” and develops innovative control algorithms for different amputation levels. Photo: Andreas Heddergott / TUM
A staff member in cleanroom attire checks and loads the airlock of the ultra-high vacuum deposition system to coat chips/samples with metals (e.g., titanium/gold/copper/chromium). Photo: Andreas Heddergott / TUM
Jia Chen Chen, Professor for Environmental Sensing and Modeling, and Dr. Florian Dietrich are working on one of their sensors for analyzing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Photo: Andreas Heddergott / TUM
Tim Fritzmann from the Chair of Security in Information Technology checks the power supply and the shunt resistor of a post-quantum cryptography chip. He played a key role in designing the chip. Photo: Astrid Eckert / TUM
Professor Bernhard Seeber with research assistant Norbert Kolotzek in the reflection-free room at TUM, surrounded by the 3D loudspeaker system that can be used to simulate different acoustic environments. Photo: Astrid Eckert / TUM
Artificial skin that reacts to touch: Professor Gordon Cheng and his team at the Institute for Cognitive Systems have developed CellulARSkin. Photo: Andreas Heddergott / TUM
An etched processor is being targeted with a laser during computation. This induces errors in the calculations, which can be used to extract secret information. Photo: Andreas Heddergott / TUM
Early example of an intelligent neuroprosthesis: a test person climbing stairs with a neuroprosthesis developed at the Chair of Automatic Control Engineering. Photo: TUM
Research at the Chair of High Voltage and Switchgear Technology around the year 2000; Photo: TUM
Around the year 2000, the mobile communications laboratory at the Chair of Communications Engineering enabled hardware-oriented system simulations. Photo: TUM
The MODAM (Modellarbeitsmaschine) experimental facility enables continuous production systems to be tested for research purposes. Photo: Chair of Electric Powertrain / TUM
Students in the computer hall established in 1996. Photo: Chair of Data Processing / TUM
The PERM (Programmed Electronic Computer Munich) was one of the first German computers, developed at TUM between 1952 and 1956. Photo: TUM (photographed in 1955)
Anna Boyksen in the laboratory. In 1906, she enrolled as the first female electrical engineering student at the Technical University of Munich. Photo: TUM Archive
A History Full of Innovation
In 1876, Wilhelm von Bezold gave the first lecture on electrical telegraphy at the Technical University of Munich. This laid the foundation for a discipline that has shaped our everyday lives to this day: electrical and computer engineering.
Electrical and computer engineering at the TUM has developed from the fundamentals of electricity to energy supply and automation to digital, networked, and intelligent systems. Today, research and teaching cover the entire spectrum of the discipline—from hardware and systems engineering to software and artificial intelligence to mathematical methods. With the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology, its approach is interdisciplinary and shapes topics such as digitalization, quantum computing, and sustainable energy systems.
In 2026, we celebrate 150 years of progress and pioneering spirit. The anniversary year offers you numerous opportunities to experience the history and future of electrical and computer engineering at the TUM together.
Science Communication Lab
Deutsches Museum
March 18 to 22, 2026
Gain insights into the history and current research in electrical engineering and information technology in this interactive exhibition.
Wissenschaft für jedermann
Deutsches Museum
March 18, 2026
Listen to four short keynote speeches by Antonia Wachter-Zeh, Markus Becherer, Berna Özkale Edelmann, and Hans-Georg Herzog, moderated by Kai Müller.
TUMlab
Deutsches Museum
March 18, 2026
Children and young people experiment in the freely accessible laboratory and discover how electrical engineering works in experiments such as “The Hot Wire.”
TUM Open House
Forschungscampus Garching
October 3, 2026
Discover the Garching Research Campus on Open House Day. Experience current research up close in the Electrical Engineering and Information Technology building.
Developments since 1876
From its beginnings in the study of electricity, electrical engineering has developed into a central component of engineering sciences. With its Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the TUM has created a hub for cutting-edge research and innovation in energy technology, automation, communication, and electronics. Today, this legacy is part of the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology (CIT), which has been combining expertise in mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering, and information technology under one roof since 2022.
1876 – First lecture on electrical telegraphy by Wilhelm von Bezold
1894 – Kurt Heinke becomes a private lecturer in electrical engineering
1900 – Establishment and appointment of the first chair of electrical measurement technology
1934 – Establishment of a separate Department for Electrical Engineering within Mechanical Engineering
1967 – Renamed the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering; six Electrical Engineering Institutes are established
1974 – Formal establishment of the independent Department of Electrical Engineering
1987 – Integration of information technology; renaming as Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
2022 – As part of the TUM Agenda 2030, the Department is incorporated into the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology (CIT)
