Jan Frederik Hagen’s job is to make sure the IT infrastructure at Fraunhofer IKS runs smoothly. He knows from his time working in science how important that is for colleagues carrying out research. Part 12 of our series of employee portraits — not of a researcher this time, but of someone who provides the conditions researchers need in order to do their job.
October 28, 2021
© iStock.com/franckreporter
Jan Frederik Hagen describes his team at Fraunhofer IKS as “the interface between research and IT infrastructure.” He has been Head of the IT Group at Fraunhofer IKS since early 2021, and as such he is responsible for ensuring that the institute’s IT infrastructure runs smoothly. “We maintain communication with scientists because we need to understand what their needs are. That’s what allows us to provide them with the optimum IT resources to support their research work.” Of course, his work also includes making hardware and software available for image processing or accounting, for example, and supporting his colleagues through any technical hardships. His passion, however, is providing his scientific colleagues with a good technical basis for their research: “That lets them focus on what’s important: their scientific work!”
He knows what he is talking about: After completing his studies in physical engineering at the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin), Jan Frederik initially went into research himself. At the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg), he carried out research into laser material processing, focusing particularly on process simulations in additive manufacturing. At the time, he and his colleagues were always responsible for setting up their own IT infrastructure for their work: “That’s just a waste of time and energy — especially when it needs to be set up properly!”
© Fraunhofer IKS/Martin Kroll
Jan Frederik Hagen: "Our team is the interface between research and IT infrastructure".
You want to get to know more of our colleagues at Fraunhofer IKS? Read the portraits on our blog!
After six years in Erlangen, he felt it was time to seek out new challenges. It was clear to Jan Frederik that he wanted a job with plenty of creative possibilities and freedom: “Even when I was studying, we were one of the first cohorts on the master’s program that was able to really shape things, which is immensely important to me. That’s why I wanted to go into science and not industry after I graduated: I wanted to satisfy my thirst for knowledge and broaden and investigate the things that interested me.” As his family had settled in Munich by that point, he decided to move to the Bavarian capital and join Fraunhofer IKS. Here, he and his team are able to focus on creating the optimum environment for scientific work and to remain in close contact with the world of research.
Though he was born and raised in Berlin, he is a great fan of how “clean and well kept” Munich is, and as a passionate skier and hiker he also appreciates having mountains nearby. Alongside spending time with his young daughter, he also plays “more or less successfully” on a hockey team. He is looking forward to his next challenge: “I’m in the process of getting my instructor’s certificate and I’m really looking forward to helping trainees to become IT specialists from next fall.”
You want to get to know more of our colleagues at Fraunhofer IKS? Read the portraits on our blog!
