Volker Lohweg will continue to shape inIT as a senior professor

After more than two decades of dedicated work in research, teaching and knowledge transfer, Professor Dr. Volker Lohweg is stepping down from his post as Professor of Discrete Systems at Technische Hochschule OWL (TH OWL) at the end of the 2026 summer term. However, he will not be leaving inIT and TH OWL entirely: as a senior professor, he will continue his academic work, drive forward medical technology and continue to supervise PhD students and research projects.

A dedicated scientist

Anyone who works with Professor Lohweg encounters a scientist who never draws a line between research, teaching and practical application. Science only realises its value when it is put into practice, when new insights are shared and when it is further developed in collaboration with students. This approach has characterised his entire career.

Since the winter semester of 2004, Volker Lohweg has held the Chair of Discrete Systems at TH OWL, continuously expanding his research activities and establishing himself as a leading figure in the fields of image processing, pattern recognition and information fusion. 

Driving inIT’s development

Together with his colleagues, he played a key role in shaping the development of Institute Industrial IT (inIT) and helped to establish its outstanding reputation in research and technology transfer.

“I am a passionate researcher because the insights gained not only feed back into research, but also into practical applications, and even into products – and, above all, into teaching, because research and teaching always form a single entity,” emphasises Professor Lohweg, whose academic work focuses in particular on intelligent data processing, image processing, machine learning and the development of robust systems for automation, optical document security, and medical and healthcare technology. 

Numerous research projects with partners from industry and academia demonstrate how consistently he has sought to bridge the gap between basic research and practical application. For him, the focus has never been on technology for its own sake, but on solutions to real-world challenges faced by businesses and clinical institutions.

Passionate about teaching

Teaching has always been just as important to Prof. Dr. Volker Lohweg as research. Generations of students have benefited from his enthusiasm for technical concepts. Many PhD theses, final-year projects and joint research projects stemmed from his conviction that young people should be introduced to scientific work at an early stage and given the freedom to develop their own ideas. His aim was always to spark curiosity and to combine scientific excellence with social responsibility.

When asked what he is particularly proud of, Volker Lohweg does not refer to personal honours, but to the people with whom he has had the privilege of working, and to the joint development of Lemgo as a centre of research. It was precisely this close collaboration with colleagues, as well as with partners from universities, non-university research institutions and companies, that shaped and enriched his time at the university. And when asked if he would like to share a particular anecdote about TH OWL, he replies with a twinkle in his eye: “I’d rather not – it’s all going into my new book.” 

A new chapter as a senior professor

Whilst his retirement marks the end of his regular professorship, it does not signal the end of Lohweg’s academic work. As a senior professor, he will continue to oversee research projects and contribute his experience to the university. He will also continue to manage OWITA GmbH, travel with his wife and brush up on his Italian. 

inIT and TH OWL will thus retain a dedicated mentor and source of inspiration as part of the university community. We would like to express our sincere thanks to Prof. Dr. Volker Lohweg for his many years of commitment, his academic achievements and his lasting contribution to the development of inIT and TH OWL, and we wish him all the best for this new chapter in his life, as well as continued enjoyment of research, innovation and collaboration with PhD students and undergraduates.