Prof. Dr. Thomas Arnold, Professor of Ultra-Precision Surface Processing with Ions and Plasmas and Head of the research unit “Ultra-Precision Surfaces” at IOM, has been elected a Fellow of the International Academy of Engineering and Technology (AET).

Based in Dublin, Ireland, the AET is an international organization dedicated to promoting exchange and collaboration between academia and industry, thereby supporting technology transfer and the industrial application of scientific knowledge. Its Fellows include internationally recognized experts from academia and industry who have distinguished themselves through outstanding achievements in manufacturing research and development.

Prof. Arnold’s research focuses on the ultra-precision processing of optical surfaces using beam-based technologies such as plasma jets, lasers, and ion beams. His main areas of work include the development of beam tools and process chains for the fabrication of optical freeform surfaces, the deterministic correction of surface errors, as well as the microstructuring and smoothing of surfaces.

These technologies are applied, among other areas, to aspheric and freeform optics for laser beam shaping, space- and ground-based telescopes, optics for synchrotron beamlines, and EUV optics. Prof. Arnold has also worked closely with industrial partners from the optics sector for many years, helping to transfer new processes and technologies into industrial research and development.

His appointment as an AET Fellow was officially recognized during the 7th AET Forum and the AET General Assembly held on August 21, 2026, in Glasgow, United Kingdom. Prof. Arnold received his Fellow certificate there together with the other newly elected Fellows.