Student Fellowship: Vaude

Stefanie Zelt, from Chemnitz University of Technology has recently spent time working with Dr Frank Michel, Robert Klauer and Lucas Höschler from Vaude. She’s been kind enough to respond to a few questions about the fellowship, which we’ve included below.


What did you do during your fellowship?

Testing of thermophysiological & mechanical comfort of different cycling-backpack paddings

What did you learn about industry that surprised you?

It didn’t really suprise me but I have been affirmed that things are being handled slightly different at the University than they are in the industry. E.g. “which data is important“ , “preferred result vs. actual result“ , the test equipment you use etc.

What skills did you bring to the fellowship, what did industry learn from you?

Passion for (bike) Sports, knowledge of bike adjustment, usage of SPSS, new input of latest resarch

Is there anything you’ll change about how you work as a result of your fellowship?

Yes. I learned a lot regarding the actual use of test equipment and how to work with test subjects, which I will apply to my further studies.

Do you think you have influenced how others will work?

Maybe a little bit 😉

What tips would you give to others thinking about taking part in a fellowship?

Don’t think about it. Just do it! It helps you expanding your horizon and can help you to et a foot in the door


If you are interested in applying for an innovation fellowship, please see the relevant page describing the programme.