Press Release
Erlangen/London
May 12, 2011
Introduction of AudioLabs
at the AES Convention in London
on May 13, 6:15 p.m., Room 1
Fraunhofer IIS Expands “AudioLabs”
International Research Center for Audio &
Multimedia Technologies
University professors join team of top scientists to drive research and development
of digital processing for audio and multimedia signals
Fraunhofer IIS, the world’s renowned source of audio and
multimedia technologies, today announced the expansion of
the International Audio Laboratories Erlangen (AudioLabs),
an international research center focusing on digital processing
of audio and multimedia signals. To help drive the organization’s
key initiatives for the next decade, three professors
were newly appointed to the joint institution between
Fraunhofer IIS and the Friedrich-Alexander University of
Erlangen-Nürnberg. Fraunhofer is also seeking top scientists
from around the world to further grow the organization.
The addition of Prof. Dr. Jürgen Herre, Prof. Dr. Bernd Edler
and Prof. Dr. Emanu
Habets to the organization’s team of
more than 20 internationally renowned scientists, will further
drive AudioLabs’ cutting-edge research and lead the development
of technologies in the fields of audio coding, audio
signal analysis and perceptual spatial audio signal processing.
“Fraunhofer’s extensive history and expertise in the field of
audio and multimedia technologies, coupled with the university’s
highly-talented scientists from several disciplines, is the
ideal combination for driving innovation and ground-breaking
research in this space,” said Dr. Bernhard Grill, representative
AudioLabs at Fraunhofer IIS. “AudioLabs will continue
Fraunhofer Institute for
Integrated Circuits IIS
Am Wolfsmantel 33
91058 Erlangen, Germany
Executive Director
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinz Gerhäuser
Directors
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Günter Elst
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Albert Heuberger
Contact
Matthias Rose
Phone +49 9131 776-6175
Fax +49 9131 776-6099
matthias.rose@iis.fraunhofer.de
Public Relations
Marc Briele
Phone +49 9131 776-1630
Fax +49 9131 776-1649
presse@iis.fraunhofer.de
www.iis.fraunhofer.de
Fraunhofer USA, Inc.
Digital Media Technologies*
100 Century Court
Suite 504
San Jose, California 95112
www.dmt.fraunhofer.org
Contact
Jan Nordmann
Phone +1 408 573 9900
Cell +1 408 390 6698
press@dmt.fraunhofer.org
* Fraunhofer USA Digital Media Technologies,
a division of Fraunhofer USA, Inc., promotes
and supports the products of Fraunhofer IIS
in the U.S.
Press Release
Erlangen/London
May 12, 2011
to help leverage ongoing projects for Fraunhofer’s audio and
multimedia division and benefit from Fraunhofer’s expanding
capacities with the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, a leader
in research and teaching.”
The close cooperation between the university and the
Fraunhofer IIS creates a unique organization with competencies
ranging from basic research and teaching, to technology
implementation in innovative multimedia systems.
Fraunhofer IIS provided a budget to fund AudioLabs for an
initial period of ten years.
“The international presence and outstanding atmosphere
at AudioLabs attracts the best and brightest scientists from
all over the world, as well as the top students from German
universities,” said Prof. Jürgen Herre, University of Erlangen-
Nürnberg. “Working with Fraunhofer, we look forward to
continuous innovation and adding further research topics.”
Fraunhofer will hold a reception and introduction of
AudioLabs by Prof. Jürgen Herre at the AES Convention in
London from 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on May 13 in Room 1.
For more information, visit www.audiolabs-erlangen.com.
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Herre
Jürgen Herre joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) in Erlangen,
Germany, in 1989. Since then he has been involved in the development of perceptual
coding algorithms for high quality audio, including the well-known ISO/MPEGAudio
Layer III coder (aka „mp3“). In 1995, Prof. Herre joined Bell Laboratories for
a PostDoc term working on the development of MPEG-2 Advanced Audio Coding
(AAC). Since the end of ‘96 he is back at Fraunhofer working on the development
of advanced multimedia technology including MPEG-4, MPEG-7 and secure delivery
of audiovisual content, currently as the Chief Scientist for the Audio/Multimedia
activities at Fraunhofer IIS, Erlangen. In September 2010, he joined the International
Audio Laboratories Erlangen as a professor in “Audio Coding”.
Fraunhofer Institute for
Integrated Circuits IIS
Am Wolfsmantel 33
91058 Erlangen, Germany
Executive Director
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinz Gerhäuser
Directors
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Günter Elst
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Albert Heuberger
Contact
Matthias Rose
Phone +49 9131 776-6175
Fax +49 9131 776-6099
matthias.rose@iis.fraunhofer.de
Public Relations
Marc Briele
Phone +49 9131 776-1630
Fax +49 9131 776-1649
presse@iis.fraunhofer.de
www.iis.fraunhofer.de
Fraunhofer USA, Inc.
Digital Media Technologies*
100 Century Court
Suite 504
San Jose, California 95112
www.dmt.fraunhofer.org
Contact
Jan Nordmann
Phone +1 408 573 9900
Cell +1 408 390 6698
press@dmt.fraunhofer.org
* Fraunhofer USA Digital Media Technologies,
a division of Fraunhofer USA, Inc., promotes
and supports the products of Fraunhofer IIS
in the U.S.
Press Release
Erlangen/London
May 12, 2011
Prof. Dr. Bernd Edler
Bernd Edler received his Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering from the Universität
Erlangen-Nürnberg in 1985. From 1986 to 2010 he was a member of the
research staff of the Universität Hannover, where he received his Dr.-Ing. degree.
His main focus was in the field of audio coding, where he contributed to several
international standards such as ISO/MPEG-Audio Layer III (mp3). Additionally, he
worked on improving signal processing algorithms for cochlear implants. From 1998
to 1999, Edler was a guest scientist at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, USA. In 2010
the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg appointed him as a professor for “Audio Signal
Analysis“ at the International Audio Laboratories Erlangen.
Prof. Dr. Emanuël Habets
Emanuël Habets received the B.Sc degree in electrical engineering from the
Hogeschool Limburg, The Netherlands, in 1999, and the M.Sc and Ph.D. degrees
in electrical engineering from the Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TU/e), The
Netherlands, in 2002 and 2007, respectively. From March 2007 until February 2009,
he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and
at the Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel. In 2009, he was awarded a Marie
Curie Intra-European Fellowship for Career Development. From February 2009 until
November 2010, he was a Member of the Research Staff in the Communication and
Signal Processing Group at Imperial College London, United Kingdom. In November
2010, he joined the International Audio Laboratories Erlangen as a professor in
“Perception-based Spatial Audio Signal Processing”.
About Fraunhofer IIS
The Fraunhofer IIS Audio and Multimedia division, based in Erlangen, Germany,
has been working in compressed audio technology for more than 20 years and
remains a leading innovator of technologies for cutting-edge multimedia systems.
Fraunhofer IIS is the main inventor of mp3 and universally credited with the development
of AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) as well as technologies for the media world
of tomorrow, including MPEG Surround, MPEG Spatial Audio Object Coding and
the Fraunhofer Audio Communication Engine.
Through the course of more than two decades, Fraunhofer IIS has licensed its audio
codec software and application-specific customizations to at least 1,000 companies.
Fraunhofer estimates that it has enabled more than 1 billion commercial products
worldwide using its mp3, AAC and other media technologies.
The Fraunhofer IIS organization is part of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, based in Munich,
Germany. Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is Europe’s largest applied research organization
and is partly funded by the German government. With 18,000 employees worldwide,
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is composed of 60 Institutes conducting research in a
broad range of research areas. For more information, contact Matthias Rose, matthias.
rose@iis.fraunhofer.de, or visit www.iis.fraunhofer.de/amm.
About University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
The University of Erlangen-Nuremberg is one of Germanys largest universities. Advance
through Networks, the motto it has adopted, has been inspired by the lively
dialogue between subjects and faculties that typifies the University and that has
given rise to an almost unique range of interdisciplinary courses. The main focus in
research and teaching is to be found at the interface between Natural Sciences, Engineering
and Medicine in close cooperation with the classical university disciplines
Law, Theology and the Humanities. Economics, Social and Educational Sciences
complete the range of subjects offered.
