About Stephan Bökelmann
I’m an engineer, physicist, and consultant based in Bochum, Germany. My work spans the full vertical stack of engineering — from silicon-level measurement systems and embedded firmware through monitoring infrastructure, data platforms, and application-layer software. The common thread is decentralised data acquisition and observability: getting reliable measurements out of complex systems, whether that system is a particle detector, a production line, or a distributed software stack.
Background
I hold a Master of Engineering and conduct research at the Institut für Experimentalphysik I at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, where I contribute to the PANDA luminosity detector experiment at FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) in Darmstadt. This work touches silicon detector R&D — including HV-MAPS sensor characterisation — as part of a broader interest in DAQ systems and signal chain design from the sensor up.
My engineering career started in 2007. In 2009 I co-founded a diagnostics workshop with Stephan “Stegen” Freye, doing hands-on measurement and repair work — that business was later acquired by AUTO INTERN. Between 2010 and 2011 I worked as a junior consultant at PROLAB Produkt + Produktion under Prof. Gereon Kortenbruck at TFH Bochum (now THGA), alongside Lukas Jakubczyk, advising manufacturing companies in the Ruhrgebiet. From 2011 to 2014 I was at Puls Plasmatechnik in Dortmund, where I worked on measurement and power systems for research facilities — including projects for DESY, CERN, and GSI. That work led me into accelerator-adjacent instrumentation and the world of large-scale physics infrastructure.
In 2014 I joined AUTO INTERN, and together with Odin Holmes helped transform it into a sought-after contract developer for process diagnostics in industry and science. I’m now self-employed through nabla B and continue to work closely with AUTO INTERN on contract.
I’m a Lehrbeauftragter at THGA Bochum (Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola), where I lecture on programming, object-oriented design, and databases, and build supplementary teaching material for students.
Community
emBO++ — I’m the principal organiser of the International Technical Symposium for Embedded Systems Development, held annually in Bochum. The conference brings together engineers from across Europe for deep-technical talks on modern C++ patterns for embedded and real-time systems. Read more about why I think conferences matter.
KiCon Europe — what started as a local KiCad conference in Bochum has grown into KiCon Europe. I’m one of the organisers. In 2025 I also spoke at KiCon Asia in Shenzhen on wire bonding for silicon detector chips.
Practical DataScience Congress (PDSC) — I co-organise this practitioner-focused event at the intersection of machine learning, measurement systems, and industry applications.
Bochum AI-Gruppe — together with Odin Holmes I co-lead this meetup group for engineers working with machine learning in production and science contexts.
I’m also a member of the examination board of the Chamber of Commerce for IT specialists.
Projects
| Project | Description |
|---|---|
| OmnAIScope | Simplified oscilloscope diagnostics for automotive and industrial use |
| aw4null | Federated AI-driven diagnostics for independent automotive workshops |
| HORUS Monitoring | Production-grade observability and telemetry infrastructure |
| HORUS Profiling | Performance profiling stack for embedded and distributed systems |
| STEMgraph | STEM education tooling |
| ultraSonic | Ultrasonic measurement systems |
| MSU-EIS | Embedded instrumentation for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in the field |
| CEPH-Cluster | Distributed storage infrastructure, jointly operated with THGA (PROLAB) — built together with Philipp Lehmann (@philippthecron) |
Writing
This blog is the canonical home for longform writing — at least one post per week. I cover decentralised DAQ and monitoring systems, university lecture material from THGA Bochum, particle physics instrumentation, and firsthand visits to manufacturing sites, labs, and accelerator facilities around the world.