Audio Expertise
Meet Brandenburg Labs
Brandenburg Labs GmbH was founded in 2019, initiated by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karlheinz Brandenburg, co-inventor of the mp3 format. Brandenburg Labs relies on a respective network and extensive knowledge in the fields of basic and applied research.
Our development work focuses on the continuation of the work on “Personalized Auditory Realities (PARty)”, a concept developed at Technische Universität Ilmenau and Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology.
With intelligent wearables, users will be able to create their own personalized auditory reality. Such devices will be able to reduce interfering background noise and increase the volume of the sound source the user is currently focusing on. Also, virtual sound sources will be naturally placed in the user’s hearing environment so that the user experiences the feeling of real spatial sound.
Our diligent audio enthusiastic team, with in-depth knowledge and experience in the field of audio engineering, is driven to connect the digital and the real world through immersive audio and unlock the full potential of human hearing.
Brandenburg Labs is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. We are always looking for talented and passionate people to join us in our mission of creating cutting-edge audio technology.
Brandenburg Labs Team 2024
Mission
Our mission is to create cutting-edge audio technology that is inspired by how we listen to the world. We make immersive audio for headphones as intuitive as real life, enabling everyone to dive deep into any soundscape.
Vision
Our vision is to connect the digital and real-world through immersive audio and unlock the full potential of human hearing.
Core Values
We develop technology that is inspired by how we listen to the world. Therefore, we enable everyone to dive deep into any soundscape, opening the third dimension of headphone audio.
We provide equal opportunities and create a fair and inclusive environment for everyone to thrive, contribute, and be recognized.
We conduct ourselves with honesty, transparency, and ethical behavior, building long-lasting partnerships based on trust.
We encourage creative thinking, embrace cutting-edge technologies, and deliver groundbreaking headphone audio solutions that exceed customer expectations.
We relentlessly pursue quality, precision, and attention to detail, delivering exceptional products and services that fully exceed industry standards.
We minimize environmental impact, promote sustainable practices, and contribute positively to our communities.
We foster teamwork, shared ideas, and collective expertise to achieve common goals.
We empower employees with resources, support, and autonomy to make meaningful contributions and excel in their roles.
We continuously go the extra mile to make extraordinary and impactful outcomes.
We embrace and celebrate individual differences, seeking diverse perspectives to enrich our culture, products, and services.
Join our team and shape the future of audio technology with us
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karlheinz Brandenburg
CEO
At Brandenburg Labs GmbH, our roots stem from the innovative and pioneering work of our founder, Prof. Dr.-Ing Karlheinz Brandenburg, best known as the co-inventor of mp3. Before his current roles as CEO of our company and as a senior professor at the Institute of Media Technology at Technische Universität Ilmenau, Prof. Brandenburg established himself as a renowned scientist and researcher. He also served as the institute director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT) and as a full professor and head of the Electronic Media Technologies lab at Technische Universität Ilmenau. Building on his experience and expertise, the whole field of audio technologies, from consulting to application development and finally production, as well as IP licensing, is covered by Brandenburg Labs GmbH and its partners.
Peter Agardi
CFO
Brandenburg Labs is co-led by the experienced businessman Peter Agardi, who brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team as a Managing Director. Peter has gained extensive experience in entrepreneurship, company formation and financing, business development, mergers and acquisitions, while working in academia and economy.
Nils Merten
CTO
Nils, our Chief Technology Officer, joined our team in late 2019 after graduating from TU Ilmenau with a master’s in Media Technology. With a passion for interactive media, music, and everything in between, Nils brings extensive knowledge about digital signal processing, psychoacoustics, and software development to Brandenburg Labs. His expertise and dedication have made him an essential part of our team, and in 2022 he was promoted to the position of Chief Technology Officer. As CTO, Nils is responsible for the overall technical development of the company.
Thomas Thron
Research Engineer
Meet Thomas Thron, one of the brilliant minds behind Brandenburg Labs. Combining his passion for music and programming, Thomas earned a master’s degree in Media Technology from TU Ilmenau. With his expertise in signal processing, acoustics, and sound analysis, Thomas has been an instrumental part of the team. His dedication and knowledge have been valuable in ensuring that the company continues to push the boundaries of innovation in the industry.
Ulrike Sloma
Research & Development Associate
Ulrike Sloma, our research and development associate, brings ample experience and expertise to our R&D team. With a background in Media Technology and extensive work experience at TU Ilmenau, Ulrike has developed a profound knowledge in Audio Research. Her role at our company involves qualitatively evaluating our cutting-edge audio tools developed at Brandenburg Labs and integrating the results into our development process to ensure top-notch quality. With her passion for innovation and dedication to excellence, Ulrike is an invaluable asset to our team.
Anja Lück
Office Management
Anja Lück is our Office Manager and Human Resources professional. With a passion for creating a productive and harmonious work environment, Anja plays an integral role in ensuring the smooth operation of our start-up. As the first point of contact for employees, contractors, and customers alike, Anja is always available to assist with any concerns or questions and provides valuable guidance and support on various inquiries.
Ulrike Lechte
Executive Assistant
Ulrike is an Executive Assistant to our CEO, Karlheinz Brandenburg. With years of extensive experience in sales and management assistant roles, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team. She has a keen eye for detail and a skill for efficient planning.
Katja Hampe
Head of PR & Marketing
Katja brings over 17 years of experience in transforming data into compelling stories, uncovering insights through analysis, and effectively communicating with target audiences. As a former Head of communications and Senior Consultant specializing in media analysis and market research, her expertise ranges from public relations, strategic reputation management, and consumer insights on IT usage. Our Business and Development team is delighted to welcome her on board
Betelhem Sisay Gebregiorgis
Communications Manager
Betelhem is a communications professional who holds a master’s degree in Global Communication: Politics and Society at the University of Erfurt. With a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication, as well as a master’s degree in Public Relations and Strategic Communication from Addis Ababa University, Betelhem is well-versed in the field of communication and has a keen eye for detail. In the early days of her career, Betelhem shared her expertise by teaching media and communication studies in a higher education institution in Ethiopia. Her passion for communication and desire to make a meaningful impact led her to pursue a career in the industry, and she has since joined Brandenburg Labs as a Communications Manager.
Sami Murati
Business Manager
Sami graduated with a Master of Science degree in Economics from the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and has since gone on to make a significant impact in the field of business development. Sami is a highly motivated and driven business professional with a diverse sales, product, and project management background. In 2022, Sami joined Brandenburg Labs to reinforce the business development department. With his innovative problem-solving attitude and passion for business, he quickly made an impression on his colleagues and has become an integral team member. He has demonstrated an ability to think creatively and solve complex business problems.
Renato Profeta
Research Engineer
Renato’s career journey began in 2004 when he studied Audio Engineering at the SAE Institute Liverpool. Over the years, he has obtained a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering with a specialized focus on Audio. Renato’s expertise in the field has led him to work on various projects, ranging from loudspeaker manufacturing to cutting-edge research in deep learning for audio signals.
Cristina Rodríguez Ferreiro
Research Engineer
Meet Cristina, a passionate telecommunications engineer who has a keen interest in audio and acoustics. While pursuing her studies at the Universidade de Vigo, Cristina developed a love for subjects related to sound and image, which led her to specialize in this field. Cristina’s expertise lies in building her own microphone array systems from scratch and processing audio signals in various environments. Driven by her curiosity and love for all things related to audio, Cristina likes to consistently push the boundaries of her knowledge and expertise, seeking to stay at the forefront of the latest developments and techniques in her field.
Michael Blau
Software Engineer
Michael graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechatronics from TU Ilmenau in 2010 and 2018, respectively. He has years of ample experience in the development of software components for real-time signal processing, adaptation of software architecture, and more related areas. He brings forth an innovative problem-solving attitude and a passion for audio engineering.
Gustav Anthon
Software Engineer
Gustav holds a master’s degree in Sound and Music Computing at the Universität Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. His prior job positions have provided him with valuable experience in his field. Gustav co-authored a research paper introducing a new open-source Python library for modeling and simulating wave digital filter (WDF) circuits. The paper demonstrates the library’s effectiveness by replicating the nonlinear behavior of an analog diode clipper circuit and creating an all-pass filter impossible to realize in the analog realm.
Jeramey Tyler
Software Engineer
Jeramey, with his master’s degree in computer science and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, brings a diverse professional background to our team. From teaching assistant at Indiana University Southeast to serving as a graduate research assistant, Jeramey brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team as a software engineer and researcher. His recent research endeavor involves auditory perceptual modeling and binaural spatial location.
Iko Pieper
Research Engineer
Iko holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Physics from Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg and continued his studies there to complete a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in natural science. His doctoral studies focused on the sense of hearing. As a Research Engineer at Brandenburg Labs, Iko brings valuable knowledge in digital signal processing and research. His recent work includes applying biologically inspired acoustic sensors in hearing aids at the Technical University of Ilmenau.
Rumen Daton
System Administrator
Rumen holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Driven by his passion for technology, he pursued further studies at Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR), where he earned a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, followed by another Master’s in DevOps & Cloud. As a System Administrator at Brandenburg Labs, Rumen brings extensive experience in IT and cybersecurity.
Noel Toms
Audio Engineer
Noel has a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Govt. Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Kottayam, Kerala, India. He recently graduated from TU Ilmenau with his master’s degree in media technology. He specializes in various fields, including Audio Technology, Music Technology, Signal Processing, and Deep Learning. Under the guidance of our CEO, Karlheinz Brandenburg, Noel completed his media project on ‘Music Segmentation Using Convolutional Neural Networks’ at Fraunhofer IDMT, Ilmenau. As a music enthusiast and professional, Noel is interested in singing, music production, scoring for motion films, and collaborating with musicians worldwide.
Zain Ali
Working Student
Zain, holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology in Pakistan. Zain has ample experience as a software engineer and in related fields in Pakistan. Currently pursuing his master’s degree in media technology at TU Ilmenau, Zain brings a fresh perspective and a wealth of practical experience as a working student to our dynamic R&D team.
Maria Malik
Working Student
Maria Malik, our new working student, is an aspiring professional with over 2 years of corporate experience. She has a strong background in creating engaging social media content and impactful infographic projects. We can’t wait to see her creativity in action as part of our team.
Princess Zelda
Office Dog
Zelda is our office dog, and we absolutely adore her! She is not only a very well-behaved girl but can, according to Bundesverband Bürohund e.V., like other office dogs, help to reduce stress at the workplace and improve health and the connection between coworkers. She is an eight-year-old, naturally charismatic dog, born to exude warmth, shine, love, and be loved by her humans. She is named after Zelda from the classic action-adventure computer game, The Legend of Zelda. When she is not in the office, Zelda likes to walk in nature, greet and meet new people, and play with sticks. Moreover, she likes to stretch her long legs and take relaxing naps on the couch at home.
