Mr. Thiele received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration in 2017 and 2019 and M.Sc. in Energy Engineering in 2019, respectively, from RWTH Aachen University, Germany. From 2019 to 2024, he worked as a Research Associate for the Chair of Thermodynamics of Mobile Energy Conversion Systems of RWTH with the intention to finish his PhD degree soon. In his PhD thesis, he develops a methodology for realistic accelerated stress tests for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells based on automotive applications. Since 2025, he works for the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES) of Stellenbosch University as the manager of the recently founded Hydrogen Engineering Platform. In this position, he works on defining a strategy for the platform regarding its research focus, national and international cooperations with institutions from research, government and industry and funding acquisition. In his research, he focuses on PEM water electrolysis systems as well as on the integration of hydrogen technologies into the energy system.