On 30 June 2025, Thomas Gebhardt successfully defended his PhD thesis, entitled 'Development of a fibre optic tilt measurement system for structural monitoring', at Bauhaus University Weimar. Supervised by retired Prof. Dr.-Ing. Willfried Schwarz, the thesis introduces a new type of tilt measuring system.

The designed system completely omits the need for an electrical power supply for the tilt sensor. The sensor operates only with mechanical and optical components, ensuring independence from electromagnetic disturbance, lightning and explosion hazards. This innovative approach has yielded new insights in the field of passive tilt sensors and expanded the existing repertoire of fibre optic measurement methods.