Names and dates

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h.c. mult. Klaus Friedrich joined the institute as Research Director, Materials Science, on August 1, 1990. He came from the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg TUHH, where he headed the area of plastics / composites from 1982 to 1990. After joining the IVW he developed the materials science at the institute and established this area as an internationally recognized and renowned research field. Professor Friedrich retired in 2006, but remained closely associated with IVW. He passed away in May 2021.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Haupert became Group Leader in the Department Materials Science in 2002 after graduating and obtaining a doctorate at the TU Kaiserslautern. Besides his extensive activities in the field of tribology he successfully established the field of polymer nano composites and the nano research group. He also lectured at the University of Applied Sciences Pirmasens. In 2010 he left the IVW GmbH and became Managing Director of NanoProfile GmbH. He was appointed as professor of “Constructive Product Design” at the Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences in 2011.

Priv.-Doz. Dr.-Ing. habil. Norbert Himmel joined the institute in 1994 as Group Leader of the areas „Design of Fiber Composites“ and „Fatigue and Fatigue Life Analysis“ in the department „Design and Analysis“. Prior to joining IVW he worked at the Institut fuer Flugzeugbau at the University of Stuttgart and in the development of aerospace structures with Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH, Friedrichshafen. In 2003 he qualified as professor at the University of Kaiserslautern and lectured “lightweight construction and design with composites”. Dr. Himmel retired in 2017.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Huber was Group Leader in the department Design and Analysis from 2002 to 2006 and responsible for the research fields Process Simulation and Crash/Energy Absorption. In addition to his scientific work he held the two-hour lecture “Material and Process Simulation” from 2001 to 2005 at the TU Kaiserslautern. 2006 he became professor at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, faculty Technology and Computer Science, Department Vehicle Technology and Aircraft Construction, teaching Technical Mechanics, Fiber Composite and Sandwich Technology.

Prof. Dr. h.c. József Karger-Kocsis also joined the IVW as Group Leader in the Department Materials Science on August 1, 1990, moving from the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg to Kaiserslautern. Prior to that he was, inter alia, employed with Taurus Hungarian Rubber Works in Budapest, Hungary. With his numerous, scientifically outstanding works and international publications he also participated significantly in IVW’s Material Science gaining a top ranking position. In 2009 he moved to the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary. Professor Karger-Kocsis passed away in December 2018.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Magin became an employee at the Institute of Composite Materials in the Department "Design and Analysis" in 2006. After finalizing his PhD thesis on non-linear material laws in the fatigue analysis of composite materials, he worked as research manager in the competence fields “Design of Composite Structures” and “Fatigue and Fatigue Life Analysis” from 2012 til 2015. He was appointed as professor of “Technical Mechanics, Machine Dynamics, Finite Elemente Method” at the Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences in 2015. He also became Vice President for Internationalization at the Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences in 2021.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Maier joined the institute in 1992 as Research Director „Design and Analysis“. Previously he had worked at Dornier, Friedrichshafen, in the Aircraft Construction and Military Engineering Division and BASF in the Department for Composite Materials of the Polymer Research Division. His major research interests at IVW included the experimental research and numerical simulation of crash and energy absorption characteristics of composite parts as well as the simulation of manufacturing processes. Professor Maier retired in October 2014.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. David May (née Becker) bacame he became manager of the competence field "Impregnation & Preform Technologies" in January 2016.  Additionally, he lead the interdisciplinary junior research group "TopComposite - Topology-Optimized and Resource-Efficient Composites for Mobility and Transport" since 2020,In January 2023, the two areas were combined in the competence field "Digitalized Process & Material Development" and assigned to the new program area "Digitalization", which David May has also headed since January 2023. Since August 2024, he is the head of the Faserinstitut Bremen.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Luisa Medina was employed as a research assistant in the department processing technology the Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe GmbH from 2002 to 2008. After completing her PhD thesis, she worked at Faurecia Innenraum Systeme in the department "Pole of Competence" as a team leader in the field of natural fibers. In October 2011 she came back to IVW to become a competence field manager in the department or manufacturing science. She was appointed as professor of “Textile Technologies“ at the Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences in 2016.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Mitschang joined the institute in 1996 as group leader of the "Manufacturing Science" department. In 1999, he became Scientific Director of this department, was appointed Honorary Professor in 2003 and was appointed University Professor at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern in 2010. Prior to this, he held various positions in R&D at G.M. PFAFF AG in Kaiserslautern and was most recently responsible for "Technology Development and Technical Calculation" and "Product Pre-Development". Professor Mitschang has been retired since October 2023.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Neitzel was appointed as Managing Director of the newly founded institute in 1990. Previously he had worked at the TU Hannover and with BASF, where he established a working group in the research area Composites. From 1990 he gradually developed the institute with great success to a significant partner of economy and science. At the end of 2002 he retired. Professor Neitzel passed away in January 2022.

Dr.-Ing. Andreas Noll joined the institute as researcher in 2006. From 2000 to 2006 he worked at the Fraunhofer IZFP and the Faculty for Materials Science and Methods of the University of the Saarland. From 2012 to 2013 he was Manager of “Material Analytics” at the institute. Since August 2013 he works with Festo as a Senior Manager.

Dr.-Ing. Gunnar Rieber became after his studies at the Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg and doctorate at the TU Kaiserslautern competence field leader in 2012 in the department processing technology. He headed the work area "Process chain for processing textile-reinforced thermoset FKV semi-finished products". He joined BMW AG in mid-2012, most recently as a CFRP specialist in the production of CFRP components for luxury class vehicles in Dingolfing.  

 

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alois K. Schlarb was awarded a professorship for composites at the TU Kaiserslautern in November 2002 and at the same time appointed as Managing Director of IVW GmbH. He previously had worked in the industry, BASF SE and B. Braun Medical AG, Switzerland, inter alia. Under his leadership the institute was developed further to a customer oriented research institute. In 2009 Prof. Schlarb moved to the TU Kaiserslautern, where he established the new Chair of Composite Engineering.

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Schledjewski worked as research assistant from 1990 to 1996 in the department Materials Science. In 1996 he left to work for Wolff Walsrode AGan returned to the institute in 2000  as Group Leader in the department Manufacturing Science, responsible for the areas Press Technology, Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymers, and Winding and Tape Laying Technology. In 2010 he became a professor at the Montanuniversität Leoben and Chair of Processing of Composites. Professor Schledjewski passed away in June 2023.

Dr.-Ing. Christian Weimer became Group Leader in the department Manufacturing Science in 2002. He managed the field Preparation of Dry Reinforcement Structures, the so-called Preform Technology, and their further processing by modified resin injection methods. He was instrumental in the design and implementation of a demonstration and application center. In 2003, he moved to Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH and has held a management position at Airbus since 2012.