Clausthal Heads

Alexander Saipa (born November 12, 1976 in Hanover) is a German politician and chemist. He has held the office of district administrator of the district of Goslar in Lower Saxony since November 1, 2021.

After graduating from high school in 1996 and completing his compulsory military service, Saipa studied chemistry at Clausthal University of Technology from 1997 to 2002, where he obtained his diploma. This was followed by a doctorate at the University of Stuttgart in 2006.

From 2007 until his election to the Lower Saxony state parliament in 2013, Saipa was head of the product safety department at Rockwood Lithium GmbH in Langelsheim and also worked as the company's dangerous goods officer. Parallel to his professional activities, he chaired the SPD in Goslar from 2009 to 2011 and was a member of the local city council from 2011 to 2021, from 2011 to 2014 as chairman of the SPD parliamentary group. He was also a member of the Goslar district council for ten years from 2011 to
until his election as district administrator in 2021, from 2016 as chairman of the SPD district council parliamentary group.

In the state elections in Lower Saxony, he won the direct mandate in the Goslar state parliamentary constituency in 2013 and again in 2017 and has been involved in state politics as a member of the
Lower Saxony state parliament in Hanover until 2021. His political activities have focused on consumer protection, media policy and European and federal policy issues.

He also served as Secretary General of the SPD Lower Saxony from 2018 to 2020. In the local elections in September 2021, Saipa was elected District Administrator of the district of Goslar. In the course of this, he resigned his seat in the state parliament.

Dr. Saipa is married and has a son and a daughter. In his spare time, he is a keen amateur chef.

Hartmut Kainer (*21.07.1952 in Volmarstein) is President of the IUE University of Applied Sciences Basel and since 2020 Professor of Organizational Development at the Erasmus University Basel with a focus on New Work and related methods. He is a lecturer for Technical Product Management at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences.

After his two-year internship at BURTON-Werke GmbH, he first studied ceramics at Koblenz University of Applied Sciences (specializing in ceramics in Höhr-Grenzhausen) from 1969 to 1972. After his time in the German army and training as a reserve officer, he came to Clausthal and studied under Professors Frischat, Hennicke and Odler Steine & Erden from 1974 to 1979 before being employed as a research assistant by Prof. Jeschar at the Institute for Heat Technology and Industrial Furnace Construction (now Energy Process Engineering). He finally received his doctorate from Clausthal Technical University in 1982. He began his professional career in 1983 as head of department at DIDIER-Werke AG (Wiesbaden) in the research institute, where he developed ceramic heat exchangers and catalysts for exhaust gas purification. At DIDIER, he took over as Technical Manager for pig iron technology and environmental protection in 1989. In 1992, he moved to Blohm+Voss AG (Hamburg) and took over the energy technology/power plant construction division. In 1996, he was appointed Managing Director of Power Plant Technology and Market Management at Deutsche Babcock AG (Oberhausen), followed by management positions at IAB Ingenieur und Anlagenbau GmbH (Leipzig) in 1998 and LMG Lübecker Maschinenbau GmbH (Lübeck) in 2001. From 1985 to 1992, he was a lecturer in the technology of heterogeneous catalysts at the Clausthal Institute of Chemical Technology. After his time as an employed manager, Hartmut Kainer set up his own consulting and investment company as an entrepreneur with partners and dedicated himself to the development of medium-sized companies with changing tasks in the construction materials, glass industry and mechanical and plant engineering sectors. Since 2016, he has been working as an interim manager and mentor for young managers and university lecturers.

Dieter Ameling (*17.8.1941 in Osnabrück; died on 4.9.2020) was a German industrial manager. He studied ferrous metallurgy, metallurgy and materials science at Clausthal University of Technology from 1961 to 1967. He received his doctorate there in 1971. Prof. Ameling was successively General Manager of the electric steelworks of Hamburger Stahlwerke GmbH, Plant Director of Thyssen Niederrhein AG, Head of Production Operations at the Duisburg Hochfeld plant, Director of Business Administration in the Technology division of Thyssen Stahl AG, Member of the Executive Board of Saarstahl AG in Völklingen and Chairman of the Management Board of Krupp VDM GmbH. In 1997, he was appointed honorary professor at Clausthal Technical University. As Managing Director of the Verein Deutscher Eisenhüttenleute (VDEh) and later Chairman of the VDEh Steel Institute, he merged the VDEh with the German Steel Federation in 2000. From 2000 to 2008, he was also President of the German Steel Federation. As Chairman of the Association of Friends of Clausthal University of Technology, he was committed to the interests of the university.

Peter Ammon (born February 23, 1952 in Frankfurt am Main) is a German diplomat and has been German Ambassador to London since May 2014. In this capacity, he acts as the representative of the Federal President and the German Federal Government in the United Kingdom.
He studied mathematics and physics at the Technical University of Clausthal from 1970 to 1975 and graduated there with both the first state examination for the higher teaching profession and a diploma in mathematics. In the same year, he moved to the Free University of Berlin, where he received his doctorate in economics in 1978.
Peter Ammon began his professional career in 1978 when he entered the preparatory service for the higher foreign service and attended the diplomatic school in Bonn. He completed his career examination for the Senior Foreign Service in 1980. His first postings abroad between 1980 and 1985 took him to the embassy in London (United Kingdom) and to the embassy in Dakar (Senegal). This was followed by a posting in the Economic Department of the Federal Foreign Office, which he held until 1989, before moving on to new duties at the German Embassy in New Delhi (India).
Peter Ammon returned to the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn in 1991. In 1997, he was appointed Head of the Planning Staff in the Office of the Federal President. This was followed by a period abroad as envoy and head of the economic department at the German embassy in Washington (USA) from 1999 to 2001. After his return to Germany, he was head of the economic department at the Federal Foreign Office from 2001 to 2007, during which time he also acted as the German government's negotiator at the G8 summits.
This activity was followed by dual accreditation as German Ambassador to France and the Principality of Monaco. Until his appointment as State Secretary at the Federal Foreign Office in 2008, Peter Ammon worked as Ambassador in Paris. His diplomatic career then took him to the USA in 2011 as Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany and from 2014 to 2018 as German Ambassador to London.
Peter Ammon is married and has two children.

Norbert Basler (* 1963 in Berlin) grew up in Ahrensburg near Hamburg and completed his schooling there (Abitur 1983). He has been married since 1992, has three grown-up children and now lives in Großhansdorf/Hamburg.
Norbert Basler founded his own company, now Basler AG, while still studying mechanical engineering (specializing in electrical information technology) at the Technical University of Clausthal (graduated in 1988). In the 1990s, he set up several subsidiaries in the USA and Asia at
. In 2000, Basler moved from the Management Board to the Supervisory Board and is the Chairman of this body. Today, Basler AG is a medium-sized, internationally active and listed
technology company with around 500 employees and a leading provider of digital camera technology for industrial automation, robotics, medical technology and transportation. Norbert Basler holds various shareholdings as well as supervisory board and advisory board mandates
in primarily technology-oriented companies. He is also involved in several honorary functions, e.g. as Vice President of the VDMA (German Engineering Federation) and Vice President of the Lübeck Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Daniel Becker (*1980 in Korbach) studied general mechanical engineering at Clausthal University of Technology after completing his A-levels and military service. He received his diploma in mechanical engineering in 2007. His diploma thesis was awarded the sponsorship prize of the Association of Friends of Clausthal University of Technology. He then began his doctorate at the Institute of Tribology and Energy Conversion Machines (ITR) under the supervision of Professor Hubert Schwarze. The doctorate in the field of experimental evaluation and numerical-tribological simulation of highly loaded rolling contacts of large rolling bearings in wind turbines took place in 2011 and was honored with the Innovation Award of the Schaeffler FAG Foundation 2011 and the Sponsorship Award of the Society for Tribology 2012. Both awards recognize scientific and technical contributions to the further development of rolling bearing technology and tribology. The Innovation Award is one of the most important technology foundation prizes in Germany. Following his work as a research assistant at the institute at Clausthal University of Technology, he moved to the Technical Calculation department at Thyssen Krupp Rothe Erde GmbH, the world's largest manufacturer of slewing bearings, in 2011. In 2012, he took over as head of the development group. He successfully completed a part-time Executive MBA program at the European School of Management and Technology ESMT in Berlin in 2018 with the ESMT Academic Award. Dr. Becker has been responsible for Technical Calculation within the Business Unit since 2019.

Dr.-Ing. Jorgen von der Brelie (*1980 in Göttingen) received his doctorate from the Faculty of Mathematics/Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering at Clausthal University of Technology in April 2015.
Since 2007 and parallel to his later doctoral work on the topic of "Demand optimization in the event of capacity bottlenecks at airports", Jorgen von der Brelie has been employed as a commercial pilot on passenger aircraft operated by Deutsche Lufthansa. At the beginning of his career as a pilot, he flew Boeing 737 aircraft as a first officer and, from 2012 until today, Airbus A340 aircraft.
Von der Brelie laid the foundation for his professional career with an international degree in aviation systems engineering and management at Bremen University of Applied Sciences. During this time, he was trained as an aircraft pilot at Lufthansa Flight Training (LFT) in Bremen and received practical flight training at the Airline Training Center Arizona (ATCA) in Phoenix, USA. He completed his studies in 2006 with a diploma. He wrote his final thesis at the Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Corporation (AMECO) in Beijing, China. Despite starting line training on Boeing 737s in 2006, his contacts with China have continued to this day. Parallel to his flying activities, he took part in the Lufthansa Group's ProTeam junior management program and worked as a sub-project manager and consultant on various projects in Germany and abroad from 2008 to 2010.
Von der Brelie has received numerous awards, including the Friends of Clausthal University of Technology sponsorship award in 2015.
He devotes his free time to his family and marathon running.

Guadalupe Alan Castillo Rodriguez (*12.12.1965 in Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas/ Mexico) is Rector of the Polytechnic University of Apodaca in Mexico and has been Professor of Materials Engineering with a focus on inorganic, non-metallic materials at the University of Nuevo León (UANL) since 1999.
He studied mechanical and electrical engineering in Mexico from 1984 to 1989 and obtained a master's degree in mechanical engineering in 1992. He learned German in Göttingen and was authorized to enrol at a German university through the Goethe Institute there. In 1996, the Technical University of Clausthal awarded him the academic degree of Diplomingenieur in materials science (specializing in ceramic materials). One year later, as part of the scientific cooperation between the UANL and Clausthal University of Technology, he was awarded his doctorate at the UANL under the supervision of Professor K. J. Leers from Clausthal University of Technology.
Professor Castillo was employed as an engineer at Magnelec GmbH (Peñoles Group) from 1992 to 1997 and subsequently worked as a research assistant at the Peñoles Group's Center for Research and Development. After working at the Polytechnic University of García (UPG), he was appointed Rector of the Poliécnica University of Apodaca in December 2013.
From 2002 to 2008, he was also Director of the Department of Graduate Studies in Engineering at the University of Nuevo León (UANL) and designed and coordinated the development of the Center for Research and Development (CIDET). From 2010 to 2013, he was responsible for the direction of research there.
He was the coordinator of the Max Planck Society's "Science Tunnel" exhibition in Monterrey, Mexico. The successful exhibition attracted over 87,000 visitors in 2013.
His scientific publications include more than 50 scientific articles that have been published in specialist journals or conference proceedings. To date, he has worked on more than 25 technical research projects.
Dr. Alan Castillo has been a member of the National Research System (SNI) Level I in Mexico since 2000. He has received numerous awards including the Merit Award for Technological Development (TECNOS) in 1994 and 2000 as well as awards from the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) in Mexico and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Günther W. Diekhöner (*1950 in Bremen) studied general mechanical engineering at Clausthal University of Technology between 1969 and 1974 and went on to complete a doctorate in "Methodical Design" at Braunschweig University of Technology. In 1976, he founded DD Die Denkfabrik (www.DD-DieDenkfabrik.de) - a management consultancy specializing in research and development, technology consulting and training, management consulting as well as media and communication. The Denkfabrik's clients include Daimler, AIRBUS, ASTRIUM, Beck's, InBev, OHB, KAEFER, Röhlig, WeserWind and MEYER WERFT, which Dr. Diekhöner advises together with his team as owner of the Denkfabrik and supports in the implementation and achievement of project-related goals. His main areas of activity are business process optimization, development of turnkey machines and systems, targeted manufacturing cost reduction/process cost analysis, systematic product optimization (SPO) - innovation management, technical due diligence, moderation of individual company workshops, coaching of executives and the establishment and further development of (integrated) management systems. Dr. Diekhöner has been a lecturer in "Innovation Management" at Bremen University of Applied Sciences since 2000, a long-standing member of the plenum (general assembly) of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce and President of Industrie-Club Bremen e.V. since 2011.

Christiane Fritze (*1967 in Meschede) is President of Coburg University of Applied Sciences. After studying materials science at Clausthal University of Technology, she worked at BMW AG from 1992 - initially as a doctoral student in the department of fatigue strength and materials as well as materials development, later in the area of drive and chassis systems. In 1997, Christiane Fritze completed her doctorate in the research field of the production of metal matrix composites at Clausthal University of Technology. In 2003, she was appointed Professor of Applied Materials Technology and Quality Assurance at Munich University of Applied Sciences. She was elected Vice President in 2008 and held this position until 2016, where she was responsible for research and development as well as quality management. She was also deputy to the President of Munich University of Applied Sciences. In November 2016, the University Council of Coburg University of Applied Sciences elected Christiane Fritze as President. She has been at the helm of the Upper Franconian university since March 2017.
Christiane Fritze is also a member of the "Research at Universities of Applied Sciences" program advisory board of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, a member of the scientific advisory board of the Bavarian Research Foundation and a member of the university council of Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. She is also a member of the Accreditation Commission for Quality Management Systems at ASIIN e.V. Christiane Fritze is married and lives in Tutzing near Munich and in Coburg.

Erik W. Grafarend (born in Essen in 1939, died in Stuttgart in 2020) was a leading scientist in the field of "geodesy", the science of measuring and mapping the earth's surface. Erik W. Grafarend graduated from Clausthal University of Technology in 1964 with a degree in mine surveying. He received his doctorate in this subject in 1966 and habilitated in it two years later with a scholarship from the German Research Foundation. He also studied geophysics (intermediate diploma) and physics (Dipl.Phys.) in Clausthal. In 1970, he accepted a professorship in "Geophysics and Geodesy" at the University of Bonn (at the age of 31) and worked in parallel at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, USA, from 1972 to 1975. In 1975, he was appointed to the Chair of Astronomical and Physical Geodesy at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich. Since 1980, he has held the chair and been a full professor for "Higher Geodesy" at the University of Stuttgart. There he was also Dean of the largest faculty "Civil Engineering and Surveying" for many years. Erik W. Grafarend received numerous honors: Dr. tech. h.c. Stockholm (Sweden), Dr. Ing. h.c. Darmstadt (Germany), Dr. tech. h.c. Budapest (Hungary), Dr.Ing.h.c. University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich, Professor .h.c. Wuhan (China), Professor h.c. University of Tehran (Iran), Professor h.c. University of Pamplona (Spain), the Heisenberg Medal of the A.v. Humboldt Foundation (Bonn), the Humboldt Prize of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He is the first Bomford Prize winner of the International Association of Geodesy, received the K. and W. Heiskanen Award of the Ohio State University and the Special Award of the American Science Foundation. He is a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, a member of the Finnish Academy of Sciences, an associate member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the International Association for Geodesy. He was also a member of the selection committee of the A. v. Humboldt Foundation for 18 years.
Erik W. Grafarend is interested in modern art and is a member of the "Mönchehaus Museum" support association in Goslar. He plays the piano, organ and guitar.

Ulrich Grethe (*1961 in Duisburg) studied metallurgy and materials science at Clausthal University of Technology between 1981 and 1988. He then started his career as a trainee at the Peine-Salzgitter AG steelworks. Until 2000, the graduate engineer held various management positions at the Salzgitter steelworks. For the next five years of his career, he worked as operations director at the Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH steelworks, and in 2005 he took over the management of the plant. One year later, the steel expert became a member of the Executive Board (Technology division). From 2010 to 2013, he was Chairman of the Management Board of Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH and a member of the Executive Board of Salzgitter Stahl GmbH.

Since 2014, he has been a member of the Group Executive Board, Head of the Strip Steel Business Unit

Gerd Grimmig was born in Freden (Lower Saxony) in 1953. He completed his mining studies at Clausthal Technical University in 1981 with a degree in mining engineering. From 1982, Gerd Grimmig worked in the mining operations of various plants and in the mining division of the head office of Kali und Salz AG (now K+S Aktiengesellschaft). From 1990 to 1994, he was plant manager of the mining division at the Niedersachsen-Riedel plant in Hänigsen near Hanover. He then took over the management of the mining division at the Zielitz plant in Saxony-Anhalt. From January 1997 to September 2001, Gerd Grimmig was Managing Director of Kali und Salz GmbH and responsible for the Mining division. From October 2000 to September 2014, he was a member of the Board of Executive Directors of K+S Aktiengesellschaft. He was responsible for Mining, Geology, Technology/Energy, Research and Development, Environment, Occupational Safety, Quality Management, Inactive Plants, Waste Management and Recycling, Animal Hygiene Products, MSW Chemicals and Consulting. Gerd Grimmig is married and has two daughters.

Holger Hanselka, born in 1961, studied general mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Clausthal, where he also obtained his doctorate. In 1988, he joined the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as a research assistant, specializing in lightweight construction and fibre composites. After a professorship at Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg, he moved to Darmstadt in 2001 as Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability and Head of the "System Reliability and Machine Acoustics" department at TU Darmstadt. From 2006 to 2012, Hanselka was a member of the Executive Board of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. He held the office of Vice President of TU Darmstadt from 2010 to 2013. Hanselka is an expert in knowledge and technology transfer, cooperation between science and industry and company spin-offs. He was awarded the Stifterverband Science Prize in 2000 for a BMBF lead project. Hanselka is a member of acatech - the German Academy of Science and Engineering and is active in various committees and associations, in some cases in board positions.
Holger Hanselka has been President of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Vice President of the Helmholtz Association since October 1, 2013. He is also involved in the university council of his alma mater, Clausthal University of Technology.

From 2013 to August 2023, he was President of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). At the same time, he held the office of Vice President for the Research Field Energy at the Helmholtz Association. He is also a member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (Acatech) and is involved in the university council of his alma mater, Clausthal University of Technology.

In 2023, he was elected the 11th President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. He took office on 15 August 2023.

(Status: 6/2024)

Manfred Hennecke (*1948 in Eimen/Lower Saxony) is a chemist and was President of the BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in Berlin for many years. He studied chemistry at the Bergakademie/TU Clausthal, completed his doctorate in physical chemistry at the University of Kaiserslautern and worked as a post-doc at the École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de Paris before habilitating in physical chemistry at the TU Clausthal in 1989. His research interests include the physical chemistry of polymers, the photochemical reactions and ageing of polymers (chemiluminescence) and the production and characterization of plasma-polymerized coatings. Hennecke initially worked in Clausthal as a university lecturer in physical chemistry and later as an adjunct professor before moving to BAM. Here he was first Head of the Polymer Materials Division, then Vice President and from 2002 to 2013 President of the Federal Institute. From July 2014 to June 2016, he was Scientific Director of the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research in Dresden. Manfred Hennecke is an honorary professor at the FU Berlin. In addition, he has held and continues to hold numerous honorary positions: he was Deputy President of the German Institute for Standardization (DIN), a member of the Administrative Board of Stiftung Warentest and Chairman of the Working Group of the Federal Government's Departmental Research Institutes; he was a member of the Executive Committee of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS). Hennecke was awarded the DIN Ring of Honor (2013) and the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class (2014). (as of 3/2023)

Joachim Hug (*1961 in Heidenheim/Benz) is a German entrepreneur and founder of SincoTec Bauteil-Prüftechnik GmbH, which was merged into the newly founded SincoTec Group in 2011. The group of companies operates worldwide and is the global market leader in the construction and application of resonance testing technology.

Dr. Hug studied mechanical engineering at Clausthal University of Technology, where he graduated in 1988. He founded SincoTec Bauteil-Prüftechnik GmbH in 1991 and became its managing director in 1991. Parallel to this activity, he completed his doctorate at the Institute for Structural Durability. After completing his doctorate in 1994, he continued to work as an academic advisor at Clausthal University of Technology while expanding his company.

Dr. Hug has received numerous awards. These include the IHK Technology Transfer Prize from the Braunschweig Chamber of Industry and Commerce in 1995 and the August Wöhler Medal in 2007 for outstanding achievements in the field of fatigue strength and fracture mechanics and their implementation in the professional environment.

Werner A. Hufenbach (*25.07.1942 in Essen) is a German scientist and expert in functional integrative lightweight system construction in multi-material design. His research focuses on extensive research and development projects in the field of stress-optimized lightweight structures. This is based on a cross-material and cross-product approach that covers the entire value chain "material, design, simulation, production, prototype tests, quality assurance and costs".
From 1963 to 1968, Werner A. Hufenbach studied deformation science at the former TH Clausthal, now TU Clausthal. He then worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Technical Mechanics at Clausthal University of Technology, where he was also awarded his doctorate in engineering. His habilitation followed in 1973 and he then headed the Department of Applied Mechanics and Mechanics of Materials with the rank of professor. In 1993, he was appointed to the TU Dresden. Here he took over the professorship for Lightweight Construction and Plastics Technology and from then on, as Institute Director, dedicated himself to the foundation, development and further expansion of the Institute for Lightweight Construction and Plastics Technology, which currently has 250 employees.
In 2003, he took on a teaching position at the Chinese-German University College at Tongji University, Shanghai. At the same time, he was awarded the title of Professor E.h. there.

Karl Ulrich Kainer (*1953 in Volmarstein) is a German scientist with an international reputation. He is considered one of the most influential magnesium researchers in the world. In German-speaking countries he is known as the "Magnesium Pope" and in China and the USA he is known as the "Godfather of Magnesium". He was head of the Magnesium Innovation Center (MagIC) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (now Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon) for many years.
After graduating from Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Karl Ulrich Kainer studied materials science at Clausthal University of Technology. After graduating as an engineer in 1981, he completed his doctorate in 1985 in the field of aluminum composites. The complete specialization in magnesium came with his habilitation in 1996 and the associated Venia Legendi.
From 1999 to 2019, Karl Ulrich Kainer was Director of the Institute of Materials Research and the Magnesium Innovation Center (MagIC) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht and Professor of Materials Technology at the Hamburg University of Technology (until 2020).
Kainer's scientific career includes research stays at universities and research centers in France, Japan, Austria, China, Canada and Poland. He has been a visiting professor at Chongqing University in China since 2012 and is Vice Director of the Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Magnesium Alloys. In 2019-2020, he was a university professor at the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology
He has worked as a scientific advisor in numerous scientific institutions, including the Fraunhofer Center for Metal Powder Production in Clausthal. From 2010 to 2023, he was a member of the International Advisory Board of The EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Liquid Metal Engineering (LiME) at Brunel University in London and has been a Senior Advisor to the Chongqing Academy of Science in China since 2012.
Kainer has authored over 700 publications and is the editor or co-editor of 16 textbooks and conference proceedings. He also holds 17 patents.
His list of national and international research awards is long, including the appointment as an honorary member of the German Society for Materials Science (2022), the "TMS Fellow Award" of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), USA (2020), the Alexander von Humboldt Polish Honorary Research Fellowship, Foundation for Polish Science (2014), the "Thermec Distinguished Award" Quebec, Canada (2011), the "Japanese Government Research Award for Foreign Specialists" of the Government Research Institute Nagoya, Japan (1986).
Major international conferences have been held under Kainer's aegis, including the "Magnesium Alloys and their Applications" in Munich (2000), Wolfsburg (2003), Dresden (2006), Weimar (2009), Vancouver (2012), Jeju/Korea (2015), London (2018) and Montreal (2021).
In addition, he was chairman of the expert committee "Metal Matrix Composites" (1987-1999) "Magnesium" (1999-2010) of the German Society for Materials, coordinator of the priority program "Extension of the application limits of magnesium alloys" (2004-2010) and deputy spokesman of the examination committee "Materials Science, Raw Materials" of the German Research Foundation (2003-2008).
In 2019, he was appointed to the advisory board of the "Lightweight Construction Initiative" of the Federal Ministry of Economics.
Karl Ulrich Kainer is a member of a number of professional associations, including the International Magnesium Association (IMA), 2007-2018 as a member of the Board of Directors and from 2012 to 2014 as President of the IMA. He has been Vice President of the International Mg Society since 2019. He is a member of the German Foundrymen's Association (VDG), The Minerals, Metals and Materials society (TMS) and its Magnesium Committee. He has been a member of the German Society for Materials Science (DGM) since 1983, where he was a member of the board from 2006 to 2008 and was made an honorary member in 2022.

Hartmut Kainer (*21.07.1952 in Volmarstein) is President of the IUE University of Applied Sciences Basel and since 2020 Professor of Organizational Development at the Erasmus University Basel with a focus on New Work and related methods. He is a lecturer for Technical Product Management at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences.
After his two-year internship at BURTON-Werke GmbH, he first studied ceramics at Koblenz University of Applied Sciences (specializing in ceramics in Höhr-Grenzhausen) from 1969 to 1972. After his time in the German army and training as a reserve officer, he came to Clausthal and studied under Professors Frischat, Hennicke and Odler Steine & Erden from 1974 to 1979 before being employed as a research assistant by Prof. Jeschar at the Institute for Heat Technology and Industrial Furnace Construction (now Energy Process Engineering). He finally received his doctorate from Clausthal Technical University in 1982. He began his professional career in 1983 as head of department at DIDIER-Werke AG (Wiesbaden) in the research institute, where he developed ceramic heat exchangers and catalysts for exhaust gas purification. At DIDIER, he took over as Technical Manager for pig iron technology and environmental protection in 1989. In 1992, he moved to Blohm+Voss AG (Hamburg) and took over the energy technology/power plant construction division. In 1996, he was appointed Managing Director of Power Plant Technology and Market Management at Deutsche Babcock AG (Oberhausen), followed by management positions at IAB Ingenieur und Anlagenbau GmbH (Leipzig) in 1998 and LMG Lübecker Maschinenbau GmbH (Lübeck) in 2001. From 1985 to 1992, he was a lecturer in the technology of heterogeneous catalysts at the Clausthal Institute of Chemical Technology. After his time as an employed manager, Hartmut Kainer set up his own consulting and investment company as an entrepreneur with partners and dedicated himself to the development of medium-sized companies with changing tasks in the construction materials, glass industry and mechanical and plant engineering sectors. Since 2016, he has been working as an interim manager and mentor for young managers and university lecturers.

Jochen Friedrich Kirchhoff (* April 21, 1927 in Iserlohn) was a German entrepreneur. He died at the age of 92 on December 18, 2019. He was the founder of the KIRCHHOFF Group in Iserlohn, an internationally active manufacturer of vehicle components, municipal vehicles and tools with around 10,500 employees and an annual turnover of 1.6 billion euros. The KIRCHHOFF Group is therefore one of the most important medium-sized companies in the automotive supply industry in Germany.

Jochen Friedrich Kirchhoff studied mining and mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Clausthal from 1946 to 1950 and then economics at the University of Cologne until 1952. He received his doctorate in engineering from Clausthal University of Technology in 1953. After 16 years of service, including 1963 to 1968 as a member of the Management Board of Deutsche Babcock AG in Oberhausen, he took over the family business Stephan Witte & Comp. in Iserlohn, founded in 1785, as owner and managing director.
Through entrepreneurial foresight and the acquisition of further companies, he and his sons built up today's KIRCHHOFF Group, in which he initially worked as Chairman of the Management Board and has now been Chairman of the Advisory Board and Shareholders' Circle since 2007.
In 2008, he established the Dr. Kirchhoff Foundation, which has since been committed to education and training, art and culture, sport and social causes not covered by state welfare.
In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, Dr. Jochen Friedrich Kirchhoff has been active in numerous economic committees, supervisory boards and associations. He was Vice President of the German Economic Institute, President of the German Steel Forming Association and a member of the Presidiums of the Federation of German Industries (BDA) and the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA) for 25 years each. From 1983 to 2004, he was President of the Association of the Metal and Electrical Industry and the North Rhine-Westphalia Federation of Business Associations.

Dr. Karl-Ulrich Köhler (born in 1956) studied metallurgy at the University of Clausthal (graduated in 1980). He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University in Boston/USA.
Dr. Köhler holds an honorary professorship in the technology of flat steel products at the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg.
Dr. Köhler, who holds a doctorate in engineering, has been CEO and Managing Director of Tata Steel Europe and a member of the Board of Tata Steel Limited in India since 2010. During his time at Tata Steel, Dr. Köhler focused the company on the customer and achieved a stronger orientation towards innovative premium products. In doing so, he also significantly strengthened the company's competitiveness. Dr. Köhler was previously responsible for various functions in the steel division of ThyssenKrupp. Until 2009, he was responsible for ThyssenKrupp Steel and a member of the Executive Board of ThyssenKrupp AG. Dr. Köhler has been a member of the Friedhelm Loh Group's Advisory Board since 1996. Since July 2016, Dr. Karl-Ulrich Köhler has been CEO of Rittal International and Chairman of the Management Board of Rittal.

Dr. Karl-Friedrich Krause(*20.10.1960) is a German manager and was CEO of Kiekert AG, headquartered in Heiligenhaus, from 2007 to 2018.
Dr. Krause studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Clausthal from 1981 to 1986. He then completed his doctorate there in the field of production engineering/structural durability. After completing his studies, Dr. Karl Krause worked for the automotive supplier Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co KG in Coburg from 1989. In 1993, he moved to ITT Automotive Europe GmbH, where he first worked in the Teves brake systems division and then in the SWF wiper systems division. From 1999 to 2002, Dr. Krause worked as Director Operations Safety Systems Europe for the American automotive supplier TRW Automotive GmbH in Alfdorf. He then moved to VISTEON GmbH in Kerpen, where he worked as Vice President Manufacturing & Managing Director until 2007.
From 2007 to 2020 he was on the Advisory Board of the VDA (German Association of the Automotive Industry) and since 2014 he has been on the Advisory Board of Deutsche Bank for the Wuppertal region.
His great passion is the automobile and motorcycling.

Carsten Kuhlgatz was born in Delligsen (Lower Saxony) in 1961. After graduating from high school in Alfeld/Leine, Carsten Kuhlgatz enlisted as a regular soldier in the German army for 2 years and is a first lieutenant in the reserves. From 1983 to 1989, he studied foundry science at Clausthal Technical University and graduated with a degree in engineering. He then worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy and Foundry Science at Clausthal Technical University until 1991. In 1991, Carsten Kuhlgatz joined Hüttenes-Albertus Chemische Werke GmbH in Hanover, a manufacturer of chemical products for the foundry industry, as Product Manager for Lost Foam. He completed his doctorate at Clausthal Technical University in 1995.
In 1996, Carsten Kuhlgatz became the sole managing director of the Königshütte iron foundry in Bad Lauterberg. In 2000, he moved back to Hüttenes-Albertus (HA) as Managing Director for Production. He took on further managing director positions in the German subsidiaries Chemex and Eurokern as well as in the French subsidiary. In 2013, Carsten Kuhlgatz became Spokesman of the Management Board and CEO of the global HA Group with 1,800 employees in more than 30 countries and 26 production plants. He was responsible for production, sales and R&D, among other things. On July 1, 2019, Carsten Kuhlgatz joined the Board of Directors of the HA Group. He is also a managing partner of Albertuswerke, which was founded in 1905 and is in turn a shareholder of Hüttenes-Albertus.

In addition to his professional activities, Carsten Kuhlgatz is active in numerous associations. He has been Chairman of the Lower Saxony North regional group of the German Foundrymen's Association since 2001 and is a member of the Technical Board of the Federal Association of the German Foundry Industry. He is Chairman of the Board of the Industrial Association of Foundry Chemistry and the Hanover Industrial Club. He is a board member of the Association of the Chemical Industry in Northern Germany and the Employers' Association of the Chemical Industry in Northern Germany. Carsten Kuhlgatz is Vice President of the Lower Saxony Business Associations and Vice President (President elect 2022- 2023) of the World Foundry Organization.

At Clausthal University of Technology, Carsten Kuhlgatz is Chairman of the "Friends and Supporters of Foundry Technology at Clausthal University of Technology" association. He is particularly interested in recruiting young talent. In 2002, he founded the Get-In-Form initiative from a school project in Bückeburg. Shortly afterwards, the first school foundry was set up at the Anne Frank School in Hanover, now the IGS Stöcken. This is the nucleus for more than 40 school foundries throughout Germany. Get-In-Form is a permanent fixture and an attraction for many thousands of pupils at the MINT hands-on experiment show "IdeenExpo" in Hanover. In 2010, the initiative received the Responsible Care Award from the Association of the Chemical Industry in Northern Germany and the first Responsible Care Award from the European Chemical Industry Council CEFIC. Carsten Kuhlgatz was honored for his commitment by Clausthal University of Technology in 2013 and received the Adolf Ledebur Medal of the Association of German Foundrymen VDG in 2016.

Hans-Dieter Kunze (*24.7.1936 in Witten) is a metallurgist and materials scientist. His research focuses on near-net-shape manufacturing technologies such as powder metallurgy, casting and rapid prototyping.
He studied metallurgy at Clausthal University of Technology from 1957-1962. After successfully completing his diploma degree, he took on a university assistant position at the Institute of Foundry Engineering and received his doctorate from Clausthal University of Technology in 1965. This was followed by a postdoctoral research fellowship at the renowned Stanford University in the USA and a habilitation fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG). He habilitated in Clausthal in 1972.
Prof. Kunze began his professional career in the 1970s as an assistant to the Technical Director at Edelstahlwerk Witten AG (Rheinstahl Group). He quickly rose to become head of the "Quality Control and Process Engineering" department, but then moved to Bremen in 1976 as head of the Fraunhofer Institute. From 1994 to 2003, in his function as Managing Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research (IFAM), he set up numerous IFAM branch offices in Germany and abroad, including one in Newark (Delaware, USA) and another in Nagoya/Yokohama (Japan).
Parallel to his activities at the Fraunhofer Institute, Hans-Dieter Kunze remained committed to teaching. In 1980 he was awarded an adjunct professorship at Clausthal University of Technology, in 1982 he was appointed Directeur de Recherche at the Ecole National Superieur des Mines in St. Etienne (France) and in 1991 he was a lecturer at the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology. This was followed by a university professorship at the University of Bremen in 1994 and a sabbatical at the Technion in Haifa (Israel) in 1999.

Karin Labitzke(*1956 in Düsseldorf) was a member of the top management of UniCredit Bank AG as Head of Division until her early retirement in August 2018. She studied mathematics with a minor in economics at Clausthal University of Technology from 1974 to 1981. In 1986, she received her doctorate in engineering from Clausthal University of Technology under Prof. Dr. F. Ludwig Wilke and Prof. Schwinn. After a very interesting time as a research assistant to Prof. Wilke - first at the Mining Institute at the TU Clausthal and then at the TU Berlin - Dr. Karin Labitzke began her professional career at Hypobank AG in Munich. Various positions - assistant to the Management Board, various department heads up to divisional head - characterize her professional career. Most recently, she was Head of Central Functions (2006 - 2018) for the Chief Risk Officer of UniCredit Bank AG and was responsible for the bank's entire cover pool, risk provisioning and planning/controlling for the entire CRO division. She was also a member of the VdP and BdB committees.
During this time as Head of Central Functions, she was also the project manager responsible for bank-wide projects such as the implementation of the bank-wide impairment process, the ECB's 2014 asset quality review and other bank-wide external regulatory audits. Since mid-2019, she has been a member of the Supervisory Board of the Leipzig-based European Energy Exchange (EEX), a subsidiary of Deutsche Börse. She is also a member of the Supervisory Board of the associated clearing house ECC.
Karin Labitzke lives in Gauting near Munich and enjoys art, music, sport and literature in her free time.

Harald Ludanek (*1958 in Eschwege) is a German manager. He is a member of the Executive Board of truck manufacturer Scania and is responsible for research and development at Scania CV AB in Södertälje, Sweden. Until August 2017, he was Head of Development at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
After training at the School of Finance for Public Administration in the customs department, Dr. Ludanek turned to his true vocation and studied general mechanical engineering at Clausthal University of Technology, specializing in durability and plant engineering. In 1986, he completed his studies with a degree in engineering and subsequently worked as a research assistant and then as an academic advisor at the Institute of Technical Mechanics at Clausthal University of Technology. Here he obtained his doctorate in 1990 in the field of rotor dynamics.
Dr. Ludanek's further professional career took him to Volkswagen AG in 1992, where he worked in the field of research for special drives, combustion engines and transmission technology. He researched new engine concepts and the powershift transmission as a precursor to today's dual-clutch transmission. In 1996, Dr. Ludanek moved to the area of overall vehicle development and was appointed Board of Management Officer for Technical Development in 1997. In 2000, he took over as Head of Group Development Management at Volkswagen AG. In this function, he managed the activities of the more than 25 research and development locations in the VW Group and established numerous contacts with foreign universities and research institutes.
From 2002 to 2007, he headed Technical Development at ŠKODA AUTO a.s. in the Czech Republic as a member of the Board of Management. Following this position and until his move to Scania CV AB in 2012, Dr. Ludanek was Head of Complete Vehicle Development and Test Engineering (Passenger Cars) at Volkswagen AG. From February 2016 to August 2017, Dr. Harald Ludanek was Chief Development Officer of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand.

Since 2010, Dr. Ludanek has been a member of the University Council, advising the Presidential Board and the Senate of the university. From mid-2017 to mid-2020, he chaired the University Council of Clausthal University of Technology. In addition, he regularly lectures on "Automotive Management and Technology in Vehicle Development" and gives seminars on "Alternative Drive Concepts for Vehicles". Through his commitment, he tries to promote talented students and enable them to do internships and write their theses or dissertations in industry.
Dr. Ludanek has been Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Executive Committee of IAV GmbH in Berlin since 2011 and a member of the IFM Advisory Board at TÜV-Nord. In August 2016, he was appointed honorary professor at Clausthal University of Technology.
In his free time, he finds relaxation in gardening and craft activities as well as making music with his guitar or on car trips. He tries to spend as much of his limited free time as possible traveling.

Detlef Müller-Wiesner (*1955 in Goslar) has been responsible for the Airbus Group's E-Aircraft Program Directorate and External Affairs Coordination in Research and Technology since February 2014. From 2012 to 2014, he was responsible for External Affairs in Research and Technology, Business Development and Interdisciplinary Initiatives in the EADS Corporate Technical Office (CTO). He served as EADS Chief Operating Officer Innovation and Deputy Chief Technical Officer from 2006 to April 2012. In this role, he led the EADS Global Innovation Networks and was Chairman of the EADS Research and Technology Council (R&T Council), which comprises the Research Directors of the EADS Divisions and the Head of EADS Innovation Works. The EADS R&T Council develops the joint planning and implementation of the research and technology program at divisional and corporate level. Since 1986, when he started his career at Erno Raumfahrttechnik, he has worked for EADS and companies that later became part of EADS. In the space sector, he held leading positions in development, manufacturing, service and program areas before he was entrusted with the management, integration and further development of EADS Group Research (today Airbus Group Innovations) with the foundation of EADS in 2000. Dr. Müller-Wiesner studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Clausthal and received his doctorate in the field of fatigue strength. Dr. Müller-Wiesner is an officer in the German Air Force Reserve, speaker of the Senate of the German Aerospace Society (DGLR), former President of the DGLR and former President of the International Council on Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS). He was also a member of the Senate of the Helmholtz Association and is Chairman of the Advisory Board of Bauhaus Luftfahrt e.V. and a member of the Supervisory Board of EADS Deutschland GmbH. Dr. Müller-Wiesner was awarded the French Order of Merit Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite. He is married, has three children and has lived with his family in Paris since 2001. In his private life, he is a keen sailor and musician.

SirArvi Parbo (*10.2.1926 in Tallinn/Estonia - died on 1.5.2019 in Melbourne/Australia) is an internationally renowned Australian mining engineer and manager who headed three of Australia's largest companies. In 1978, he was ennobled by the Queen for his services. He has received numerous honors and honorary doctorates, holds the Order of Australia and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Born on a farm in Estonia, Sir Parbo began studying electrical engineering in Tallinn, which came to an abrupt end with the invasion of the Red Army in 1944. He was separated from his parents and fled to Germany. As a refugee, he was given the opportunity to study mining at the newly reopened Clausthal Mining Academy in 1946. In 1949, he emigrated to Australia, where he studied at the University of Adelaide while working. From then on, his career progression was remarkable. The former Clausthal student became one of the most important personalities in Australian mining and the global raw materials industry. As early as 1974, he was appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Western Mining Corporation (WMC) - a position he held until his retirement in 1999. He was Chairman of aluminium giant Alcoa and Broken Hill Proprietary Ltd (BHP), President of the Business Council of Australia, President of the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering, President of AusIMM and a member and advisor to numerous organizations worldwide. In 1992 he wrote the monograph "Down under: Mineral heritage in Australasia: an illustrated history of mining and metallurgy in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea". He initiated and promoted pioneering developments in the mining industry. One of the largest deposits in the world is associated with Parbo's work: the "Olympic Dam" copper-uranium-gold deposit in South Australia, discovered in 1975. The mine became the flagship of the WMC Group, which was taken over by the world's largest mining group, BHP Billiton, in 2005.

Michael Peters (*10. 08.1955 in Duisburg-Hamborn) received his diploma in ferrous metallurgy from Clausthal University of Technology on April 13, 1981. After internships abroad in the USA, Canada and Japan, he joined Thyssen Stahl AG in 1982. The graduate engineer, who completed his doctorate at RWTH Aachen University in 1989 alongside his job, worked his way up from assistant to plant manager and main division manager to director of the pig iron division at ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe. His grandfather Jakob and father Karl-Heinz also worked as blast furnace managers.

Michael Quirmbach (born April 11, 1970 in Düsseldorf) studied chemistry at Clausthal University of Technology after completing his A-levels in Goslar. During this time, he spent a semester as an Erasmus scholarship holder in Great Britain at the University of Salford in Manchester with Prof. J.L. Spencer. He completed his studies in 1996 with a diploma in the working group of Prof. Dr. E. Kaufmann. He then worked and researched for three years at the Max Planck Institute for Catalysis Research in Rostock (now a Leibniz Institute) in the working group of Prof. A. Börner, where he received his doctorate in organic chemistry in 1999.

He moved to the USA for further research. A scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and subsequent funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) enabled him to conduct research at the Universities of Colorado in Boulder and Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in the working group of Prof. G.A. Molander. His research focused on the enantioslective total synthesis of variecolin using an Sm (II) induced cascade reaction.

However, his path then led him into industry, where he began his professional career as a senior scientist at a company in the pharmaceutical supply industry (Albany Molecular Research) in Albany, New York. After working there for three years, he moved back to Europe. Since then he has lived with his family in Basel (Switzerland) and has worked for various pharmaceutical supply companies (including Solvias AG, Siegfried AG and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories) in the areas of development, production, marketing and sales.

In the meantime, he continued his education not only professionally but also in business administration and obtained his Master in Business Administration (MBA) in 2002.

Michael Quirmbach has been responsible for global business development at the Corden Pharma Group since 2014 and has been President and Managing Director of the Corden Pharma Group since 2019, with 8 production sites worldwide organized under 4 technology platforms.the Corden Pharma Group is one of the top 20 in its industry. The company, which employs around 2000 people, is a supplier to the research-based pharmaceutical industry and a production service provider. Among other things, it manufactures drug ingredients, tablets, syringes and capsules and is significantly involved in the production and development of mRNA-based coronavirus vaccines through the production of synthetic lipids and sterile filling.

He enjoys spending his free time with his family and 3 children hiking, jogging, surfing and, in winter, skiing in the Swiss mountains.

Thomas Rappuhn (*1959 in Celle) is a German manager. After graduating from high school and completing his military service, he began studying at the Technical University of Clausthal in April 1981, specializing in mining, deep drilling technology, oil and gas extraction. In 1988, Thomas Rappuhn joined Deutsche Texaco AG, which was taken over by the energy supply group RWE the following year and renamed RWE-DEA AG für Mineraloel und Chemie. From the mid-1990s, he managed various offshore and onshore projects at the company. From 2001 to 2003 he was Deputy Managing Director of RWE Dea Norge AS in Oslo and subsequently Director Gas/Oil in Germany. In 2006, Thomas Rappuhn joined the Executive Board of RWE Dea with responsibility for Operations. He was Chairman of the Executive Board from 2010 to 2018.

Cornelia Rebbereh (*1967 in Göttingen) began studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Clausthal in October 1987, specializing in electrical engineering. In March 1993, the graduate engineer completed her training as a patent attorney, first in Hamburg and later in Celle and Munich. In 1996, Cornelia Rebbereh passed the examination to become a patent attorney, initially worked in Braunschweig and set up her own firm in March 1998, first in Bergisch Gladbach and then in Lindlar. In addition to the German patent attorney examination, she also passed the examination to become a representative before the European Patent Office and is also a European Trademark and Design Attorney. Since 2004, Cornelia Rebbereh has been a member of the examination board for the German patent attorney examination, appointed by the Federal Ministry of Justice. She has also been a member of the board of the German Chamber of Patent Attorneys since 2004.

Dr. Michael Reiß (*1971 in Kassel) is a German manager. He studied mechanical and process engineering at the Technical University of Clausthal from 1991 to 1996. He then worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Mineral Processing, Landfill Technology and Geomechanics in Clausthal from 1997 to 2000. In 2002, he received his doctorate in the field of raw materials and geotechnical engineering.

In March 2000, he began his career at H.C. STARCK GmbH as Head of Process Optimization and Development in the Carbide Industry division. He then held various positions of local and global responsibility within the group of companies as plant manager, production manager, site manager and technical director. Since February 2015, Dr. Michael Reiß has been a member of the H.C. STARCK GROUP Management Board as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). His current area of responsibility includes the technological orientation and further development of the internationally positioned H.C. Starck Group. In addition to his professional obligations, he is responsible for regional development together with other business partners in the Goslar area, with the involvement of Clausthal University of Technology. Among other things, he is co-initiator and co-founder of various research, development and industry clusters, such as the REWIMET network (recycling of economically strategic metals), the secondary raw materials center and the Harz Chemical Network. He is also a business ambassador for the district of Goslar on behalf of WiReGo GmbH and a member of the South Lower Saxony Economic Advisory Council of the state government.

Stephan Röthele (*1946 in Speyer - died 2023 in Clausthal-Zellerfeld) is a scientist and entrepreneur. He studied mechanical and process engineering in Karlsruhe. In 1972, he accompanied Professor Kurt Leschonski to Clausthal University of Technology and, as a senior engineer, played a key role in establishing the Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering. He initially founded the pantuc engineering office and co-founded Sympatec GmbH in 1984. Through his creative and successful work as a scientist, engineer and entrepreneur, Stephan Röthele has further developed particle measurement technology with innovative concepts, brought it to market maturity and marketed it successfully. The company is an important employer in the structurally weak Harz region and enables students to gain an insight into the practical side of the business and get to know internationally oriented career prospects. Stephan Röthele holds several patents and has received numerous awards, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. For his developments, he received the Technology Transfer Prize from the Braunschweig Chamber of Industry and Commerce in 1985 and the Technology Transfer Prize from the Federal Minister of Education and Science in 1986. In 2005, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Clausthal University of Technology. In 2010, he received the Kulturkontaktepreis for entrepreneurial cultural promotion for Sympatec and in 2011 the 2nd Foreign Trade Prize, both as awards from the state of Lower Saxony. He recently became Chairman of the new "Marktkirche zum Heiligen Geist Foundation", whose Board of Trustees includes Professor Ekkehard Schulz and NTH President Professor Thomas Hanschke. In addition to his many commitments to the region and the university, he has also been active in the Association of Friends of Clausthal University of Technology as 1st Deputy Chairman since 2009.

Ekkehard D. Schulz(*1941 in Bromberg/West Prussia) is a German manager and former Chairman of the Executive Board of ThyssenKrupp AG. Schulz studied ferrous metallurgy at the Technical University of Clausthal. From 1967 to 1972, he worked as a research assistant and senior engineer at the Institute for General Metallurgy and Foundry Engineering at Clausthal University of Technology, where he obtained his doctorate in 1971. He then joined the Thyssen Group as assistant to the Executive Board of Thyssen Niederrhein AG. In 1985, he was promoted to the Executive Board of Thyssen Stahl AG, where he initiated the merger of the previously independent steel and stainless steel divisions. In March 1991, Schulz was promoted to the Executive Board of Thyssen AG and was appointed Chairman of the Executive Board of Thyssen AG in 1998. Together with Gerhard Cromme, he initiated the merger of Krupp-Hoesch and Thyssen to form ThyssenKrupp AG and was Chairman of the Executive Board of ThyssenKrupp AG from 1999 to January 2011. In 1999, he was awarded an honorary professorship at Clausthal University of Technology. He received honorary doctorates from the Technical University of Berlin as Dr. rer. pol. h.c. (2005) and from RWTH Aachen University as Dr.-Ing. E.h. (2004). He is or was a member of numerous supervisory boards including Deutsche Bahn AG, AXA Konzern AG, Bayer AG, MAN SE, RWE AG, Commerzbank AG, TUI AG and ThyssenKrupp AG. He chaired the Senate of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and was Chairman of the Senate and the Board of Trustees of acatech - German Academy of Science and Engineering. Ekkehard Schulz was a member of the University Council of Clausthal University of Technology until 2010.

Sebastian Seiffert(*23.02.1979 in Göttingen) is University Professor of Physical Chemistry of Polymers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. He studied chemistry at the Technical University of Clausthal (1999-2004) and obtained his doctorate there with research work on chain dynamics in semi-dilute polymer solutions and gels in the group of Wilhelm Oppermann (2004-2007). After another year in Clausthal as a lecturer in physical polymer chemistry (2008), he moved to Harvard University as a postdoctoral fellow in the group of David A. Weitz, supported by a fellowship from the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (2009-2010), where he worked on microfluidics and microgels. After his return to Germany, he led a junior research group at the Helmholtz Center Berlin (2011-2014) as a Liebig Fellow of the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (FCI). His first faculty appointment was as Professor of Supramolecular Polymeric Materials at Freie Universität Berlin (2014-2016). In 2016, he followed an appointment to Mainz to take over the Chair of Physical Chemistry of Polymers, previously held by Manfred Schmidt [1995-2015], Helmuth Möhwald [1987-1993] and Erhard Fischer [1966-1983]. Prof. Seiffert's work was honored with the Dissertation Prize of the Association of Friends of Clausthal University of Technology, the Reimund Stadler Prize of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), an annual prize of the Association of German University Professors of Chemistry (ADUC) and a Young Researcher Prize of the International Polymer Networks Group (PNG).

Jens Strackeljan (*1962 in Wilhelmshaven) is a German scientist. He received his diploma in mechanical engineering from Clausthal University of Technology in 1988 and his doctorate from the Institute of Engineering Mechanics in 1993. His doctoral supervisor was Professor Dietrich Behr. In 2002, Strackeljan habilitated in the field of "Technical Mechanics" and was deputy professor for "Solid Mechanics" in the Oberharz until 2004. He has been Professor of "Technical Dynamics" since November 2004. From 2008 to September 2012, he was Vice-Rector for Studies and Teaching at the University of Magdeburg. Since October 2012, the engineer has been at the helm of the University of Magdeburg as Rector and, together with three Vice-Rectors and the Chancellor, steers the fortunes of this university. He is married and has four children.

Peter Scharff (*1957 in Braunlage/Harz) studied chemistry at Clausthal University of Technology. His doctorate in 1987 was followed by his habilitation in the field of inorganic chemistry at Clausthal University of Technology in 1991. After a visiting professorship at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun (Poland), he was appointed associate professor in Clausthal in 1996. In 1999, he moved to the TU Ilmenau, where he had accepted a C4 professorship in the field of chemistry. He headed the Institute of Physics there for several years, was Vice-Rector for Education from 2002 to 2004 and was then elected Rector of the TU Ilmenau in 2004. His appointment to the International Advisory Committee (ICAM) for ISIC 9 was followed by his appointment to the Scientific Committee of ICAM in 1997. He was also appointed to the Scientific Program Committee of the WE Heraeus Seminar 'Nitrogen in Solids and at Solid Surfaces: Present Status and Future Trends' in 1999. In 1998, Peter Scharff was honored by Sigri Great Lakes Carbon AG with the "SGL-CARBON-Award" for his work in the field of graphite and fullerene chemistry. This was followed by his election as President of the European Carbon Association. He is a member of the Carbon Working Group of the German Ceramic Society (DKG). In 2007, he was awarded an honorary professorship by the Novocherkassk State Technical University and an honorary doctorate by the Moscow Energy Institute (TU). In 2010, he was awarded the title of Prof. h.c. by the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, and during an international student meeting, the International Student Week in Ilmenau, he was also awarded the title "Onwa N'Etirioha 1 of Ilmenau" (Moon that shines for all, the first of Ilmenau) and with it the chieftaincy of a Nigerian Ibo tribe. In his spare time, he has been a successful dressage rider and competition judge in the Thuringian Riding and Driving Association for many years.

Wan Gang (born August 1, 1952 in Shanghai) is a Chinese politician and automotive engineer. In April 2007, he was appointed Minister of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China. Wan Gang studied at Tongji University in Shanghai and came to Germany in 1985 to study drive technology at Clausthal University of Technology. He received his doctorate in Clausthal in 1990 and was appointed honorary professor here in 2016. After holding senior positions in research and development at Audi AG, he returned to the PR China in 2000 and subsequently established a research institute for the development of hydrogen technology and electric vehicles at Tongji University, of which he was president from 2004-2007. He has received numerous awards. In April 2018, he relinquished his post as Minister of Research. He also holds the following offices: Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Party Chief of Overseas Chinese of the People's Republic of China, Chairman of China Association for Science and Technology, China.

Peter Willbrandt (*1962) is a German manager. After studying metallurgy at Clausthal University of Technology, he joined Aurubis (then Norddeutsche Affinerie) in Hamburg as an operations assistant in 1988. In 1993 he was appointed Head of Production and in 2001 was made a member of the Metallurgy Division Management. Peter Willbrandt was granted power of attorney in 2003. From 2004, he headed the Primary Copper Production division. Appointed deputy member of the Executive Board of Aurubis AG in 2007, Peter Willbrandt has been a full member of the Executive Board since April 19, 2008. From 2012 to 2014, he steered the interests of Europe's largest copper producer and the world's largest copper recycler as Chairman of the Executive Board.

Friedrich-Wilhelm Wellmer (born 1940) was President of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources [BGR] and the former Lower Saxony State Office for Soil Research, the latter now part of the State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology [LBEG], in Hanover.

Friedrich-Wilhelm Wellmer studied geology and mining, first at the Technical University of Berlin, then at the Technical University of Clausthal, where he graduated and received his doctorate in 1970.

Before joining the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, he worked for Metallgesellschaft AG in Frankfurt/M., the largest German non-ferrous metals company at the time. Among other things, he set up their exploration office in Vancouver/Canada. Most recently he was Director of Exploration for the Australian subsidiary of Metallgesellschaft AG. In Europe, Canada, South America, Australia and SE Asia, he explored for steel refiners (such as tungsten or nickel), non-ferrous and precious metal deposits (such as copper, zinc, lead, gold, silver) and heavy and fluorspar and brought a gold deposit in Western Australia to production maturity. His exploration activities were interrupted by a three-year stint in the Raw Materials Department of the Federal Ministry of Economics, where he headed the federal exploration funding program at the time.

Friedrich-Wilhelm Wellmer is an honorary professor of economic geology and raw materials policy at the Technical University of Berlin. In 2011/2012, he held a visiting professorship for the chair of "Sustainable Management of Natural Resources" at LE STUDIUM (Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, in Orléans, France). Wellmer is an associate member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering acatech. He was President of the Academy of Geosciences and Geotechnologies and the German Geological Society (DGG). Under his presidency, the merger with the Society for Geosciences of the New Federal States, the geological successor society of the former GDR, was achieved. For this he was awarded the Abraham-Gottlob-Werner Medal of the DGG and later honorary membership of the German Geological Society-Geological Association (DGG-GV). He had previously been awarded honorary membership of the former Geological Association.

Wellmer received honorary doctorates from the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg and the Technical University Clausthal for his achievements in the raw materials sector. He is the recipient of the highest award in German mining, the Georg Agricola Medal of the GDMB Society of Metallurgists and Miners.

Wellmer is the author of more than 200 publications in the fields of economic geology, raw materials policy, geomathematics and geostatistics. One of his textbooks on the economic evaluation of raw material deposits at the exploration stage has been translated into English, Russian and Chinese. He is currently researching the geological availability of phosphorus, a nutritional raw material that cannot be substituted and the only one that is not available in unlimited quantities on earth.

After his retirement, Friedrich-Wilhelm Wellmer intensified his historical interests and focused his research on historical mining in the Harz Mountains and on the activities of the polymath Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) in the Upper Harz silver mining industry. Wellmer was a board member of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Society and initiated the establishment of the Leibniz World Heritage Trail under the theme "Ideas and Innovations" in Clausthal-Zellerfeld as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Rammelsberg Mine, Old Town of Goslar and Upper Harz Water Management". His efforts to "make Leibniz popular" were recognized in 2020 with the award of the Leibniz Medal of Honor by the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Society and the Leibniz Foundation at the Neustädter Hof-und Stadtkirche in Hanover, Leibniz's burial church.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. XU Huibin (*July 1959 in Jilin, China) has been President of Beihang University in Beijing since March 2015. (Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics). His field of research includes shape memory alloys, thermal barrier coatings, magnetostrictive materials and other special functional materials.
Beihang University is one of the elite universities in the People's Republic of China. Founded in 1952, it was the first Chinese university to focus on aerospace. Today, materials and energy research as well as computer science are other key areas
After completing his bachelor's degree in metallic materials at Liaoning Technical University in 1982, Huibin XU transferred to Clausthal University of Technology in 1985, where he received his diploma from the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering in 1987. His doctorate followed in 1992 at the TU Berlin. After working as a post-doc at the Technical University of Munich, Huibin XU returned to China in 1993. There he held various positions at Beihang University, including Dean of the School of Materials Science and Vice President of the university.
In 2011, Huibin Xu was admitted to the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Huibin XU has been Chairman of the Clausthal University of Technology Chinese Alumni Association (VCAC) since June 2015

Yine Zhang (*1960 in Shanghai) is an entrepreneur in Willich, Greater Düsseldorf. He studied at Tongji University in Shanghai in 1978 and came to Germany in 1980 to study materials science at Clausthal University of Technology. After studying abroad for a year at Birmingham University in England, he graduated in 1987 with a degree in engineering.

After working as a research assistant at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems in Duisburg, Yine Zhang worked as a product manager and sales manager for various companies in the electronics industry.

Since 2001, he has been a managing partner of N&H Technology GmbH in Willich, since 2013 also at the subsidiary N&H Technology Shanghai Ltd. in Shanghai / China and since 2014 at AudiNova GmbH.

The father of 4 children has always been passionate about education and equal opportunities for young people. In 2008, Yine Zhang established the non-profit foundation "Yiyuan Foundation of Care and Education" (YFCE), which is committed to supporting needy pupils/students, especially in the underdeveloped regions of China. Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, the commitment has also been expanded at local level in Germany through the donation of protective clothing, donations in kind and financial support for charitable associations.

In 2018, he founded the non-profit Wenyuan Chinese School in Willich with the intention of enabling children of Chinese people living in Germany to learn the Chinese language and gain access to Chinese culture and history. At the beginning of 2021, over 200 children are already being taught at the privately run school at weekends.

Yine Zhang is also socially committed as a member of the Rotary Club in Willich, where he held the office of President in 2020/2021. He is also active in local politics in his adopted home town of Kaarst, where he was a member of the town council from 2009-2013.

Hubert Ziegler (born September 3, 1948 in Schwerte) is a German diplomat and has served as ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in various countries around the world. He studied mathematics and physics at Clausthal University of Technology from 1969 to 1976. After graduating with a degree in mathematics (1974), he worked as a research assistant and during this time passed the academic examination (first state examination) for the teaching profession at secondary schools. In 1980, he completed his doctorate in mathematics in Clausthal. In 1981, Dr. Ziegler joined the Foreign Service and, after completing the career examination for the higher service in 1983, was initially employed as a consultant at the Foreign Office's training and further education center before becoming a consultant for politics and protocol at the German Embassy in London (Great Britain) from 1984 to 1986. He then worked as a scientific advisor at the German Embassy in Paris (France) and then from 1988 to 1991 as Head of the Economic Department at the German Embassy in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). This was followed by a period at the Federal Foreign Office in Germany as a consultant for nuclear non-proliferation issues before he was appointed Ambassador in Cotonou (Benin) between 1993 and 1996. After five years at the Federal Foreign Office as Head of Division in the Central Department, Dr. Ziegler became Permanent Representative of the Consul General in Montreal between 2001 and 2004 and then German Ambassador in Kigali (Rwanda) until 2006. In 2006, he moved back to the Federal Foreign Office headquarters - this time as Head of the Conference Division in the Protocol Staff and later as Advisor to the Chief of Protocol. From 2011 until his retirement in summer 2013, he represented the Federal Republic of Germany as Ambassador to the Republic of Malta.

Beate-Maria Zimmermann (*14.03.1958) is a German manager. She studied mineralogy at Clausthal University of Technology from 1978 and obtained her doctorate at the Institute for Mineral Processing and Refining in 1987. Dr. Zimmermann gained her first professional experience from 1987-1990 as a scientific officer at DEGUSSA AG in Frankfurt am Main. She then moved to Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, where she worked as an assistant to the Board of Management until 1993. From 1993 to 2019, Dr. Zimmermann was employed as an authorized signatory at the Georgsmarienhütte Group. She also managed the business of the Georgsmarienhütte Steelworks Foundation from 2006 to 2019, most recently as a member of the Executive Board. She has been a member of the University Council of Clausthal University of Technology since 2015.

What happens after graduation? Alumnus Fabian Keßler reports on how he came to RWE TI from Clausthal University of Technology.

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What happens after graduation? Alumnus Dr. Marvin Hecht reports on how he came to join the Bundeswehr from Clausthal University of Technology.

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How do things continue after graduation? Alumnus Samuel Gage came to Clausthal University of Technology from the USA as an intern and stayed for a Master's degree in Applied Chemistry. Today he advises the US government.

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