The Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkstoff- und Strahltechnik IWS has a new managing director. At the turn of the year, Prof. Christoph Leyens succeeded Prof. Eckhard Beyer as managing director, who had headed Fraunhofer IWS until October 2016 and subsequently, together with Mr Leyens, managed the Fraunhofer IWS in a double leadership. Mr Beyer continues being a member of the Institute's Executive Board.
At the beginning of the year, material scientist Christoph Leyens assumed management of Fraunhofer IWS. As a member of the dual leadership, Eckhard Beyer, who has hitherto been the managing institute director, will remain in office. Over the past 20 years, the laser expert has developed the Dresden institute into an international competence center for laser material processing as well as for surface and coating technology. In the past few years, materials scientist Leyens has pushed the expansion of competence in additive manufacturing at the institute and – together with Technische Universität Dresden – the associated development of the Center for Additive Manufacturing Dresden (AMCD).
Both professors form a team, not only as double heads of Fraunhofer IWS: As directors of the Institute of Materials Science and the Institute of Manufacturing Engineering at Technische Universität, they contribute to Dresden’s profiling as a science location in materials and manufacturing technology. “No changes will arise for our partners as a result of the change in management”, emphasizes Mr Leyens. “Our top priority is characterized by developing tailored solutions from a single source. The laser is and will remain our most important tool. In the future, however, we will focus even more strongly than before on materials in our research and development activities".
Christoph Leyens studied, graduated and habilitated at RWTH Aachen University. After completing his studies in materials science, he researched at the Institute for Materials Research of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.) in Cologne. In 2004, he left as provisional institute director to appointed professor in metallurgy and materials technology at BTU Cottbus. Here he was also managing partner of Panta Rheig GmbH, a research center for lightweight materials. From 2007 to 2009, Mr Leyens was Vice President of Research, Development and Innovation at BTU Cottbus.
Subsequently, Mr Leyens was appointed professor of materials technology at Technische Universität Dresden. Today, he is director of the Institute for Materials Science at TU Dresden and, after holding various management positions, since January 1, 2018, he is also a managing member of Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkstoff- und Strahltechnik IWS Dresden. The father of three children lives with his family in Dresden.
Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS