Obituary Prof Harald Großmann

Prof Harald Großmann passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on 21 January 2024 at the age of 72. After graduating in mechanical engineering/aerospace engineering from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich in 1976, he worked as a research assistant to Prof Mersmann at the Chair of Process Engineering at the Technical University of Munich until he was awarded his doctorate in 1982. He then worked for 20 years at the Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS) in Munich, first as a research assistant in the Paper Processing Department, then from 1984 as its head and from 1987 also as head of the Paper Production Technology Department. From 1991 to 1996 he was head of the entire paper production division, and from 1996 to 2003 he was responsible for the entire research division as a member of the Management Board. During his time at PTS, he was responsible for a large number of research projects as well as national and international events, of which his pioneering work in the field of recovered paper pulp technology and the international PTS-Deinking Symposium deserve special mention.

From the winter semester 1994/95, Dr Großmann took over the lectureship "Paper Technology" at the TU Munich. He was appointed honorary professor at the TU Munich in November 2001. On 1 October 2002, Prof. Großmann took over as acting head of the Chair of Paper Technology at the TU Dresden. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Großmann was appointed Professor of Paper Technology at the Technical University by the State Minister for Science and Art of the Free State of Saxony on 1 July 2004.

In less than 15 years, he has paved the way for around 85 graduates to enter professional life as graduate engineers. Many scientific articles in German and foreign journals attest to Harald Großmann's standing as a scientist. His extensive research activities were reflected in many topics for theses and dissertations as well as the supervision of more than 10 doctoral theses in Dresden. Prof. Großmann was co-founder of the Dresden Centre of Excellence Forest-Wood-Paper (now Lignosax), the Paper Research Cluster (CPF) network and was appointed President of the Association of European Fibre and Paper Research Organisation (EFPRO) in 2011. In 2006, he also became Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Verband ostdeutscher Papierfabriken e. V. (VOP).

Editorial office:
Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering
Institute of Natural Materials Technology
Chair of Wood and Fibre Material Technology