Dr. Hubert Jäger, head of SGL Group's central research facility, has been appointed to the Chair for Lightweight Systems Engineering and Multi Material Design and will take up his teaching role at Technische Universität Dresden at the start of the fall semester 2014/2015.

Prof. Hans Müller-Steinhagen, Rector of TU Dresden, said: "I am delighted that Dr. Hubert Jäger, who has been intensively involved in the field of lightweight engineering for many years, has accepted our invitation to assume the professorship for Lightweight Systems Engineering and Multi Material Design at the Institute for Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) at TU Dresden. Thereby, TU Dresden has gained an internationally renowned expert with a proven track record. He is regarded as one of the leading industry representatives on lightweight engineering and has vast experience, both in research and development and as a mentor to PhD students and academic tutor."

Under the leadership of institute director Prof. Werner Hufenbach, the Institute for Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) at TU Dresden has become one of the leading national and international research institutes in the fields of lightweight engineering and polymer technology. With over 200 employees and external funding of €12.5 million in 2013, it is one of the key institutes of TU Dresden. Prof. Hufenbach is regarded as one of the leading figures in the field of lightweight engineering, in part as a result of intensive collaboration with industry and the founding of various companies. The research area of lightweight engineering is a strategically important topic for TU Dresden, and it is to be pursued further under the leadership of Dr. Hubert Jäger.

Dr. Gerd Wingefeld, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of SGL Group, said, "Dr. Hubert Jäger is an outstanding expert in the field of materials science, particularly carbon-based materials. One of his special achievements was establishing SGL Group's central research facility, where he closely linked research and innovation with business activities. He has benefited from his operational experience here. As a representative of SGL Group in various research committees and associations such as Carbon Composites (CCeV) and the cluster initiative MAI Carbon, Dr. Hubert Jäger has worked tirelessly towards a close link between scientific excellence and intercompany cooperation. We are delighted with Dr. Hubert Jäger, and congratulate him on his appointment to the prestigious "Hufenbach Chair." We will certainly continue to work together closely after his departure."

Profile

Dr. Hubert Jäger studied chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe, where he obtained a doctorate in carbon-fiber polymer composite materials. Since joining Sigri (the forerunner of SGL Group) in 1986, he has held various operational and technological managerial roles in the group, including in the fields of cathodes and graphite electrodes. Since 2004, Dr. Hubert Jäger has headed SGL Group's "Technology & Innovation" research facility, which now has 160 employees. In this time, he made the Meitingen location the focal point of research activities, building up a state-of-the-art research infrastructure there with laboratory and testing facilities and pilot plants. The guiding principles of his work were fostering close collaboration between industry, science and research and, in particular, setting up networks. He has represented SGL Group in various external committees and network initiatives. These include:

• Member of the Foundation Board of the "Bayerischen Forschungsstiftung" (Bavarian Research Foundation)
• Founder member and Chairman of "Carbon Composites e.V."
• Founder and Chairman of the Management Board of the "Industrie-Kompetenznetzwerk Lithium-Ionen Batterien" (Network of Excellence for Lithium Ion Batteries)
• Founder and CEO of "Keramische Hochleistungs-Verbundwerkstoffe" (Ceramic High-Performance Composite Materials)
• Founder member and Management Board member of the "Initiative Junge Forscher Bayern" (Initiative for Young Researchers in Bavaria, "IJF")
• Member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) in Ulm
• Member of the Advisory Board of "Nano–Cluster" in Bavaria"
• Member of the Advisory Board of "Neue Werkstoffe" (New Materials) in Bavaria
• Member of the Advisory Board of the "Institut für Leichtbau mit Hybridsystemen" (Institute for Lightweight Design with Hybrid Systems) at the University of Paderborn
  
  

About the ILK

The ILK at TU Dresden (with the Chair of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology - Prof. Hufenbach, the Chair of Lightweight Design and Structural Assessment - Prof. Gude, and the Chair of Function-integrative Lightweight Engineering - Prof. Modler) carries out extensive research and development in the area of fit-for-purpose lightweight structures and systems. It is a leader in this field in Germany. The ILK specializes in developing, constructing and optimizing high-performance lightweight components and systems as well as prototype production. Depending on requirements, this covers all material categories from steel to aluminum, magnesium and titanium as well as plastics to ceramics in line with their structural and technological properties, in addition to composites with carbon-fiber, filament or textile reinforcement. The breadth of expertise and experience in the ILK team reflects this.

Top-level scientific cooperation is a matter of course at the ILK. The institute works in networks of the relevant university and non-university research institutes, for instance in the Dresden "Hochleistungsleichtbau" (High-Performance Lightweight Engineering) cluster, the "European Center for Emerging Materials and Processes" in Dresden (ECEMP) and in the "Materialforschungsverbund" (Materials Research Network) in Dresden (MFD), which has more than 1,000 materials scientists. In line with the institute's philosophy "lightweight engineering solutions from one source," the "Dresdner Leichtbausymposium" (Dresden Lightweight Engineering Symposium) held each June by the ILK is firmly established as a lightweight engineering event.
The ILK is part of the Mechanical Engineering faculty and the "Friedrich List" faculty of Transportation and Traffic Sciences at TU Dresden.

About SGL Group – The Carbon Company

SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products and materials. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as very good electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to industrialization in the growth regions of Asia and Latin America and increased substitution of traditional with innovative materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products. Products from SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive and chemical industries as well as in the semiconductor, solar and LED sectors and in lithium-ion batteries. Carbon-based materials and products are also being used increasingly in the wind power, aerospace and defense industries.

With 43 production sites in Europe, North America and Asia as well as a service network covering more than 100 countries, SGL Group is a company with a global presence. In 2013, the Company’s workforce of around 6,300 employees generated sales of €1,477 million. The Company’s head office is located in Wiesbaden.

Further information on the SGL Group can be found online at: www.sglgroup.com

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