Mourning the loss of Prof. Werner A. Hufenbach: ILK-Founder has passed away

TUD Dresden University of Technology mourns the loss of Prof. Werner A. Hufenbach. The founder and long-time director of the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) passed away on October 4, 2026. For decades, he helped shape the field of lightweight engineering in Dresden and transformed the ILK into the internationally renowned research institution that it is today.

Werner A. Hufenbach, born in Essen in 1942, studied plasticity theory at Clausthal University of Technology, where he earned his doctorate in 1973. He subsequently served as a senior engineer and headed the Department of Applied Mechanics and Materials Mechanics. In 1993, he was appointed to the Chair of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology at TUD Dresden University of Technology, where he founded the institute of the same name in 1994. In just a few years, he established the ILK as a highly respected research institution whose work continues to have a national and international impact.

Pioneering Research

His scientific achievements included securing funding for and leading numerous research projects funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), as well as establishing Collaborative Research Center 639 (SFB 639), which focused on textile-reinforced lightweight structures. He also initiated the Saxon high-tech cluster “European Centre for Emerging Materials and Processes Dresden” (ECEMP), as well as the construction of the Lightweight Structures Innovation Center (LIZ) and the Process Development Centre (PEZ). He developed the Dresden model of “Function-Integrative Lightweight Engineering in Multi-Material Design” and established a specialization in lightweight engineering within the Mechanical Engineering degree program.

International Collaboration and Technology Transfer

Fostering collaboration with partners in Germany and abroad was particularly important to him. He established the Dresden Lightweight Engineering Symposium as an annual international conference, taught at the Sino-German University College in Shanghai, and initiated the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) “Lightweight Structures and Materials.” He also helped launch numerous spin-offs, including Leichtbau-Zentrum Sachsen GmbH and CG Rail – Sino-German Research and Development Center for Railway and Transportation Technology Dresden.

A Mentor Who Made a Lasting Impact

Under Prof. Hufenbach’s supervision, 43 doctoral candidates completed their doctorates, and two researchers completed their habilitations. Over the course of his career, he authored 712 publications and held 180 patents. Even after reaching retirement age, he continued his work at the ILK as a senior professor. In recognition of his achievements, he was admitted as a member of the National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) and received numerous honors, including the Saxon Order of Merit and the People’s Republic of China’s “International Science and Technology Cooperation Award.”

With the passing of Professor Hufenbach, TUD loses a visionary who pioneered new fields of research and advanced them with determination and perseverance. To his colleagues, he was more than a supervisor: he was a visionary, mentor, and trusted guide. The distinctive spirit he fostered continues to shape the ILK’s daily work and collaborative culture to this day.

Our thoughts and condolences are with his family.

On behalf of the institute’s leadership and all staff members at the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology,

Prof. Maik Gude
Prof. Niels Modler