Heinz Werner Höppel – New Professor at Institute I
Recently, University President Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger awarded Dr.-Ing. Heinz Werner Höppel with the appointment certificate as an “außerplanmäßiger Professor” (extracurricular professor) at FAU. The entire Institute I is delighted about this “promotion” of the long-standing institute employee, who truly deserves this recognition. Mr. Höppel serves as an Academic Director at the Institute for General Material Properties and is a globally recognized expert in the production and characterization of nanocrystalline metallic materials using high deformation processes, as well as in researching process-parameter-structure-property correlations in the field of lightweight metal alloys. His highly relevant research topics range from investigating cyclic crack propagation behavior in metallic laminate systems to the investigation of microstructural influencing factors on the mechanical properties of high-strength aluminum casting and forging alloys, as well as the development of sustainable secondary aluminum alloys, and the examination of the impact of new manufacturing methods of components made of titanium alloys on their properties. Mr. Höppel not only pursues challenging topics of basic research within the framework of DFG projects but also translates research results into applications in collaboration with industrial partners.
Mr. Höppel began his work at the Institute I in 1993 with his diploma thesis and then completed his doctorate in 1997 under Prof. H. Mughrabi on the wear behavior of hard coating layers. Subsequently, Dr. Höppel took over the management of the mechanical testing laboratories at the Institute. Soon thereafter, initial research work in the field of fatigue of ultrafine-grained materials began, which was significantly intensified and deepened with the cumulative roll bonding (ARB) process after assuming leadership of the institute from Prof. Göken. In 2006, Mr. Höppel was already awarded the most significant young scientist award of the DGM, the Masing Memorial Award. In 2015, he was habilitated and appointed as a private lecturer.
Prof. Höppel is highly committed in many areas of research, teaching, and academic self-administration, both for the Institute and for FAU, and is a highly respected and popular lecturer among students. In addition, for many years, Mr. Höppel has been heavily involved in university self-administration, e.g. as head of the lab course commission in the department, as a member of the study commission, and in numerous other committees. Among other roles, he is also a member of the collegiate management of the Central Workshop of the Technical Faculty and in the Convention of Academic Staff. Throughout his research career, Mr. Höppel has raised millions of euros in third-party funding (DFG, BMBF, BFS, industry), supervised over 100 student theses, and numerous doctoral theses under his guidance. Mr. Höppel has published over 150 highly cited articles in scientific journals and is a co-owner of numerous patents.
In a small ceremony at the Institute, we were able to celebrate the award of the professorship, and the entire Institute I congratulates Heinz Werner very warmly.
Prof. Dr. Mathias Göken