Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alois K. Schlarb

Professor Schlarb studied mechanical engineering at the University of Kaiserslautern, specializing in production engineering and company organization. After his graduation in 1984 he relocated to the University of Kassel, working as scientific assistant to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. e.h. Ehrenstein. He was awarded a doctorate in 1989 for his thesis on polymer processing. From 1988 until 1989 he was also head engineer at the univiersity's Institut fuer Werkstofftechnik. In the following 13 years Professor Schlarb held different positions in the industry, e.g. the plastics laboratory of BASF AG as material scientist and project manager researching composites, last as Vice President and head of marketing, research and development with B. Braun Medical AG, Emmenbrücke, Switzerland. In November 2002 Alois Schlarb was appointed to a full professorship for composite materials at the University of Kaiserslautern and at the same time became Chief Executive Officer of the Institut fuer Verbundwerkstoffe GmbH. Professor Schlarb is President of the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Processing Engineering SAMPE Deutschland e.V., Deputy Spokesman of the Scientific Alliance of Polymer Technology (WAK), and Executive Board Member of the Science Alliance Kaiserslautern e.V. In addition, he is member of the editorial boards for the Journal of Composite Materials, and Strain - International Journal for Experimental Mechanics. The focus of his research activities is on polymers and composites, process chains and joining, friction and wear, and nanocomposites.