Dr. Constantin Häfner named new Fraunhofer ILT director

Effective November 2019, renowned laser physicist Dr. Constantin Häfner will be taking on the Directorship of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen. He is currently Program Director for Advanced Photon Technologies at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, where he has led the development of the world’s most powerful laser systems.

Beginning in November 2019, Dr. Constantin Häfner will assume responsibility as the director of Fraunhofer ILT. After graduating from the University of Konstanz with a degree in physics, he obtained a Ph.D. in laser physics from the University of Heidelberg. In 2004, Häfner moved to the United States, first to the Nevada Terawatt Facility, University of Nevada, Reno, and subsequently, in 2006, to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. As Program Director for Advanced Photon Technologies, he headed up the development of the world’s most powerful laser systems and conducted R&D into pioneering laser technologies.

What Dr. Häfner especially appreciates about Aachen is the close link between academic and applied research, as practiced by Fraunhofer: “By drawing together top-class research and industrial applications and cultivating a direct and open dialog with its customers, Fraunhofer ILT brings innovative and competitive solutions faster to the market. These excellent results are a product of the expertise and passion of the institute’s employees. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to perpetuate and build on this culture.”

For Häfner, research and technology transfer is a question of culture, not merely a process: “Fraunhofer ILT sets international standards in training of future laser scientists and engineers for both industry and the research community. It is important to me that we integrate and promote people of different genders, origins and cultures with their many different points of view. Diversity is a source of new ideas and approaches and enhances our competitiveness significantly.”

Appointment to RWTH Aachen University

In addition to his role as institute director, Dr. Häfner will also hold the associated Chair for Laser Technology LLT at RWTH Aachen University. RWTH Aachen University ranks as one of the eleven universities of excellence in Germany. As such, it has developed into an integrated, interdisciplinary university for science and technology, with a focus on the convergence of knowledge, methods and research findings. The university aims to create a unique national and international environment for education, research and knowledge transfer that transcends disciplinary and organizational boundaries.

As university lecturer and ILT director, Dr. Häfner will also be involved in the many-faceted R&D activities at RWTH Aachen University. These include interdisciplinary research projects conducted by 16 different RWTH institutes as part of the Research Center for Digital Photonic Production RCDPP and joint research with industry in the Research Campus Digital Photonic Production DPP.

Source and Photo: Fraunhofer ILThttp://www.ilt.fraunhofer.de