Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS
Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS

Head of Fraunhofer IWKS

Since October 1, 2018, Prof. Dr. Anke Weidenkaff has been head of Fraunhofer IWKS in Hanau and Alzenau. In addition, Anke Weidenkaff is professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt. Her principal areas of research and expertise are materials science and resource strategies, including the development, synthesis and characterization of sustainable materials for energy conversion and storage. Her current work focuses on regenerative, self-healing materials and the development of next-generation process technologies for fast and efficiently closed material cycles.


Anke Weidenkaff completed her PhD degree in Chemistry at ETH Zürich in 2000, received the Venia Legendi for Solid State Chemistry and Materials Science from the University of Augsburg in 2006 and became section head at Empa as well as associated professor at the University of Bern, Switzerland. She was chair holder for Materials Chemistry and director of the Institute for Materials Science at the University of Stuttgart from 2013-2018, was president of the European Thermoelectric Society (ETS), elected member of the E-MRS Executive Committee and chair of the E-MRS spring meeting 2019.  In 2011, she was awarded with the Kavli Foundation Lectureship prize. She also served on expert panels of the German Science Foundation DFG and on expert panels of the European Research Council (ERC) and is member of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU).

Professional Life and Work Experience
Since 2018 Head of Fraunhofer IWKS and professor (head of the research group materials and resources) at the Technical University of Darmstadt  
2013 - 2018 Professor (chair holder chemical materials synthesis) at the University of Stuttgart, Germany
2006 - 2013 Head of the Laboratory for Solid State Chemistry and Catalysis, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science & Technology Dübendorf, Switzerland
2008 - 2013

Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Switzerland
2007 - 2008

Private lecturer PD, University of Augsburg, Germany
2003 - 2006

Head of Solid State Chemistry Group, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research Dübendorf, Switzerland
2003 Visiting professor, University of Caen, France
1999 - 2003

Research scientist/assistant professor (C1 position) at the Solid State Chemistry, Physics Department, University of Augsburg, Germany
1996 - 1999

Employment, Paul Scherrer Institut PSI, Villigen, Switzerland
1988

Employment, St. Cosmas Pharmacy, Endoklinik, Hamburg, Germany
International Recognition and Activities
2020 Member of the Advisory Council of the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung BAM (BAM is a senior scientific and technical Federal institute with responsibility
to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy)
2020 Appointment to the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU)
2020 Member of the Board of Materials Valley e.V.
2020 Appointment to the Environment and Climate Advisory Council of Alzenau
Since 2016 Advisory board member and spokesperson Science and Technology, KIT, Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft
2016 - 2019

President of the European Thermoelectric Society ETS
2015 - 2017

Board of Directors, Materials Research Society MRS
2014

Member of the International Max Planck Research School for Condensed Matter Science IMPRS-CMS
2012 - 2013

Editor in chief and editorial board member of “Energy Quarterly”. Advisory Board Member MRS Book Series on Energy and Sustainability
2012

Executive committee member of the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS)
2011 - 2014

Swiss delegate in the EuCheMS Working Group on Solid State Chemistry
2011

Kavli Foundation Lectureship Award
2011

Curatorium member of the Freiburg Materials Research Centre FMF
2008 - 2009

Swiss delegate in the EU programme commission NMP
2008 Visiting professor, Case Western Reserve University and visiting scientist NASA Glenn Research Centre, Cleveland, USA
2003

Visiting professor, University of Caen, France and visiting scientist, Laboratory CRISMAT, Caen, France
Education
2006 Venia legendi in “Solid State Chemistry” , Habilitation at the University of Augsburg, Germany
1999 Ph.D. in Chemistry at the ETH Zürich, Switzerland
1996 Diploma in Chemistry (1.0) University of Hamburg, Germany
1988 Technical diploma in Pharmacy, School for Chemistry and Pharmacy, Lüneburg, Germany
  Full list of publications on Google Scholar