Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Thomas Klassen

Professional Career

currently, since 2010	Full Professor/Shared Professorship: Director of the Institute of Materials Technology, Helmut Schmidt University, University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg Director of the Institute of Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Centre of Materials and Coastal Research, German National Research Centre
since 2005	Full Professor, Director of the Institute of Materials Technology, Helmut Schmidt University, University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg
1 to 6/2016 3 to 6/2014	Harris German/Dartmouth Distinguished Visiting Professor, Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, U.S.A.
2011	Founding start-up company: Kinetic Spray Solutions GmbH, Buchholz, Germany
2005	Habilitation in Material Science, Technical University Hamburg, „Nanocrystalline Materials: Mechanisms, Properties, and Potential Applications“
1996 – 2005	Institute of Materials Research, GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht Director of the Department Powder and Nanotechnology Head of the Competence Field Nanotechnology
1994 – 1995	Post-Doc at the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, U.S.A.
1990 – 1993	Institute of Materials Research, GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht Dr.-Ing. (Ph.D. in Engineering), Technical University Hamburg
1990	Diploma in Physics, University of Dortmund, Germany

Experience in Academic Planning and Governance

since 2025	Vice President Research, Helmut-Schmidt-University
since 2024	Speaker of Helmholtz “Materials Systems Engineering”
since 2015	Director of the Hamburg Centre for High-Performance Materials
since 2013	Member Supervisory Board, Geesthacht Innovation & Technology Center
2014 – 2024	Chair Scientific Advisory Board, North German Initiative for Nanotechnology
2022 – 2023	Chair Technical-Scientific Council, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon
2018 – 2020	Dean of Mechanical Engineering, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg

Personal Recognitions

1997	Young Scientist Prize, German Society for Materials (DGM)
1997	Young Scientist Prize, ISMANAM 1997, Sitges (Barcelona), Spain
2014 & 2016	Harris Distinguished Professorship, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Thomas Klassen

Vizepräsident Forschung HSU/UniBw H
Wissenschaftlicher Leiter dtec.bw | HSU/UniBw H
Tel.: +49 40 6541-3617
E-Mail: thomas.klassen@hsu-hh.de

© UHH, RRZ-MCC Mentz (HSU/Prof. Thomas Klassen, bearbANV)