Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jaan-Willem Simon

The goal of Jaan-Willem Simon's research projects, some of which are conducted jointly with the NASA Glenn Research Center and Columbia University, is to optimize materials and structures both, in composition and in the production process, in order to minimize the use of materials. His current research focus is in the area of material modeling of composites based on renewable resources. Currently, he is leading several DFG projects, is a subproject leader in SFB/TRR 280 (Design Strategies for Material Minimized Carbon Concrete Structures) as well as in an AiF-IGF funded consortium. Jaan-Willem Simon is the spokesperson of a consortium from research and industry in the BMWK's Technology Transfer Program Lightweight Construction (funding area: CO2 savings through resource efficiency and substitution) as well as elected Vice Chair of the International Paper Physics Committee.

Jaan-Willem Simon completed his diploma degrees in Civil Engineering and in Physical Engineering Sciences at the TU Berlin, after a stay abroad at MIT, in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Then, he moved to RWTH Aachen University where he worked as scientific co-worker at the Institute for General Mechanics (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering) and finished his PhD with distinction in 2011. Thereafter, he has been working as lecturer and group leader of the research group Composite Materials and Structures at the Institute of Applied Mechanics (Faculty of Civil Engineering) at RWTH. There, he finished his habilitation in 2018 and was promoted to supernumerary Professor in 2019. Since 2022, he is the head of the Computational Applied Mechanics chair at University of Wuppertal.

His publication record includes mostly papers in international journals with rigorous peer review. He is reviewer of numerous journals and recipient of many awards and prizes including the Johannes A. van den Akker Prize in Paper Physics.