Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Brecher

is the ordinary professor for machine tools at the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen, as well as the director of the Department for Production Machines at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT. Brecher is also CEO of the Cluster of Excellence “Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries” that is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Together with his colleague Prof. Hopmann, he is also responsible for the Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production (AZL). Brecher has received numerous honors and awards including the Springorum Commemorative Coin, the Borchers Medal of the RWTH Aachen, the Scholarship Award of the Association of German Tool Manufacturers (Verein Deutscher Werkzeugmaschinenfabriken VDW) and the Otto Kienzle Memorial Coin of the Scientific Society for Production Technology (Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Produktionstechnik WGP). He is chairman of the scientific group for machines of CIRP, the International Academy for Production Engineering.