By Gerold Schneider, Nils Claussen, and Kaline P. Furlan
Rolf Janssen was born in Oldenburg in 1956 and studied metallurgy at the RWTH Aachen after his Abitur. After graduating, he worked for two years at Valvo in materials and technology development before moving to the TUHH as a research assistant in 1986, where he received his doctorate in engineering under Nils Claussen in 1991. The topic of the dissertation was: “Whisker reinforcement of reaction-bonded silicon nitride”. During his doctoral work, Janssen made a decisive contribution to the establishment and design of the newly founded “Arbeitsbereich Technische Keramik”, today’s Institute of Advanced Ceramics, especially due to his experience in industry.
Janssen dealt with the many facets of ceramic materials, from powder preparation,
shaping and sintering to physical properties. One focus of his work was in the field of reactionbonded ceramic composites. This resulted into a start-up company “Materials Engineering Hamburg”, which was supported by venture capital. A key aspect of his research was the relevance of his results for industrial application. He published his work in the most prestigious international journals and he was an internationally recognized, highly esteemed expert in his field of research, which was reflected in numerous invitations to lectures and international collaborations. Due to this expertise, he supervised numerous BMBF, DFG and EU projects, first together with Claussen and then in a leading role on his own. Since 2009, he has been very successful in obtaining DAAD-CAPES and DFG-CAPES funding to promote interdisciplinary and international research cooperation with the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) in Brazil and has established a close collaboration with Dachamir Hotza.
In addition to his research, Janssen was also involved in teaching and held his own lectures. In particular, the form of the TUHH early study program “Next Level”, which he offered for many years, would not have been conceivable without him. He intensively looked after students who brought with them a high level of interest in the STEM subjects and who, with their diligence and talent, were given an appropriate offer here to deepen their thirst for science and their knowledge. Janssen has always done this in an exemplary manner, with great enthusiasm, expertise and a lot of time on a voluntary basis.
With Janssen, the TUHH lost a veteran, an experienced scientist who was recognised
worldwide in his field, a dear colleague and a good friend. The TUHH mourns with his wife and children. TUHH president Andreas Timm-Giel, as well as all employees of the Institute of Advanced Ceramics and the TUHH will always honor his memory.