Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB
Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB

Management of the Institute

Director

© Frank Kleinbach/Fraunhofer IGB

Dr. Markus Wolperdinger

Dr. Markus Wolperdinger has been director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB since 2018. Wolperdinger holds a PhD in chemistry and has many years of industrial experience in industrial biotechnology, plant engineering and the translation of scientific findings into industrial implementation. His international career has taken Wolperdinger from development, sales and management positions at innovative start-up companies and in medium-sized industry to leading positions in globally operating industrial groups. Wolperdinger is spokesperson of the strategic research field of Bioeconomy of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and a founding member of the Fraunhofer Group for Resource Technologies and Bioeconomy. He is active as an advisor and expert in numerous commissions and committees at state, national and European level.

Curriculum vitae

Professional career
Since 2018 Director of Fraunhofer IGB
2012 – 2017 Vice President Biotechnology Plants and Senior Manager Public Funding, Linde AG, Engineering Division & Linde Gas, Dresden / Pullach
2011 – 2012 Head of Business Development Biotechnology Plants, Linde Engineering Dresden GmbH, Dresden
2006 – 2010 Head of Relocation and Strategy Industrial Biotechnology, InfraLeuna GmbH, Leuna
2000 – 2006 Managing Director, Munich Innovative Biomaterials GmbH, Marburg / Leuna
1998 – 2000 Director of Product Development, Innovative Lasers Corporation, Tucson, USA
1995 – 1998 Senior Research Scientist, Innovative Lasers Corporation, Tucson, USA
1991 – 1995 Research scientist, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Institute for Physical Chemistry, Munich
1979 – 1982 State Certified Laboratory Technician (Chemistry), Wacker Chemie, Munich

Education and academic career
1991 – 1995 PhD studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Physical Chemistry,
Title of PhD thesis: "Charakterisierung von Bakteriorhodopsin-Systemen – Photochemische Eigenschaften und Retinalkonfigurationen",
Academic degree: Dr. rer. nat.
1985 – 1991 Study of chemistry at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich,
Diploma in Chemistry

Boards and committees

Since 2021 Member of the VDI guideline committee on the Bioeconomy
Since 2020
 Member of the working group “Wald- und Holzforschung (AG-WUHF)“ of the Federal Ministries of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and Education and Research (BMBF)
Since 2020 Vice Chairman of the Bioeconomy Council of the German federal government
Since 2020 Board of Directors of the High-Performance Center Mass Personalization, Stuttgart
Since 2020
 Co-Chairman of the advisory board “Nachhaltige Bioökonomie“ of the state of Baden-Württemberg
Since 2020
 Spokesperson of the Fraunhofer Strategic Research Field “Bioeconomy“
2020 Jury member for the “Bioökonomie – Innovationen für den ländlichen Raum“ ideas competition of the state of Baden-Württemberg
2020
 Member of the scientific committee of the 3rd International Bioeconomy Congress Baden-Württemberg
2019 – 2020 Member of the steering committee “NewWork@Fraunhofer“ of the Executive Board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Since 2019
 Member of the joint commission of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) on the dialogue platform “Industrial Bioeconomy“
2019
 Jury member for the Environmental Technology Award Baden-Württemberg 2019
2018 – 2020
 Co-coordinator of the Key Strategic Initiative “Biological Transformation“ of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, thematic area “Bioeconomy“
Since 2018 Member of Expert Commission “From Biology to Innovation“ of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
2018
 Reviewer for the Innovation Award of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia 2019
Since 2017 Member of the joint working committee “Bioökonomie“ of ProcessNet and the advisory board of DECHEMA working committee “Biotechnologie nachwachsender Rohstoffe”
2017 Member of the commission of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) “Bioeconomy – a transformation process. Where does the industry stand?“
2017 Member of the Linde AG evaluation team for the 6th Sibur “International Ideas Awards“
2016, 2020 Member of the commission of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for the evaluation of strategic alliances within the framework of the “Innovationsinitiative industrielle Biotechnologie“
2016 Member of the commission of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for the evaluation of the program “Zukunftsperspektiven der Bioökonomie, Validierung der Schlussfolgerungen der Evaluierung der NFSB und Empfehlung für künftige Perspektiven“
2016 Member of the evaluation committee of the Linde AG “Global Innovation Challenge 2016“
2015 – 2016 Member of the industrial advisory group of the “AERTO Bio-based Economy Project“, EARTOs – European Association of Research and Technology Organizations
2014 Member of the evaluation committee for the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes CBP in Leuna
2012 – 2018 Member of the advisory board of the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes CBP in Leuna
2012 – 2018 Founding board member of BioEconomy e.V. for the strategy implementation of the German “Spitzencluster BioEconomy“, a national Spitzencluster of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
2012 – 2015 Member of the committee “INRO – Initiative Nachhaltige Rohstoffbereitstellung für die stoffliche Biomassenutzung”, of the former Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Customer Protection (BMELV)
2012 – 2013 Member of “ABIOM – Advanced Biofuels Working Group der European Biomass Association”
2011 – 2018 Member and chairman (since 2014) of the board of trustees of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart
2010 – 2012 Member of the 4-person application team for the German “Spitzencluster BioEconomy“ within the 3rd Spitzenclusterwettbewerb of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
2010 Member of the advisory committee “Biomass Masterplan Mitteldeutschland“ of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Sachsen-Anhalt
2010 Member of the advisory committee of the “EU-RRM Group for bio-based products”
Since 2009 Member of the ProcessNet working group “Renewable resources for the chemical industry“
2009 – 2011 Member of the clusterboard “Biotechnologie Mitteldeutschland“
Since 2007 Expert, advisor and coach for the Science4Life Business Plan Venture Cup
2006 – 2010 Member of the SusChem-D working group “Energy"
2005 – 2007 Representative of InfraLeuna GmbH in the industry association “Bio Mitteldeutschland GmbH"

Publications

  • R. Miehe, T. Bauernhansl, M. Beckett, C. Brecher, A. Demmer, W.-G. Drossel, P. Elfert, J. Full, A. Hellmich, J. Hinxlage, J. Horbelt, G. Jutz, S. Krieg, C. Maufroy, M. Noack, A. Sauer, U. Schließmann, P. Scholz, O. Schwarz, M. ten Hompel, P. Wrycza, M. Wolperdinger, Journal of Manufacturing Systems 54 (2020), 50-61; The biological transformation of industrial manufacturing − Technologies, status and scenarios for a sustainable future of the German manufacturing industry.
  • T. Bauernhansl, M. Wolperdinger, wt Werkstattstechnik online 110, 6 (2020), 405-406, Die drei Modi der Biologischen Transformation.
  • T. Bauernhansl, C . Brecher, W.-G. Drossel , P. Gumbsch, M. ten Hompel, M. Wolperdinger (Ed.), Fraunhofer-Verlag (2019); Biointelligenz. Eine neue Perspektive für nachhaltige industrielle Wertschöpfung: Ergebnisse der Voruntersuchung zur biologischen Transformation der industriellen Wertschöpfung (Biotrain).
  • B. Kasal, M. Leschinsky, C. Oehr, G. Unkelbach, M. Wolperdinger, in: Biologische Transformation (Fraunhofer-Forschungsfokus), R. Neugebauer (Hrsg.), Springer Vieweg (2019), 265-315; Das Wertstoff-Prinzip: Nutzung und intelligente Verwertungswege von Holzwerkstoffen, Naturfasern und organischen Reststoffen.
  • C. Leyens, U. Klotzbach, F. Sonntag, M. Wolperdinger, P. Loskill, T. Bauernhansl, A. Traube, C. Brecher, R. Schmitt, N. König, in: Biologische Transformation (Fraunhofer-Forschungsfokus), R. Neugebauer (Hrsg.), Springer Vieweg (2019), 67-94; Technische Heimaten für menschliche Zellen – Mikrophysiologische Organ-on-a-Chip-Systeme als interdisziplinäre Plattformen für KMU, Big Pharma, Mediziner und Technologen.
  • M. Wolperdinger et al., Proceedings of the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2018, Berlin, 19.–20. April 2018; The great convergence: digitalisation, biologicalisation and the future of manufacturing.
  • T. Hirth, M. Wolperdinger, Chemie Ingenieur Technik, 84, 8 (2012); Von Lignocellulose-basierten Rohstoffen zu chemischen Produkten.
  • M. Wolperdinger, Going Public, 9 (2012),78-79; Industrielle Biotechnologie – Stoffliche Nutzung nachwachsender Rohstoffe.
  • M. Wolperdinger et al., Bundesministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz (BMELV) Hrsg. (2012); Roadmap Bioraffinerie.
  • M. Wolperdinger, U. Welteroth, Gasworld magazin, 83 (2012), 48; Biorefineries get the most out of renewable raw materials.
  • M. Wolperdinger et al., 4. Forum zur Deutsch-Französischen Forschungskooperation, 12.–13. Oktober 2011 in Berlin; Weiße und Grüne Biotechnologie.
  • T. Hirth, M. Wolperdinger, Chemie Ingenieur Technik, 82, 9 (2010); Chemisch-biotechnologische Prozesse für die Herstellung von biobasierten Produkten.
  • N. Hampp, M. Neebe, T. Juchem, M. Wolperdinger, M. Geiger, A. Schmuck, SPIE Proceedings Vol 5310 (2004), 117-124; Multifunctional optical security features based on bacteriorhodopsin.
  • M. Wolperdinger, G. H. Atkinson, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Conference proceedings 198th meeting (2002); Ultra-sensitive trace gas detection by intracavity laser spectroscopy and dynamic calibration.
  • R. Lessing, M. Wolperdinger, SPIE Holography Newsletter, 13, 2 (2002); Interferometry with high-resolution materials based on bacteriorhodopsin films and a novel holographic camera.
  • M. Wolperdinger, Solid State Technology News, 43, 10 (2000); Fully automated gas-standard calibration.
  • M. Wolperdinger, J. Kutzner, R. Melish, G. H. Atkinson, Solid State Technology, 8 (2000), 71-78; Intracavity laser spectroscopy for real-time trace gas detection.
  • M. Wolperdinger, J. Kutzner, R. Mellish, G. H. Atkinson, Solid State Technology, 43, 4 (2000); A new generation of ultra-sensitive, laser-based trace gas sensors: intracavity laser spectroscopy.
  • M. Wolperdinger, N. Hampp, Biophysical Chemistry, 56 (1995), 189-192; Bacteriorhodopsin variants as versatile media in optical processing.
  • M. Wolperdinger, Ph.D. Thesis, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (1995); Charakterisierung von Bakteriorhodopsin-Systemen – Photochemische Eigenschaften und Retinalkonfigurationen.
  • A. Popp, M. Wolperdinger, N. Hampp, C. Bräuchle, D. Oesterhelt, Biophys. J., 65 (1993), 1449-1459; Photochemical conversion of the O-intermediate to 9-cis-retinal-containing products in bacteriorhodopsin films.
  • M. Wolperdinger, N. Hampp, C. Bräuchle, D. Oesterhelt, Vortragstagung der Fachgruppe Chemie der Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh), 20.–22. November 1991 in Aachen; Photochemie des O-Intermediates bei Bakteriorhodopsin.
  • B. Heinrich, E. Schreiner, D. Spielbauer, M. Wolperdinger, H.-U. Wagner, Software development in chemistry, 4 (1990) 97-99, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg; PIMO, a program visualizing HMO-results by producing transferable graphics output.

Patents

  • G. H. Atkinson, M. Wolperdinger, Jeffrey S. Pilgrim, Innovative Lasers Corporation; Gas cell for detection of trace gases via intracavity laser spectroscopy; US Patent 6,275,288 B1 (2001).
  • G. H. Atkinson, M. A. Wolperdinger, Jeffrey S. Pilgrim, Innovative Lasers Corporation; ILS sensors for alcohol detection within vehicles; US Patent 5,907,407 (1999), and International Patents WO 00/09536 (2000).
  • G. H. Atkinson, M. A. Wolperdinger, Innovative Lasers Corporation; ILS sensors for drug detection within vehicles; US Patent 6,067,167 (2000).
  • G. H. Atkinson, Y. Kalisky, J. Zhang, M. F. Hinemann, E. Mehdizadeh, M. Wolperdinger, Innovative Lasers Corporation; Intracavity laser spectroscope for high sensitivity detection of contaminants; US Patent 5,689,334 (1997), and International Patents WO 97/09607 (1997).
  • G. H. Atkinson, E. Mehdizadeh, Y. Kalisky, J. Zhang, M. F. Hinemann, M. Wolperdinger, Innovative Lasers Corporation; Diode laser-pumped and linear cavity systems for gas detection via intracavity laser spectroscopy; International Patents WO 97/09606 (1997).