In his role as new Chairman of the DGM, SCHOTT Research Fellow Dr. Roland Langfeld intends to support young researchers in particular. He will hold this role for two years, working to achieve even stronger international networking between science and industry.
Dr. Roland Langfeld (58) officially took office as Chairman of the German Society of Material Science e.V. (DGM) on 19 February 2015. The Research Fellow for the technology group and specialty glass manufacturer SCHOTT in Mainz will serve as head of the DGM for two years. The designated Chairman feels his main priorities will be to support young researchers in technical and scientific disciplines and to achieve even stronger international networking between science and industry.
“I am really looking forward to the challenging task of serving as Chairman of the DGM because it’s important to optimize the structures in order to make the organization more international and bundle scientific expertise more effectively than in the past and thus make it more accessible to the industry,” the graduate physicist explained.
Dr. Langfeld studied physics at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main in the 1970s, where he wrote his dissertation at the Institute of Nuclear Physics, and then worked as a research assistant. He joined SCHOTT in 1988 where he held various positions in the field of research. From 1998 to 2009, he was Vice President of Corporate Research and Technology Development. Since 2009, he has been a Research Fellow at SCHOTT, one of the leading technology groups in the fields of specialty glass and glass-ceramics.
The DGM is considered to be Europe’s largest technical and scientific society in the field of material science and technology, and has 2,500 individual members and roughly 200 member companies and institutions. With its interdisciplinary expert committees, events and training courses, the society promotes the dialogue between science and industry. DGM, which is headquartered in Frankfurt, strives to ensure national and international networking of experts, organizes conferences and exhibitions across Europe, including the younger generation in its activities.
SCHOTT is a leading international technology group in the areas of specialty glass and glass-ceramics. The company has more than 130 years of development, materials and technology expertise and offers a broad portfolio of high-quality products. The group maintains a global presence with production sites and sales offices in 35 countries, a workforce of approximately 15,400 employees, and sales of EUR 1.87 billion in fiscal year 2013/2014.