31 July 2024

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr rer. nat. Sebastian Schmidt as Professor of Alternative Gypsum Raw Materials in the Department of Engineering. Sebastian Schmidt, who originally comes from Nuremberg, takes up the new endowed professorship, which is sponsored by the Knauf company.

Knauf, a leading global manufacturer of building materials and building systems, is clearly signalling its support for research and development in the field of sustainable building materials by sponsoring this professorship. Knauf is known for its innovative solutions in the field of plaster and offers a wide range of products from dry construction systems to plaster systems and flooring systems.

Professor Schmidt was officially appointed by the Vice President for Research and Development, Prof Dr Viktor Wesselak, and the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof Dr Thomas Schabbach.

Sebastian Schmidt began his doctoral studies at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in April 2013 at the Institute of Geosciences and Geography. His dissertation, which he completed in 2019, was entitled: "Reducing the thermal conductivity of thin-bed mortar while maintaining compressive strength".

Prior to his appointment at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, Sebastian Schmidt gained extensive experience in industry and academia, including as:

• Product Manager and Project Manager in the Research and Development department at Franken Maxit Mauermörtel GmbH & Co. and
• Research assistant at the Nuremberg Institute of Technology in the research field of energy-efficient materials and refurbishment of old buildings.

Since 2020, he has been project manager for research and development at the leading European company FIXIT TM Holding GmbH in Freising, which operates as a system provider in the building materials sector.

With the appointment of Professor Schmidt, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences expects new impulses and perspectives in the field of sustainable utilisation of gypsum raw materials and the further development of environmentally friendly building materials.