Innovative, forward-looking, pioneering - many times Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Schnell has proven the important role he plays in research and teaching in solid construction and structural engineering. Last Friday, February 7, 2020, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Ruhr University Bochum.

After the opening ceremony by the Dean of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rüdiger Höffer, the Rector of the Ruhr-University Bochum, Prof. Dr. Axel Schölmerich, also honoured the achievements and exemplary character of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Schnell, who is regarded as a high-ranking scientist not only in Germany but also internationally.

He is particularly characterized by the fact that he identifies fields of innovation at an early stage and pushes these through to practical maturity in structured research networks. Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Peter Mark, Head of the Chair of Concrete Structures, highlighted these and other successes and characteristics in his laudation. He was confirmed by various companions of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Schnell from practice and science, who expressed their personal words and congratulations in video messages.

For decades there has been a close relationship between Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Schnell and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Schnell was a lecturer for many years in times of his industrial practice. Further connections lie in numerous joint research projects on lightweight construction with concrete and diverse joint committee work on the further development of concrete construction in Germany and Europe.

About the person:

After graduating from the TH Darmstadt in 1982, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Schnell initially worked as a project manager at Philipp Holzmann AG in Frankfurt am Main. Three years later, he continued his scientific career and received his doctorate from the TH Darmstadt. This was followed by several leading positions at Philipp Holzmann AG, up to general representative. In 2002, he finally returned to science. Today he is senior research professor in the field of solid construction and building design at the TU Kaiserslautern.

In addition, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Schnell works in a large number of committees and boards. Among other things, he is a member of the Advisory Board "Infrastructure" of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing BAM in Berlin, a member of the Advisory Board of the BMBF research programme "Zwanzig20" (Consortium Carbon Concrete³) as well as of the NA 005 BR Advisory Board of the Standardization Committee Civil Engineering (NABau) and was for many years Chairman of the Board of the German Committee for Reinforced Concrete DAfStb.