Frank Beckmann

Substitute institute director and head of the department Autonomous Systems, AM Systems of Fraunhofer IAPT

Frank Beckmann studied mechanical engineering with a specialization in design engineering at the Technical University of Hamburg and the University of Manchester. Since 2010, he has been working as a research assistant at the Institute for Laser and Systems Engineering at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg in various research projects on laser beam welding and laser additive manufacturing.

Mr. Beckmann helped to build up Laser Zentrum Nord GmbH, which was transferred to Fraunhofer IAPT on January 1, 2018, and has held various management positions in research, project management and sales since its foundation.

In his position as head of the department Autonomous Systems he is responsible for the research and industrialization of intelligent AM manufacturing systems. In addition, he was appointed substitute institute director in 2020.

At the same time, Mr. Beckmann is a guest lecturer in welding engineering at SLV Nord.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christiane Beyer

Dean of 'Product Development and Design' at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg

'Innovative product development with disruptive technologies' - Professor Christiane Beyer has dedicated herself to this motto in teaching and research. She studied mechanical engineering at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, specialising in design technology. After working for several years as a research assistant and doing her doctorate at the Institute of Machine Design, she sought a challenge in 2009 and took up a position at California State University Long Beach, USA. There, as a professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department and as Technical Director of the 'Innovation Center', she gained valuable experience and know-how abroad, not least in space technologies. She will now bring in and implement these new impulses and innovative topics with great research potential by accepting her appointment to the Chair of 'Product Development and Design' at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. One research focus of the chair will in future concentrate on the topology-optimised design and constructive design of complex, additively and hybrid manufactured components made of metals and fibre composites with applications e.g. in aerospace, the automotive industry, the energy sector or in medical technology.

Zoé Bezpalko

Autodesk Sustainability Strategy Manager, Design & Manufacturing

Zoé Bezpalko is an environmental engineer, designer, and globe trotter who strongly believes in the strategic use of technology and design as keys for solving global issues like climate change. At Autodesk she leads the sustainability strategy for the Design & Manufacturing industries where she helps customers to reduce the environmental footprint of their design and make processes, and reach their sustainability goals with innovative technology. She is also shaping the vision for the future of Autodesk tools to reduce negative impacts on the planet and maximize value for Autodesk and its customers.

Shajay Bhooshan

B.Arch, M.Arch, M.Phil, Associate Director Zaha Hadid Architects

Since joining Zaha Hadid Architects in 2007, Shajay has specialised in the conception and production of architecture: from theoretical discourses to manufacturing technologies. As an expert in computation, Shajay also has specialised knowledge in programming, mathematics – especially geometry and optimisation methods, and computer-controlled industrial machines including industrial robotics. Shajay is co-founder of CODE, ZHA´s computational design research group. CODE has made key contributions to computational platforms, talent development and architectural design at ZHA, especially related to architectural application and articulation of shell structures.

Shajay completed his Bachelor of Architecture at the Indrapastra Open University in India and his Master´s degree from the Design Research Laboratory at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London in 2006. He earned an MPhil from the University of Bath in 2016 and is now working on his PhD at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich.

Mario Brandenburg

MoP, Spokesman for the free democrates for science, technology and innovation in the German Bundestag

Mario Brandenburg has a master degree in business informatics. He was recruited in 2009 by Europe's largest software company SAP SE, where he worked until 2017, first in various positions as a working student, in parallel with a start-up attempt and EXIST application, and later as a Cloud Integration Architect and consultant. In 2010, Mario Brandenburg joined the FDP. Since 2017, he has been a member of the German Bundestag for the Free Democrats. In the 19th legislative period, he was the technology policy spokesman, a member of the Digital Agenda Committee, a member of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment, and a member of the Commission of Inquiry on Artificial Intelligence.

(Picture: copyright by Mario Brandenburg)

Stefanie Brickwede

Managing director project 3D printing/ Head of AM
DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung GmbH ; Managing director Mobility goes Additive e.V

As Managing Director, she passionately set up the international leading, neutral network "Mobility goes Additive"
The aim is to help industrial 3D printing technology achieve a breakthrough in the mobility sector and beyond. Only 2019 a second branch was launched with „Medical goes Additive" which assists Hospitals, companies and institutions throughout the medical sector to accelerate the use of additive manufacturing.
MgA manages nearly 20 working and focus groups with more than 70 meetings a year.

Since 2015, Stefanie Brickwede is heading the corporate project 3D Printing at Deutsche Bahn AG and is responsible for the successful introduction of additive manufacturing throughout the Group. This gives Stefanie a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges users have to face.
After graduating as an economist at the Technical University of Hanover, she started her career in the mobility sector. Stefanir Brickwede held various management and project management positions at DB AG.
As a recognized expert for additive manufacturing, she is a sought-after speaker on this topic.

Alejandro Delgado

Senior 3D Design Expert Innovation _ HUGO BOSS

Alejandro Delgado is a Mexican-born Senior 3D Designer that has worked mainly within the context of Fashion and Innovation for the past 7 years, through algorithms and generative geometries, starting his career with Dutch fashion designer Iris Van Herpen creating Haute Couture dresses, and worked with artists like Nick Ervink creating 3d printed jewellery, and recently being part of the Digital Transformation of the brand Hugo Boss in the Digital Innovation Team, as well creating Digital Couture garments and NFTs for the Metaverse.

Lutz Dietzold

Chief Executive Officer
German Design Council

Lutz Dietzold (*1966) is CEO of the German Design Council since 2002. Prior to that, he worked as a design communication freelancer and was managing director of the Designzentrum Hessen (Hesse Design Centre), where he was responsible for the strategic reorientation of design promotion.
In 2011, he became a member of the advisory council of the Mia Seeger Stiftung (Mia Seeger Foundation) and a member of the Stiftung Deutsches Design Museum (German Design Museum Foundation), subsequently taking on the role of chairman in 2020. He was appointed to the Dieselkuratorium's Board of Trustees in the same year.
Mr Dietzold publishes articles on a regular basis and gives national and international lectures on a variety of topics. He is also a member of numerous committees and juries and sits on the project advisory board of the German Federal Ecodesign Award of the Bundesumweltministerium (German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety).

Diana Drewes

Biodesigner at
HAUTE INNOVATION , material developer
Technology scout, author, teacher
Expert in biofabrication with fungi, proteins and bacteria

Diana Drewes studied product design at the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin. Since 2017 Drewes has been working as a biodesigner with a focus on "material development in construction" for the future agency HAUTE INNOVATION. Her focus is on initiating innovation processes at the interface between technology and biology.
Diana Drewes is co-author of the specialist book "Materials in Progress" and has been writing on material-related topics for various specialist magazines since 2015. In her lectures, she presents the latest innovations in the field of recyclable material developments based on natural resources and outlines production options using organic processes. From 2016 to 2020 she was a member of the international jury of the international 3D Pioneers Challenge. In 2022 she will be back in the jury.

Carsten Feller

State secretary for Business, Universities and Digital
Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs Science and Digital Society

Carsten Feller has been State Secretary in the Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society (TMWDG) since March 2020 and is responsible for economic policy, higher education, digital affairs and tourism, among other things. Previously, Feller worked in various positions in higher education communication, higher education management and science policy, such as Chancellor of Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Head of the Higher Education Department in Saxony and Head of the Science and Research Department in the Brandenburg Ministry of Science. In an honorary capacity, Feller was, among other things, a founding and board member of the Thuringia Science Forum and the Science Management Network.

The Thuringian Ministry for Economy, Science and Digital Society supports the 3DPC with the prize money of 35,000 euros.

Pia Harlaß

Head of Marketing Communications,
Brand & Experience at DyeMansion

I have always been a creative person who loves to make an impact with good communication - may that be verbal or visual. Until my first touchpoint with the corporate world at the International Advertising team at BMW in 2014, I always wanted to be a journalist. I wrote for the Süddeutsche Zeitung and later for Noisey, the music editorial department of the online magazine Vice during my media & communications studies. At BMW, I got to know the marketing and business side of communication, which I found surprisingly interesting as well. In 2016, I started at DyeMansion as the 7th employee and first women working full-time.
DyeMansion is turning 3D-parts into high-value products. Together with the founding team, I built up the company and our brand to where we are today. The global leader in post-processing solutions for industrial polymer 3D-printing and a trusted, popular manufacturing brand. Today, we are 90 employees at DyeMansion serving over 600 customers in 37 countries. Our headquarters are in Munich and we have a second location in Austin, Texas. I believe that not our technology, but also our unconventional, courageous & customer-focused approach has helped us on our way to success. I'm aiming to bring part of this spirit into the Pioneers Challenge. With my +5 years' experience in industrial 3D-printing, I have seen many promising concepts for serial applications with AM and I am very looking forward to see more of that in the Challenge.

Arno Held

Managing Partner AM Ventures

Arno Held started AM Ventures together with Johann Oberhofer in 2014. In total, Arno has more than 23 years of experience in industrial laser and manufacturing technologies and spent more than half of this time in the world of industrial 3D printing. Today he is Managing Partner of the fund and specializes on the AM Ventures ecosystem, as well as the firm's global footprint and organizational growth.
Since founding AM Ventures, Arno has been instrumental in building the AM Ventures team that has scouted more than 2.500 3D printing startups all over the world, conducted more than 30 rounds and built a portfolio of 15+ shareholdings in 6 countries on 3 continents.
Arno holds a diploma degree in industrial engineering and management from the University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe (Germany) as well as an international executive MBA from the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). Arno completed his studies in Shanghai, China and Cape Town, South Africa.

Dr. Karsten Heuser

Vice President Additive Manufacturing, Siemens Digital Industries

Dr. Heuser has been with Siemens for over 20 years in various management positions within Siemens businesses including Corporate Technology, OSRAM, Energy and is now the VP of Additive Manufacturing at Siemens AG. In addition, he is a member of VDMA AG Additive Manufacturing Advisory Board as well as a member of Formnext Advisory Board. Dr. Heuser has a Ph.D. in solid state physics from the University Augsburg as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Management from ESMT.

Prof. Thomas Hundt

CEO jangled nerves

Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Hundt, born in 1967, studied mechanical engineering in Munich and architecture in Stuttgart and founded the creative agency "jangled nerves" together with Dipl.-Ing. Ingo Zirngibl in 1998. He is engaged in „communication architecture" in international and intercultural projects and has worked as responsible producer for communication concepts, interactive experience spaces, films and artistic media installations for museums, exhibitions, showrooms, trade fairs and events. Since 2004 he has been teaching as a professor for "Media and Space" at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Architecture and Design.

Gil Lavi

3D Alliances Founder & CEO

Gil began his career in the printing industry in the mid 90s working for two printing giant HP (Indigo) and Kodak (Scitex), holding technical and sales management roles.

In 2006, Gil joined Objet, which merged in 2012 with Stratasys to build the company's channel network in EMEA, and later on to manage leading strategic accounts. Since 2015 Gil has been supporting 3D printing startups by helping establish their business strategy and build their global channel networks.

3D Evaluate was founded by Gil Lavi, a 3D printing entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of 3D Alliances, a consulting company that supports the business growth of the world's most innovative hardware & software 3D printing companies. Gil is therefore a 3D printing veteran with a track record of 26 years in the printing industry working with highclass companies and start-ups.

Carina Lebsack

Head of Corporate Sustainability & Circularity
at Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG

Carina is responsible for sustainability management at the Würth Group and is intensively involved with the orientation towards a circular economy.
She started her career as a trainee in the Human Resources department, where she was subsequently able to support the strategic orientation and take responsibility for her own projects, from KidsCamp to the implementation of social media channels. After further training at the University of Bayreuth to become a Corporate Responsibility Manager, she started building up sustainability management at Würth in 2015. Here, she works every day to make the impact of social and ecological activities measurable, to manage them and, of course, to constantly improve them in terms of sustainability.
Carina was voted one of the TOP 40 under 40 in 2021 by the business magazine Capital.

„People play a central role in implementing the circular economy and acting sustainably together. However, intentions alone are not enough to improve things for the future. Changing perspectives and focusing on new business principles, calls for innovation and creativity. The Würth Group are therefore supplementing its management processes with modules that provide the company with valuable data about its products and processes. These will form the basis for global sustainability management in the Group.” Vision45, Würth Group.

Marie-Lucie Linde

Sustainability expert and founding member of the cooperative sustainable natives

Marie-Lucie Linde is an expert in sustainability and communication. Courageous, empathetic and full of heart, she contributes her share of responsibility as consultant and certified sustainability manager, bringing her knowledge and practical experience in the area of sustainability and communication to businesses in order to motivate people to shift their perspective to include sustainability.

To this end, she works with businesses to develop sustainable and future-oriented strategies that make sense and can be fun. Authentic communication is both a product and part of her work.

Marie-Lucie Linde belongs to the generation for whom an awareness of sustainability is just as natural as the internet, smartphones and apps are for digital natives. That's why she is a proud founding member of the sustainable natives eG consultancy. The cooperative is an alliance of independent entrepreneurs and sustainability experts who believe in joining forces for the success of sustainable transformation.
What makes it special: sustainable natives is a self-organized cooperative that works together across silos and builds on co-creation while working together internally and with clients.

Besides, she is a subject matter expert for the Sustainability committee of the 3D Printing Association, Verbandes 3DDruck e.V., in Berlin and as such brings her sustainability perspective to this young technology and community.

(Photo copyright: Kerstin Jana Kater)

Ross Lovegrove

Studio Lovegrove

Ross supports the 3DPC since many years and designed also the 3DPC Trophy.

Ross Lovegrove is a designer and visionary who’s work is considered to be at the very apex of stimulating a profound change in the physicality of our three dimensional world.

Inspired by the logic and beauty of nature his designs possess a trinity between technology, materials science and intelligent organic form, creating what many industrial leaders see as the new aesthetic expression for the 21st Century.

Winner of numerous international awards his work has been extensively published and exhibited internationally including the Museum of Modern Art in New York als well as for example the Pompidou Centre, Paris.

Lovegrove ist born in Wales 1968, Graduated from Manchester Polytechnic with 1st Class BA Hons Industrial Design in 1980. Master of Design of Royal College of Art, London in 1983.

In the early 80’s worked as a designer for Frog Design in Germany on projects such as Walkmans for Sony, Computers for Apple Computers, later moved to Paris as a consultant to Knoll International.
He was invited to join the Atelier de Nimes along with Jean Nouvel and Phillipe Starck, consulting to amongst others Cacharel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Dupont.

Returning to London he has completed projects for amongst others Airbus Industries, Kartell, Peugeot, Vitra, Motorola, Tag Heuer, Herman Miller, Renault, Artemide, Japan Airlines and Toyo Ito Architects in Japan.

As host of the CNN “Just Imagine” documentary he is presenting a visione of the world in 2020.

With his projects he is also a pioneer in the visionary world of 3D printed design.

Dr. Cora Lüders-Theuerkauf

Network Manager Medical goes Additive e.V / Mobility goes Additive e.V.

Since May 2019, Dr. Cora Lüders-Theuerkauf has been responsible as network manager for the new department Medical goes Additive within the network Mobility goes Additive e.V. The aim of the network is to help 3D printing technologies in medicine and medical technology to break through internationally. As a recognized expert for additive manufacturing in medicine, she is a sought-after speaker on this topic.

After studying biology in Göttingen, Boston and Hanover, graduating as a biologist and completing a dissertation in biochemistry at the University of Hanover, Cora worked for 17 years in clinical research at the German Heart Center Berlin (DHZB). There she established the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and led it to her retirement. This research area included the development of human, vital heart valves using additive manufacturing. During her many years at the DHZB, Cora was responsible for the overall financing of the laboratory and dealt intensively not only with biological but also with many interdisciplinary engineering issues.

The Hanover-born Berliner of choice has been living with her family in the centre of Berlin for almost 20 years now.

Prof. Shlomo Magdassi

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem _ Science, technology and applications of nanomaterials

Shlomo Magdassi is a professor at the Institute of Chemistry of The Hebrew University, and is the Director of the Center for Functional and 3D Printing. He holds the Enrique Berman Chair in solar energy. His research focuses on the preparation of micro particles and nanomaterials and their applications as functional inks such as in printed electronics, 2D, 3D and 4D printing, in cosmetics, pharmaceutics and agriculture. He is the author of over 270 publications and the editor of 4 books: The Chemistry of Inkjet Inks, Nanomaterials for functional and 3D printing, Surface Activity of Proteins, and Novel Cosmetic Delivery Systems. He also has more than 70 inventions (35 US granted patents, ~300 PCT applications). In addition to basic scientific research, he conducts industrial R&D projects with various companies, which led to many commercial activities, including licensing agreements, worldwide sales and establishing new start-up companies.

Joris Peels

Vice President Consulting at SmarTech Analysis and Executive Editor at 3DPrint.com

Joris Peels is the Vice President Consulting at SmarTech Analysis, the leading market forecasting and intelligence firm in 3D printing. Joris is also Executive Editor at 3DPrint.com. He has spent over 12 years in the 3D printing industry advising startups and multinationals alike in strategy, business development, and marketing.

Michael Petch

Editor-in-chief 3D Printing Industry 3D Printing Industry

Michael is the 3D Printing Industry Editor-in-chief. With almost a decade of reporting and researching 3DP, Michael runs the leading website for news about additive manufacturing. He is a regular keynote speaker and moderator at technology conferences. As a former investment analyst focused on emerging technology, Michael is interested in both the science and economic implications of additive manufacturing.

Sonja Rasch

Sales Director and BD serial production/aerospace at
Materialise GmbH

Sonja studied mechanical engineering with a focus on plastics and AM technologies. In the course of the last 20 years she gathered business and technical AM expertise by working in different positions - from 3DP machine manufacturer to service bureau to automotive tier 1 supplier.

In 2014 Sonja joined Materialise and uses her knowledge to provide customers with solutions in prototyping and serial applications. Aerospace, consumer goods, medical applications and production tooling are her main fields of expertise. She combines smart ideas with Materialise 3DP software enabling full digital-supply-chain projects and mass-customization-scan-to-print-solutions.

Virginia San Fratello

Partner bei Rael San Fratello und Emerging Objects,
Vorsitzende des Fachbereichs Design an der San Jose State University

San Fratello draws, builds, 3D prints, teaches, and writes about architecture and interior design as a cultural endeavor deeply influenced by craft traditions and contemporary technologies. She is a founding partner in the Oakland, CA based make-tank Emerging Objects and the co-author of „Printing Architecture: Innovative Recipes for 3D Printing“ (Princeton Architectural Press 2018), a book that reexamines the building process from the bottom up and offers illuminating case studies for 3D printing with materials like chardonnay grape skins, salt and sawdust. Her work has been published widely, including in the New York Times, and is recognized by several institutions including: LACMA and The National Building Museum and is included in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Design Museum in London.
Emerging Objects is also a multiple finalist and winner of the 3D Pioneers Challenge, the last years.

Prof. Patrik Schumacher

Principal Zaha Hadid Architects

Patrik Schumacher is principal of Zaha Hadid Architects and is leading the firm since Zaha Hadid’s passing in March 2016. He joined Zaha Hadid in 1988 and was seminal in developing Zaha Hadid Architects to become a 400 strong global architecture and design brand.
Patrik Schumacher studied philosophy, mathematics and architecture in Bonn, Stuttgart and London. He received his Diploma in architecture in 1990. He has been a partner since 2003 and a co-author on all projects. In 2010 Patrik Schumacher won the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Stirling Prize for excellence in architecture together with Zaha Hadid, for MAXXI, the National Italian Museum for Art and Architecture of the 21st century in Rome. He is an academician of the Berlin Academy of Arts.
In 1996 he founded the Design Research Laboratory at the Architectural Association in London where he continues to teach. In 1999 he completed his PHD at the Institute for Cultural Science, Klagenfurt University.Patrik Schumacher is lecturing worldwide and is currently a guest professor at Harvard’s GSD. Over the last 20 years he has contributed over 100 articles to architectural journals and anthologies. In 2008 he coined the phrase Parametricism and has since published a series of manifestos promoting Parametricism as the new epochal style for the 21st century. In 2010/2012 he published his two-volume theoretical opus magnum “The Autopoiesis of Architecture”. Patrik Schumacher is widely recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders within the fields of architecture, urbanism and design.

Dr. Dirk Simon

FARSOON Europe GmbH

Dr. Dirk Simon is director of the FARSOON Europe GmbH since April 2018 and therefore part of the global management team of the holding company in China.
He is responsible for the business in Europe regarding machines for laser sintering of plastics and metal powder as well as technical services. He supports the approach of Farsoon “Open For Industry" for a wider industrial use of additive manufacturing.

Before he worked in BASF for almost 6 years, and pushed the topic "3D-Printing at BASF". In 2012 starting with leading the New Business Incubation, he finally was responsible for the Business Development of BASF 3D-P solutions, including 3D-P application technology – as Global Business Director.
He holds a PhD-degree in Polymer Science and has 23 years working experiences in Applications of Plastics, Marketing & Sales, and Purchasing in various chemical companies.

Matthew Spremulli

Innovation Development Manager, Autodesk Research:
Technology Centers

Matthew Spremulli is an Innovation Development Manager with Autodesk Technology Centers. He helped launch the Technology Center chapter at the Toronto office in 2018 – bringing in academics, entrepreneurs, and industry groups to explore the “future of making” within an Outsight Network of Residents. Matthew is passionate about democratizing technology as well as public engagement/exhibition projects. He was a co-director of the “Arctic Adaptations: Nunavut at 15” project representing Canada at the 2014 Venice Architectural Biennale. He was lead research-designer on the “Future of Suburbia” with MITs Center for Advanced Urbanism for their 2016 Research Biennale. And most recently he was Research Coordinator for the Living Architecture Systems Group. Currently, Matthew also teaches at the University of Toronto: Daniels Faculty of Architecture on advanced computational design topics including Generative Design.

Joachim Stumpp

Director raumPROBE

Joachim Stumpp is architect and director of the raumPROBE Stuttgart. raumPROBE is the agency for consulting and research in the field of materials for architecture and design.
Therefore his interests regarding technology and design are always focused on material innovations.

Andreas Velten

IFA3D Medical Solutions GmbH

Specialized in individual respiratory breathingmasks, medical demo-models, individual bone- and titanium- implants, special medical solutions, special orthopedic devices and prototyping in additive manufacturing.

Christoph Völcker

"Innovation Lab - AM"at Würth Elektronik eiSos GmbH & Co. KG

For more than 20 years Christoph Völcker has been working as a creative mastermind and consultant in the field of additive manufacturing processes. With his studies of interior design, product and furniture design he founded his own office for design and developed products for serial production. For lifestyle products directly out of the 3D printer he was responsible for various brands and established them on the market. In 2015, he launched the "3D Pioneers Challenge", which has become the most important 3D printing competition internationally. Christoph Völcker has been contributing his interdisciplinary creative view of innovations to the industry since 2018 and leads the "Innovation Lab - 3D Printing" at Würth Elektronik eiSos GmbH & Co. KG as well as the Würth-Group "Würth Innovation Lab - Advanced Manufacturing".