Dr. Robert Maertens

Dr. Robert Maertens studied mechanical engineering at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University Karlsruhe (DHBW) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). During his studies, he spent time abroad in Shanghai (China) and wrote his master’s thesis at the Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Composites Research at the University of Western Ontario in London (Canada). He then worked as a research assistant at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where he conducted research into manufacturing processes and materials science issues in plastics processing. In November 2022, he received his doctorate from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at KIT with the topic “Process Development and Material Characterization for the Injection Molding of Long Glass Fiber-Reinforced Phenol Formaldehyde Resins”.

From January 2023 to March 2025, Dr.. Maertens was group leader at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT), where he was responsible for setting up a new specialist group on the topic of additive manufacturing. Since May 2025, Dr. Maertens has been contributing his expertise in industrial manufacturing processes to the field of climate-neutral industry at IREES as a senior scientist.