RWTH Aachen University Admitted Student Profiles & Alumni

Peter Debye

Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1936); Debye model

Engineering diploma (Electrical Engineering)

1905

Karl Ziegler

Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1963); Ziegler–Natta catalyst

Not publicly specified

N/A

Philipp Lenard

Nobel Prize in Physics (1905)

Not publicly specified

N/A

Wilhelm Wien

Nobel Prize in Physics (1911)

Not publicly specified

N/A

Johannes Stark

Nobel Prize in Physics (1919)

Not publicly specified

N/A

B.J. Habibie

President of Indonesia (1998–1999); aerospace engineer

Doctor of Engineering

1962

Necmettin Erbakan

Prime Minister of Turkey (1996–1997)

Engineering degree

N/A

Harald Krüger

Former CEO of BMW

Mechanical Engineering diploma

N/A

Wendelin Wiedeking

Former CEO of Porsche

Engineering diploma

N/A

Matthias Maurer

ESA astronaut and materials scientist

Studied materials science

2004

Regina Palkovits

Catalysis researcher; hydrogen economy leader at RWTH & Max Planck Institute

Not specified (PhD likely)

2007-ish

Anke Schmeink

Professor in information theory & data analytics

Diploma (Math), PhD (EE)

2002/2006

Hector Geffner

Leading AI and automated planning researcher

PhD (Computer Science, UCLA)

1989

Dierk Raabe

Materials scientist; director at Max Planck Institute for Iron Research

Not publicly specified

N/A

Heike Vallery

Robotics and exoskeleton pioneer

Diploma (Mechanical Engineering)

2004

Hugo Junkers

Pioneering aircraft industrialist

Studied engineering

N/A

Franz-Josef Paefgen

Former CEO, Bentley and Audi AG

Engineering diploma

N/A

Karlheinz Kaske

Former CEO of Siemens AG

Engineering diploma

N/A

Ulrich Schumacher

Former CEO of Infineon Technologies

Engineering diploma

N/A

Hans Wilhelm Schlegel

ESA astronaut

Engineering diploma

N/A

Ranga Yogeshwar

Popular physicist & science journalist

Engineering diploma

N/A

Bodo von Borries

Co‑inventor of the electron microscope

EE professor

N/A

Jesco von Puttkamer

NASA rocket engineer

Engineering diploma

N/A

Helmut Zahn

Led first synthesis of insulin (1963)

Chemistry professor

N/A

Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim

Chemist, science communicator, Max Planck Society senator

Chemistry diploma (studied)

2020-ish

Katrin Suder

Physicist, former State Secretary in German Defense Ministry

Physics diploma

N/A