Prof. Hobbacher studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University in Stuttgart, Germany. He started his career in the industry, specializing in chemical plant equipment, heavy machinery, and pressure vessels, culminating in his role as Head of the design office. Later, he completed his doctoral thesis at the Aachen Institute of Technology in aerospace engineering. In 1980, he assumed the position of Full Professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, where he lectured on welding technology, structural steelwork, pressure vessels, and pipes. During his tenure, he founded the Institute for Materials and Production Technology, serving as its inaugural Director. He held the position of Chairman of the German Welding Society (DVS) working group on design and analysis for over 30 years, and previously chaired the International Institute of Welding (IIW) Commission XV on Design and Analysis of Welded Structures for a decade. Additionally, he led an IIW Working Group responsible for developing the IIW Fatigue Design Recommendations. Prof. Hobbacher's extensive scientific contributions are evident in his numerous publications, documents, and books. In recognition of his outstanding efforts and achievements, he was honored with the "Evgeny Paton Prize" in 2013.
Dr. Baumgartner studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany. He completed his PhD thesis dealing with the influence of residual stresses on the fatigue life of welded structures at the Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany. Starting in 2011, he worked in different positions at the Fraunhofer Institute of Structural Durability and System Reliability, LBF, in Darmstadt. Currently, he is scientific expert for the section structural durability. He currently holds the position of Chairman of the German Welding Society (DVS) working group on design and analysis and chairs the International Institute of Welding (IIW) Working Group 3 “Stress Analysis” within Commission XIII. In addition, he gives lectures at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology on the subject fatigue assessment of welded joints.