Steven Z. is a Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter at the Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung (IKV) in Industrie und Handwerk an der RWTH Aachen since April 2023. Prior experience includes a Master Thesis at DWI – Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien focusing on hydrophilic microgels and their icephobic properties from January to October 2022, as well as a research project at the same institute investigating environmentally friendly ice removal methods in 2021. Earlier, Steven Z. contributed to a research project at RWTH Aachen University on the development of amphiphilic arborescent copolymers from January 2020 to March 2021. Steven Z. holds a Master of Science in Chemistry obtained from RWTH Aachen University in October 2022 and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry earned in March 2019.
IKV- Institute for Plastics Processing in Industry and Craft at RWTH Aachen University
The IKV is Europe's leading research institute in the field of plastics technology. Following a holistic approach IKV develops solutions for future-oriented technologies in plastics processing. Today, 300 people are employed at IKV, including 80 scientists, 50 administration staff, and 180 student assistants in research and development. Their goal is to provide industry with problem solutions for their day-to-day operations. The Institute for Plastics Processing is an innovation driver and research partner for the plastics sector. Extensive know-how and many years of experience in all areas of plastics technology put IKV in a unique position in Germany. The possibilities for cooperation with IKV are many and varied. In publicly funded projects of Industrial Joint Research, and in bilateral industry research through IKV services such as consulting, plastics testing, damage analysis etc., our partners benefit from IKV's expertise and know-how. As part of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University, IKV is embedded in RWTH and responsible for the academic training of young engineers of plastics technology. In interdisciplinary cooperation with other institutes, IKV carries out basic research, which often forms the cornerstone for further industrial joint research. IKV's research focuses on the key topics of additive manufacturing, integrative plastics technology, plastics industry 4.0 and lightweight technologies. In its research projects, IKV looks not only at individual processes and products, but also at the entire process chains as well as integrated processes and products. Through their integrative approach to part design, materials technology and plastics processing, IKV scientists achieve optimum solutions in terms of the research and also to the benefit of its industrial partners.