Wilhelm Bauer

Director of Fraunhofer IAO Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wilhelm Bauer

  • Chairman of the Fraunhofer HNFIZ Spokesperson Group, Fraunhofer Heilbronn Research and Innovation Centres, Heilbronn
  • Head of Fraunhofer IAO, Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering, Stuttgart
  • Acting Head of Fraunhofer IRB, Fraunhofer Information Centre for Planning and Building, Stuttgart

Prof. Bauer has been Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in Stuttgart since 2013 and will remain in this position until the end of 2022. As Director, he heads an applied research organisation with around 700 employees. Prof. Bauer is responsible for research and implementation topics in the areas of the future world of work, innovation research and technology management, as well as digitalisation and artificial intelligence. At the same time, he is chairman of the Fraunhofer Heilbronn Research and Innovation Centres HNFIZ, whose research portfolio is specifically geared towards the pressing challenges and needs of business and society.

Prof. Bauer completed his mechanical engineering studies at the University of Stuttgart and received his doctorate in engineering there with a dissertation on the topic of ‘Development of a system for virtual ergonomic work design’. He was a research assistant at the Institute for Industrial Manufacturing and Factory Operation IFF at the University of Stuttgart and then at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO. There, he initially headed the Work Design department and later the Competence Centre New Work and Virtual Environments, before being appointed first as deputy and then as managing director of the institute.

Prof. Bauer has 40 years of experience in acquiring and managing national and European projects, advises companies and regularly gives keynote speeches on the working world of the future, digitalisation and AI. The results of Prof. Bauer's work are documented in more than 500 scientific and technical publications.

Prof. Bauer received the ‘Übermorgenmacher’ award from the state of Baden-Württemberg in 2012, the VDI (Association of German Engineers) Medal of Honour in 2022 and the Fraunhofer Medal in 2023.

Prof. Bauer is a member of acatech – National Academy of Science and Engineering, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Liebich & Partner AG, Baden-Baden, and a member of advisory boards of various medium-sized companies. He also volunteers on various committees, such as the Technical and Scientific Advisory Board of the Rudolf Diesel Board of Trustees and the jury for the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize.

Further stages in his professional career

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wilhelm Bauer