Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Haist takes over as head of the IWB and managing director of MPA, University of Stuttgart
On 1 October 2025, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Haist took up his post as Managing Director of MPA University of Stuttgart and Professor of Materials in Civil Engineering at the Faculty. FAculty, MPA and IWB warmly welcome Prof. Haist and wish him a successful start, much enjoyment in the joint work and great success in Stuttgart.
With Prof. Michael Haist, Faculty 2 gains a nationally and internationally renowned figure in the field of construction. He was most recently Professor of Building Materials at Leibniz University Hannover and is, among other things, Chairman of the German Committee for Reinforced Concrete (DAfStb). His work exemplifies the close interconnection between excellent research, standardisation work and practical application. He is therefore ideally qualified to continue the strategic development of both institutes in the long term.
Prof. Haist succeeds Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Garrecht, who retired in 2025 after many years of extremely commendable service to the Faculty 2, the IWB and the MPA University of Stuttgart. Prof. Garrecht had a significant influence on both institutes as well as on the Faculty over many years and played a decisive role in strengthening their national and international visibility. With Prof. Haist taking office, this successful path will be consistently continued and at the same time strategically developed further.
Future orientation of civil engineerng under new management
Prior to Prof. Haist taking office, a two-day workshop on the strategic development of civil engineering was held at MPA University of Stuttgart. The results of this workshop and the recommendations of the working groups formed a central basis for the future direction of the civil engineering department under his leadership.
Prof. Haist is continuing the successful strategy of developing the MPA's range of services from classic materials testing to a strong combination of excellent research and practical application. This orientation strengthens both the MPA's position in the materials testing market and its role as an innovation and research partner for industry and science, both within the University of Stuttgart and at European level.
Interconnection with the Institute for Materials in Construction (IWB)
A particular focus is on further integrating the Institute for Materials in Construction (IWB) with the MPA University of Stuttgart. Both institutions have been closely linked for many years and complement each other perfectly in research, teaching, materials testing and industrial applications. Prof. Haist aims to intensify this cooperation in the future in order to make targeted use of synergies between basic research, applied development and official materials testing.
The goal is to jointly develop the range of services offered by both units and to further strengthen the MPA, in close cooperation with the IWB, as a leading location for construction and materials research and as an innovation partner for industry and the public sector