Gerhard A. Holzapfel
Gerhard A. Holzapfel | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 22, 1961 |
| Alma mater | Graz University of Technology (PhD) |
| Known for | Constitutive and computational modeling of fiber-reinforced materials, soft biological tissues including blood vessels in health and disease |
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Nonlinear Solid Mechanics, Biomechanics, Mechanobiology |
| Workplaces | |
Gerhard Alfred Holzapfel (born May 22, 1961) is an Austrian scientist and biomechanician. He is a professor of biomechanics, and has been head of the Institute of Biomechanics at Graz University of Technology, Austria, since 2007.[1][2] He is the international chair of biomechanics (adjunct professorship) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).[3]
Holzapfel works in nonlinear solid mechanics, constitutive and computational modeling of fiber-reinforced materials and soft biological tissues including blood vessels in health and disease.
Education and training
Gerhard A. Holzapfel received his M.S. degree in Civil Engineering and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Graz University of Technology in 1985 and 1990, respectively. He received his Habilitation in Mechanics from the Vienna University of Technology, Austria, in 1996.
Research
Holzapfel's research focuses on nonlinear continuum mechanics, constitutive and computational modeling of fiber-reinforced materials, and the biomechanics of soft biological tissues, particularly cardiovascular tissues. Together with his research group, he has combined experimental biomechanics, continuum mechanics modeling, finite element methods, and imaging techniques to study tissue structure and mechanics across scales.
Select awards and honors
- 2003: Josef-Krainer Würdigungspreis
- 2011: Erwin Schrödinger Prize[4][5]
- 2021: William Prager Medal[6]
- 2021: Warner T. Koiter Medal[7]
- 2024: Doctor Honoris Causa from the Institut Mines-Télécom, École des Mines de Saint-Étienne, France[8]
- 2025: Honorary Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Parma, Italy[9]
- 2025: The Huiskes Medal for Biomechanics from the European Society of Biomechanics[10]
Books
References
- ↑ "Institute of Biomechanics Website". Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ↑ "List of Institute Heads at TU Graz in December 2007". Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ↑ "Holzapfel profile at Norwegian University of Science and Technology". Retrieved 26 December 2020..
- ↑ "Austrian Academy of Sciences Webpage on the Erwin Schrödinger Award for Holzapfel". Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ↑ "Erwin Schrödinger-Preis 2011 an Biomechaniker Holzapfel". Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ↑ "William Prager Medal". socengsci.org. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ↑ "ASME Honors and Awards Webpage". Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ↑ "An honorary doctorate awarded to Professor Gerhard A. Holzapfel". 20 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ↑ "Honorary Degree to Gerhard Alfred Holzapfel". Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ↑ "The Huiskes Medal for Biomechanics". Retrieved 20 August 2025.