Hartmut Pasternak receives an honorary doctorate

The award was presented at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) in recognition of his outstanding services to engineering, his significant contribution to international scientific cooperation and his partnership with VILNIUS TECH, which has grown over decades. The rector of the university, Prof. Dr Romualdas Kliukas, emphasised that the university not only appreciates Pasternak's scientific achievements, but also his close ties with Lithuania, his commitment as a mentor for doctoral students and his dedication to the international visibility of Lithuanian engineering achievements.

About the scientist - research and work at BTU

After completing his studies, doctoral studies and habilitation at the universities of technology in Wrocław and Braunschweig as well as a research stay at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), Hartmut Pasternak took over the professorship for steel construction at BTU in 1993.

Until 2020, he headed the Chair of Steel and Timber Construction at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg. From 2016 to 2019, he was spokesperson for the Institute of Civil Engineering at BTU and in this role played a key role in shaping the strategic and scientific direction of the institute.

Scientific career and retirement from BTU

His key research areas include the stability of steel components such as beams, plates and shells, investigations into adhesive joints in steel construction and the analysis of residual welding stresses. He consistently combines fundamental scientific questions with practical applications.

Several new research projects have resulted from realised structures - such as the project "Load-bearing capacity of new types of steel shell structures with realistic consideration of welding distortion", which is based on investigations into the Porsche Pavilion in the Autostadt Wolfsburg.

With five specialist books and over 260 journal and conference articles, Prof. Pasternak is one of the most published scientists in his chair. Since 1999, he has been co-editor of the renowned journal Bauingenieur, thereby significantly shaping the scientific discourse in steel construction.

Internationally recognised expert and long-standing partner

Prof. Pasternak is an active member of Technical Committee 8 of the European Convention for Constructional Steelwork (ECCS) and has been involved in the further development of European standards and numerous international research projects.

In addition to his scientific work, he was a sought-after test engineer in structural engineering. Among the internationally recognised projects in which he was involved as an expert are the CargoLifter airship hangar and challenging roof structures in Germany.

More than two decades of partnership

Prof. Pasternak and VILNIUS TECH have been working together for more than two decades. He was one of the initiators of the partnership between BTU and VILNIUS TECH, coordinated the institutional cooperation over many years and was heavily involved in teaching, research and doctoral programmes.

By awarding him an honorary doctorate, VILNIUS TECH is not only honouring the scientific life's work of an outstanding engineer, but also the close and trusting partnership with BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg - a strong sign of European cooperation in Civil Engineering.