7+ RWTH Aachen University Notable Alumni Who Excel in their Field

RWTH Aachen University Notable Alumni: RWTH Aachen University, a powerhouse of engineering and technology, boasts a distinguished alumni network that has shaped the world. From the corridors of this prestigious German institution emerged luminaries like Necmettin Erbakan, a former Turkish Prime Minister, and B. J. Habibie, the third President of Indonesia. These influential figures, along with renowned figures such as Karl Lauterbach, the German Minister of Health, stand as testaments to the exceptional education and opportunities offered by studying in Germany.

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Necmettin Erbakan

Necmettin Erbakan is a popular name in Turkish politics becoming the first Islamist prime minister of the country. Erbakan was born in 1926 in Sinop on the Black Sea coast in Northern Turkey. He received a PhD in mechanical engineering from the RWTH Aachen University. However, he completed his graduation in Mechanical engineering from the Istanbul Technical University. He became the 23rd Prime Minister of Turkey in 1996 and remained in the position till 1997. Erbakan had to leave politics and resigned from the post of Prime minister after being forced by the military. He was later banned from Turkish politics due to violating the religion and state separation which was against the constitution.

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B. J. Habibie

B.J. Habibie is the 3rd president of Indonesia was also an engineer, scientist and politician. He remained as the president of the country from 1998 to 1999. Habibie first went to the Netherlands to study aerospace and aviation at Delft University of Technology. But, for political reasons, he left the university and went to Germany to study at RWTH Aachen University. Later, he received an engineer’s degree in Germany and worked as a research assistant for some time for his doctoral degree.

Karl Lauterbach

Karl Lauterbach is a German physician, scientist, and politician currently serving as a Federal Health Minister. Lauterbach did his graduation from the University of Düsseldorf and later studied human medicine at the RWTH Aachen University. He belongs to the Social Democratic Party of Germany(SPD) and was a professor of epidemiology and health economics at the University of Cologne. 

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Kemal Şahin

Kemal Sahin is a popular textile businessman and the founder of the Şahinler Holding. He was born in a poor family in 1955 in the Konya Province of Turkey. Sahin went to Germany after getting a scholarship in 1973 to study metallurgical engineering from the RWTH Aachen University. He became one of the RWTH Aachen University Notable Alumni winning the businessman of the year award in Germany in 1997. Additionally, he won several other awards including the Order of Merit for Turkey award in 2000 from the President of the country. His company Santex Moden comes under one of the top 100 companies in Europe. 

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Peter Debye

Peter Debye was a Dutch American physicist born in the Netherlands in 1884. He was also a physical chemist and earned his electrical engineering degree from the RWTH Aachen University in 1905. Debye became popular after achieving the Nobel Prize in 1936 in Chemistry while he was working in Berlin. He was given the award for his contribution to the study of molecular structure, the study of dipole moments and the diffraction of X-rays and the electrons in gases.

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Franz Josef Radermacher

Franz is an economist and German mathematician who got his PhD in mathematics from RWTH Aachen University. He achieved another PhD in Economics in 1976 from the University of Karlsruhe. Franz was one of the founding members of the initiative Marshall Plan which explains the strategies for eliminating poverty. 

Martin C. Wittig

One of the notable alumni of RWTH Aachen University Martin Wittig did the Mining and Business Administration from the institution. After that, he worked for two years as a miner. Later, he achieved his PhD in engineering from the University of Berlin. Martin’s life changed when he joined Roland Berger Strategy Consultants through which he became the associate partner in 1999. He became a full partner in the company in 2000. Currently, he is the German CEO of this management consultant company.

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Walter Hohmann

Walter Hohmann was a popular German Engineer known for his contribution to the understanding of orbital dynamics. He did his doctorate from the Technical University of Aachen (RWTH Aachen University) in 1919. Walter has an interest in orbital things as he started studying problems related to interplanetary spaceflight. His concept called the Hohmann Transfer Orbit is still being used in astrophysics.

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Gunter Thielen

Gunter Thielen was a German businessman born in Quierschied, Germany in 1942. He was the Chairman and CEO of the Bertelsmann Stiftung. Gunter did his graduation from the RWTH Achen University and got a PhD in mechanical engineering as well as Economics. He previously held higher positions in the top companies such as manager at BASF, Technical director at the Wintershall refinery, etc. Additionally, he serves as a CEO in the companies such as Bertelsmann AG and Arvato AG.

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