Biographical note

Andreas Öchsner is Full Professor of Lightweight Design and Structural Simulation at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Having obtained his Dipl.-Ing. degree in Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Stuttgart (1997), Germany, he subsequently served as Research and Teaching Assistant at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg from 1997 to 2003 while working to complete his Doctor of Engineering Sciences (Dr.-Ing.) degree. From 2003 to 2006, he was Assistant Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Head of the Cellular Metals Group affiliated with the University of Aveiro, Portugal. He spent seven years (2007–2013) as Full Professor at the Department of Applied Mechanics, Technical University of Malaysia, where he was also Head of the Advanced Materials and Structure Lab. From 2014 to 2017, he was Full Professor at the School of Engineering, Griffith University, Australia, and Leader of the Mechanical Engineering Program (Head of Discipline and Program Director).

Professor Dr.-Ing.habil. Dr.h.c.mult. Holm Altenbach is Member of the International Association of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics and the International Research Center on Mathematics and Mechanics of Complex Systems (M&MoCS), Italy. He has held positions at the Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg and Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, both in Germany. He graduated from Leningrad Polytechnic Institute in 1985 (diploma in Dynamics and Strength of Machines) and was awarded his Ph.D. degree in 1983and his Doctor of Technical Sciences degree in 1987 at the same Institute. He is currently Full Professor of Engineering Mechanics at the Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Mechanics (since 2011), where he has been Acting Director since 2015. His areas of scientific interest include General theory of elastic and inelastic plates and shells, Creep and damage mechanics, Strength theories, and Nano- and micromechanics.