RePlastify the Future: Reinventing Plastics for Tomorrow

Katharina Resch-Fauster grew up in the Murtal region and began studying Polymer Engineering at Montanuniversität Leoben in 1999, later earning a doctorate in polymer physics. She pursued an academic career in sustainable polymer engineering, shaped by research activities in Leoben and at renowned institutions in the USA and Germany. In 2018 she completed her habilitation and became Associate Professor at the Chair of Materials Science and Testing of Polymers at Montanuniversität Leoben, where she leads the research group SMART - Sustainable Materials and Recycling Technology. Her research has received multiple awards.

Elisabeth Ladstätter studied Polymer Engineering at the University of Leoben. She began her professional career in 1999 as Assistant to the Vice President of Production at Polytec Group, a role she held until 2001. Shethen worked as an R&D Project Engineer at FACC AG from 2001 to 2004, while simultaneously contributing as a Researcher at Polymer Competence Center GmbH between 2002 and 2005. From 2006 to 2009, she served as R&D M&PE Director at FACC AG. In 2009, she movedto the Technical University of Munich, where she acted as Deputy Head of the Chair of Carbon Composites until 2018. Since then, she has been serving as CEO of Polymer Competence Center GmbH.

With over 20 years of experience in polymer processing, David Zidar has developed extensive expertise across a wide range of industrial applications, combining practical knowledge with a strong focus on material performance and processing efficiency. Alongside this experience, active involvement in sustainability initiatives, have contributed to a systems-level understanding of circular material flows and resource recovery.
He is currently pursuing his Doctorat focusing on advancing the understanding of process–material interactions. The dissertation investigates the impact of viscous dissipation on polymers and mold steel in injection molding, with particular attention to thermal effects, material behavior, and the resulting wear and longevity of processing machines. As project leader of WINTRUST, this work extends into industry-wide collaboration, bringing together Austria’s ski industry to align efforts toward a circular economy for wintersport hardgoods. The initiative fosters cooperation across stakeholders to address the environmental challenges of complex product systems.
The lecture will present wintersport hardgoods as a prime example of multi-material, multi-component products. Their recycling is especially challenging due to the combination of metals and diverse technical polymers. Key challenges will be defined, including material separation, contamination, and economic feasibility. Approaches to overcoming these obstacles will be discussed, along with the differences between laboratory-scale testing and industrial-scale implementation, highlighting both technical limitations and opportunities for scalable solutions.

Univ. Prof. DI Dr. Christian Paulik heads the Institute for Chemical Technology of Organic Materials at Johannes Kepler University (JKU) in Linz. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at JKU Linz, specializing in polymer science. He worked in the polymer industry from 1995 to 2013, holding various research and international research management positions in the Borealis group. In 2010, he transitioned back to academia, becoming Full Professor at JKU Linz.   

His various research interests include polymers, polymerization, catalyst technology, additives, recycling, sustainable chemistry, and high-pressure biotechnology. He actively contributes to the scientific community by organizing conferences and serving on committees (e.g., Hermann Francis Mark honor medal committee). His current research focuses on the polymerization and structure-property relations of polyolefins and specialty polymers, with an emphasis on recycling and sustainable practices. Christian Paulik chairs the board for the JKU Open Lab in Chemistry, giving young kids the opportunity to dive into the world of chemistry and attract them for natural sciences. 

Since October 2019, he also acts as the Scientific Director of the Competence Center CHASE, focusing on sustainable solutions for the processing industry and guiding the strategic development of the CHASE Research Program, building bridges between academia and the chemical industry. With summer 2024 Christian Paulik also took up the responsibility as Scientific Head of the Energy Technology department of the Energieinstitut at the JKU Linz.

Vasco Pires holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Aerospace Structural Engineering. He is currently a PhD researcher and lecturer in composite materials and finite element modeling, developing image-based methods for crack and delamination detection in laminated polymer-matrix composites. Previously, at INEGI, he investigated delamination behavior in composite single-lap joints both numerically and experimentally. This work yielded several rewards and recognitions. As an engineer, he also contributed to ESA Phase‑0 mission concept studies for multi-satellite missions to Mars and Venus, focusing on structural design and spacecraft configuration. In addition, he worked on the initial design, structural analysis, and manufacturing of a composite internal-combustion UAV for medical supply delivery in Nepal, with applications now extending to logistics, agriculture, and disaster relief. 

Dr. Julia Schmitt is a Research Associate at the Institute for Integrated Quality Design, Johannes Kepler University (JKU), Linz, Austria. Julia researches at the intersection of circular economy and innovation management with a particular focus on ecosystems for circular packaging innovation. She has previously published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology and co-chairs the track “Innovation for Sustainability, Circularity and Greentech” at the European Academy of Management (EURAM) since 2018. Her dissertation was bestowed with the ISPIM dissertation award.

Ewald Fauster grew up in Graz and finished his diploma studies in Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Leoben in 2002. Following occupations at PCCL, Hot Vision Research GmbH and vatron GmbH, he earned his doctorate in 2008. After rejoining the Technical University of Leoben in 2011, he continued his academic career in the field of processing of fiber-reinforced polymer composites. As a part of a qualification program signed with the university, he spent six months for a research stay at the CCM in Delaware and completed his habilitation in 2018. As an associate professor in the Processing of Composites and Design for Recycling group of the Technical University of Leoben, he’s leading multiple research projects in the field of processing, repair and recycling of fiber-reinforced polymer composites.

Christine Bandl is a group leader concerned with functional surfaces and sustainable polymers systems. In more detail she is performing research on surface modification and characterization of inorganic materials, carbon materials and polymers as well as on recycling related topics dealing with reversible adhesives and the improvement of recyclates.
After finishing her studies in technical chemistry at the University of Technology in Graz, Austria, she completed her PhD in Polymer Engineering and Science at the Technical University of Leoben, Austria, in 2019. From the beginning of her PostDoc career, she was concerned with surface functionalization, focusing on topics such as anti-adhesive silane coatings on inorganic substrates, surface-initiated photo-polymerization aiming at hydrophobic, hydrophilic and structured graft-polymer layers as well as plasma-modification of PTFE and carbon materials for energy related applications. Lately, her field of work extended to recycling related topics including adhesive debonding, adhesion promotion in composite materials and the prevention of VOCs and odor in recyclates. Within these studies Christine Bandl has gained in-depth experience in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and published several articles in peer review journals including ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Progress in Organic Coatings, Polymers, Applied Surface Science, RSC Energy & Environmental Science and Wiley Small Science.
 

Clara Schuecker finished her graduate studies as well as her PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Vienna University of Technology in the field of mechanics and Finite Element modeling of composite materials. She spent a few years in the USA as a reasearch scholarat Syracuse University and as a Post Doc researcher at NASA Langley Research Center. From 2009 to 2014 she was running an engineering consulting firm for composite simulation in Vienna, Austria, until she switched back into academia in September 2014 when she became a Professor at Montanuniversität as the head of the Institute of Designing Plastics and Composite Materials. 

Maria Gfrerrer completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s studies in Polymer Engineering and Science at Technical University of Leoben. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the Institute of Materials Science and Testing of Polymers at the Technical University of Leoben with a research focus on the mechanical characterization of fiber-reinforced polymer laminates, particularly on damage detection using acoustic emission analysis and optical methods. During her doctoral studies, she was a visiting researcher at Politecnico di Milano, where she worked on cluster analysis of acoustic emission signals in fiber-reinforced polymer laminates for the classification of damage mechanisms.