Ignaas Verpoest
Prof. Ignaas VERPOEST received his master’s degree (1972) and PhD (1982) in Materials Engineering from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. As a full professor (from 1990 until 2013) he was guiding a group which consisted of (average 2008-2013) 8 postdoc researchers and 25 PhD-students carrying out research on the meso-mechanics of (textile-based) composites, nano-engineered composites, natural fibre-reinforced (bio)polymers and advanced production methods for composites.
Since September 2013, he has been an emeritus professor at the KU Leuven. He continues to be involved in research projects on carbon fibre and natural fibre-reinforced composites and has a special interest in “the history of composites”, and the relationship between composites and design(ers). Over the past few years, he has organized several exhibitions on “composites and design(ers)” at the Design Museum in Gent and has collaborated with JEC-World (Paris) for several exhibitions on the history of composites.
Prof. Verpoest was holder of the Toray Chair in Composite Materials at the KU Leuven and is Chairman of the European Scientific Committee of CELC, the European Confederation on Flax and Hemp.
He was President of the European Society for Composite Materials (ESCM), and the International Committee on Composite Materials (ICCM).
Affiliations and expertise
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium