Bridge builders in the world of plastics honored: The 2025 Dr. Richard Escales Award presented to Natalie Rudolph and Christian Hopmann
On the evening before the opening of the K trade fair in Düsseldorf, the Dr. Richard Escales Award was presented for the tenth time. Once again this year, two individuals were honored in the Research and Development and Industry categories. Every three years, Carl Hanser Verlag – a Munich-based technical publishing house – and the Association of German Tool and Moldmakers (VDWF) honor individuals in the field of plastics engineering who have made exceptional contributions to building bridges between science, industry, and society.
The honorees
Dr. Natalie Rudolph was honored in the Industry category. The textile and plastics engineer has had an impressive international career, holding positions at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, as a junior professor in the United States, and various management positions in industry. At Arevo in California, for example, she served as vice president of Research and Development, overseeing work on new technologies. Since 2020, she has been the Business Unit Manager for Polymers at Netzsch in Selb. She is an expert in additive manufacturing, high-performance composites, and plastics recycling — a topic that has shaped both her scientific and journalistic work, notably through her internationally acclaimed book «Understanding Plastics Recycling», published by Carl Hanser Verlag. Rudolph combines technical expertise with energy, humor, and genuine warmth. She is regarded as a bridge builder between research and practice,between Europe and the United States – and as a role model for women in the plastics industry.
Prof. Dr. Christian Hopmann received the award in the Research and Development category. As head of the Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University, Hopmann is a renowned plastics engineer who is highly regarded in both academia and industry. He earned his doctorate at RWTH Aachen University, then held senior positions in industry before returning to the university in 2011 as Professor and Director of the Institute. He oversees numerous research projects, including those on digitalization, lightweight construction, and the circular economy, and has set new standards through the establishment of the Plastics Innovation Center 4.0. He is active in a wide range of national and international committees, including the Association of German Engineers (VDI), the German Research Foundation (DFG), and various clusters of excellence. In addition to his scientific achievements, Hopmann is highly sought after as a mentor, networker, and author, playing a key role in advancing plastics technology in both research and education.
The trophy
The Escales Trophy is based on a work by the Italian artist Lady Be that depicts the award's namesake. Richard Escales founded the professional journal «Kunststoffe» in 1910. Since 2019, the mosaic made of plastic components has been reproduced using additive manufacturing to serve as the award.
The Dr. Richard Escales Award
Presented every three years, the Dr. Richard Escales Award recognizes outstanding achievements in communicating plastics engineering expertise. Its namesake, Richard Escales (1863–1924), was a chemist, author, and founder of the trade journal «Kunststoffe».
Previous recipients of the award, which has been presented since 1998, include Dr. Erwin Bürkle (1998), Prof. Dr. Tim Osswald (2001), Dr. Erwin Baur (2004), Prof. Dr. Christian Bonten (2007), Prof. Dr. Georg Steinbichler (2010), Prof. Dr. Erich Wintermantel (2013), Prof. Dr. Sonja Pongratz (2016), Prof. Dr. Andreas Gebhardt (2019), and Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul and Kurt Gebert (2022). Carl Hanser Verlag and the VDWF jointly organized the 2025 award ceremony for the Dr. Richard Escales Award. «Kunststoffe» editor-in-chief Susanne Schröder and VDWF President Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul hosted the evening, welcoming more than 200 guests from across the plastics industry.
Pictures
