THM has appointed Dr. Detlef Behrens as an honorary professor. With this award, the university recognizes his long-standing commitment to teaching as well as his contributions to research and the promotion of young researchers in the field of biopharmaceutical technology.
Dr. Behrens has been associated with THM for many years: He gave his first lecture on July 11, 2015. Since then, he has regularly lectured in the Bachelor's and Master's programs in Biopharmaceutical Technology (BPT) at the Giessen Department Life Science Engineering (LSE). In addition to his broad professional expertise, students particularly appreciate his practical approach to conveying complex concepts. His teaching has consistently received very positive evaluations in course assessments over the past years. He has supervised 14 Master's theses in the last ten years.
A milestone in his involvement at THM was his own doctorate in 2022 – the first under THM 's independent doctoral degree-granting authority in the field of Life Science Engineering. His dissertation, "Optimization of Efficiency and Sustainability in Pharmaceutical Cleanrooms," demonstrates that cleanrooms can be operated sustainably and efficiently with significantly lower air exchange rates than are standard across the industry, without compromising regulatory requirements.
With the appointment as honorary professor by THMPresident Prof. Dr. Matthias Willems, THM is strengthening the close integration of teaching, research, and practice at the LSE Department . Behrens received particular support from his doctoral advisor, Prof. Dr. Frank Runkel, who acted as his mentor. Behrens also expressed his gratitude to his academic advisors, including his reviewers Prof. Dr. Cornelia Keck (Philipps University of Marburg) and Prof. Dr. Hermann Wätzig (TU Braunschweig), as well as LSE Dean Prof. Dr. Thomas Schanze, Vice President Prof. Olaf Berger, and Michaela Gilbert for their organizational support.
Behrens also expressed his gratitude to the students of recent years, with whom he has not only enjoyed professional exchange but also received numerous motivating comments. He will continue to teach them risk and quality management as well as plant and system design, as he has done for the past ten years.