--- title: "Wenke Weinreich appointed second director at Fraunhofer IPMS, Germany; Strengthens leadership in 300 mm wafer tech" sdDatePublished: "2026-08-03T12:32:00Z" source: "https://www.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/zv/en/press-media/2026/august/Fraunhofer-IPMS-Appoints-Wenke-Weinreich-as-Second-Director.pdf" topics: - name: "research and development" identifier: "medtop:20000208" - name: "scientific institution" identifier: "medtop:20000741" locations: - "Germany" --- Wenke Weinreich appointed second director at Fraunhofer IPMS, Germany; Strengthens leadership in 300 mm wafer tech Fraunhofer IPMS Appoints Wenke Weinreich as Second Director August 3, 2026 Page 1 | 3 Press release — Institute expands leadership team Fraunhofer IPMS Appoints Wenke Weinreich as Second Director The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS is expanding its leadership team: Wenke Weinreich has been appointed the institute’s sec- ond director, effective immediately. In her new role, she will be working alongside Institute Director Harald Schenk and guiding the institute’s strate- gic and scientific direction. At the same time, she will take on the professor- ship in Functionalized Microelectronics for Heterogeneous Systems at the Dresden University of Technology. With Weinreich, Fraunhofer IPMS adds a widely recognized expert in advanced 300 mm wa- fer fabrication. She has extensive leadership experience at Fraunhofer IPMS, where she has served as deputy director since 2022. She also led the Center Nanoelectronic Technologies (CNT), one of Germany’s leading hubs for 300 mm microelectronics. The center’s industry- standard 300 mm clean room is central to research and pilot production in advanced CMOS, FEOL/BEOL process modules, memory technologies, quantum computing and new sustainable material systems. “Microelectronics is critical to Germany’s competitiveness and Europe’s technological sover- eignty,” says Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. “By appointing Weinreich, Fraunhofer IPMS is making a strategic investment in a future-critical field with ma- jor relevance to technology and industry. With many years of experience translating research findings into practical industrial applications and her proven expertise in microelectronics, she will play a key role in accelerating and boosting the development of innovative microelectron- ics solutions and bringing them into real-world use for industry and society.” “Fraunhofer IPMS combines outstanding research infrastructure with a highly motivated team and a clear mandate to innovate,” says Weinreich. “My goal is to draw on my experience in 300 mm wafer technology, clean room management and bridging research and industry to help drive the institute’s continued technological and strategic development.” Harald Schenk looks forward to continuing to work with Weinreich. “With her experience in strategic institute development, her research excellence and her extensive network within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, she will help drive Fraunhofer IPMS’s continued growth and shape its future.” August 3, 2026 Page 2 | 3 Wenke Weinreich earned her degree in applied natural sciences from TU Bergakademie Freiberg before obtaining her doctorate from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürn- berg in 2013, where she focused on materials development for DRAM technology. At Fraun- hofer IPMS, she has had an impressive career, advancing from research scientist and group leader to business unit manager and division director before being appointed deputy institute director. Most recently, she managed annual budgets in the tens of millions and led a team of around 110 employees. Her new role as institute director of Fraunhofer IPMS comes with a professorship at the Dres- den University of Technology. Weinreich intends to use her professorship in Functionalized Microelectronics for Heterogeneous Systems to drive pre-competitive research on innovative technologies that can later be scaled up at Fraunhofer, such as on-chip integrated energy management systems like batteries and energy harvesters. A prolific author of scientific publi- cations, she serves on international technical committees such as the IEEE Technical Commit- tee of the IEDM and is general chair of ICICDT. She holds several patents. By expanding its institute management, Fraunhofer IPMS is strengthening its position in the research community and making a clear commitment to growth, innovation and continued progress in areas that will shape the future. About Fraunhofer IPMS Fraunhofer IPMS is a global leader in R&D services for electronic and photonic microsystems. Our technologies are used in industry, transportation, biotechnology and medical technology. We also focus on emerging fields such as quantum technologies and neuromorphic compu- ting. Our research in green microelectronics supports a resource-efficient and sustainable world. The services we offer range from consulting and conceptual design through process development to pilot production. Our Center Nanoelectronic Technologies (CNT) conducts ap- plied research on 300 mm wafers for semiconductor manufacturers, suppliers, equipment manufacturers and R&D partners. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, headquartered in Germany, is one of the world’s leading organizations for applied research. It plays a major role in innovation by prioritizing research on cutting-edge technologies and the transfer of results to industry to strengthen Germany’s industrial base and for the benefit of society as a whole. Founded in 1949, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft currently operates 74 institutes and research units throughout Germany. Its roughly 30,000 employees, predominantly scientists and engineers, work with an annual business volume of 3.6 billion euros; 3.2 billion euros of this stems from contract research. August 3, 2026 Page 3 | 3 Fig. 1 Effective immediately, Fraunhofer IPMS returns to a dual leadership model: Wenke Weinreich (right) now serves alongside Harald Schenk (left) as one of the institute’s two directors. © Fraunhofer IPMS Wenke Weinreich has been appointed as the second director of Fraunhofer IPMS. She succeeds Hubert Lakner, who retired at the end of 2024. © Fraunhofer IPMS Contact — Contact persons Monika Landgraf Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Munich Director of Corporate Communications Phone: +49 89 1205-1333 presse@zv.fraunhofer.de Anne-Julie Zichner Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Mi- crosystems IPMS Communications Phone: +49 351 8823-2604 anne-julie.zichner@ipms.fraunhofer.de www.fraunhofer.de