Prof. Dr. Michael F. Zaeh has been a Professor at the TUM School of Engineering and Design, Technical University of Munich since 2002. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from TUM, where he also earned his Doctorate degree in 1993 under the supervision of Professor Milberg, at the Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management (IWB). From 1994 to 1995, he was Chief Engineer and Department Head for Machine Tools and Production Technology under the direction of Professor Reinhart. In 1996, he switched over to the private sector, working for a manufacturer of machine tools used for gear wheel machining, where he held various management positions. In 2002, he accepted the Chair of Machine Tools and Production Technology at TUM and has held the position of Director of the IWB since then. He was awarded the VDW study prize for the diploma thesis in 1989. His research focuses on machine tools and generative production methods, production technology, and cognition for engineering systems.