On May 25 of this year, Christiane Maierhofer, our long-time colleague and previous editor-in-chief of the QIRT Journal, passed away after a serious illness. Although we were aware of her condition, the news hit us completely by surprise and with great force. She leaves a big gap both at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) and in the QIRT community, and we have yet to learn how we will deal with it in the future.
Christiane Maierhofer was a native of Berlin and firmly rooted in the region. She studied physics at the TU Berlin from 1983 to 1989 and wrote her diploma thesis on quantum well structures in AlGaAs. She received her PhD in 1992, also in Berlin, at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society on a similar topic in solid state physics. She then moved to BAM in 1993, turning her attention to non-destructive testing in civil engineering. In doing so, she mainly used radar techniques. Since about 2000 she was engaged in thermography and created with her early scientific publications essential basics for the application of active thermography in civil engineering. Under her leadership, the originally small thermography working group developed into one of the largest research groups to deal exclusively with thermography. In spring 2015 she was appointed head of the new department “Thermographic Methods” at BAM.
Within this framework, the fields of application expanded towards the characterization of fiber-reinforced plastics and metals and, more recently, additively manufactured materials. Based on her growing international reputation, she participated in various committees and standardization bodies, including CEN, DIN and DGZfP. In July 2016, Christiane Maierhofer took over the position of Editor-in-Chief of the QIRT Journal (from Daniel Balageas). One of her professional highlights was undoubtedly the chairing of the 2018 QIRT conference in Berlin, which will certainly be remembered fondly by all participants. Her treacherous illness ended this career in an unexpected way. She will be remembered by all of us as a determined and hardworking colleague who was always open to new ideas. At the same time, she always remained friendly, fair, and modest, a combination that cannot be taken for granted in a research landscape usually characterized by competition and rivalry.
Indeed, we will miss Christiane and we thank her so much for all she did for the QIRT community!
This Obituary was read by Prof. Xavier during the opening ceremony of QIRT 2022 Conference.