Research interests

Andrés F. Lasagni’s research focuses on laser-based manufacturing and the development of advanced technologies for the micro- and nanoscale functionalization of surfaces. A central aspect of his work is Direct Laser Interference Patterning and related high-throughput processes for producing precisely controlled structures over large areas and on components with complex geometries. His research combines laser–material interaction, optical-system design, process simulation, and real-time optical and acoustic monitoring to improve process understanding, reproducibility, and industrial scalability. Particular attention is given to hierarchical and multifunctional surfaces with tailored properties, including wettability, tribological performance, corrosion resistance, biological response, light management, electrochemical activity, and optoelectronic functionality. Further interests include roll-to-roll processing, replication and embossing technologies, laser joining, and two- and three-dimensional fabrication methods. His current work increasingly integrates machine learning, automated process control, and digital manufacturing approaches to enable predictive surface design and resource-efficient, climate-neutral production.

Career

Andrés F. Lasagni began his academic career in Argentina, where he studied Chemical Engineering at the National University of Comahue and graduated in 2002 at the top of his class with distinction. He subsequently pursued a doctorate in Materials Science at Saarland University in Germany. His dissertation, completed with summa cum laude honors in 2006, focused on the fabrication of periodic micro- and nanostructures using laser technology. During his doctoral studies, he was already actively involved in research and teaching and led a research group in laser materials processing.

After completing his doctorate, Lasagni received a Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and worked as a researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan in the United States. In 2008, he joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden, where he established and led the Surface Functionalization research group. From 2012 to 2014, he served as Professor of Laser Structuring in Manufacturing Technology at TU Dresden. He then held the Chair of Large-Area Surface Structuring from 2014 to 2022. Since 2022, he has been Professor of Laser-Based Manufacturing at the Institute of Manufacturing Science and Engineering at TU Dresden. In addition, he has led the Center for Advanced Micro-Photonics at Fraunhofer IWS since 2017 and co-founded the technology company SurFunction in 2020.

Throughout his career, Lasagni has received numerous awards for his scientific and technological achievements. His distinctions include the Masing Memorial Prize of the German Materials Society, the SPIE Green Photonics Award, and the Materials Science and Technology Prize of the Federation of European Materials Societies. In 2016, he received second place in the Berthold Leibinger Innovation Prize for the development of a system for Direct Laser Interference Patterning. In 2019, he was awarded the Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Prize by the Argentine Senate in recognition of his outstanding contributions to engineering. He was elected to the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig in 2020 and to the German Academy of Science and Engineering, acatech, in 2023. In 2025, the Argentine government honored his international scientific career with the RAICES Award.