The origins of the Institute go back to 1967 as three Chairs, respectively Flow Machines, headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Fister, Reactor Technology, headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Albert Ziegler and Process Measurement and Control Technology, headed by Prof. Dr. techn. Karl-Heinz Fasol, came together to constitute the Institute of Machine and Plant Technology.
In 1970 the Chair of Fluid Machines was more appropriately renamed to Chair of Fluid Energy Machines, as the two groups, Steam and Gas Turbines and Reciprocating Engines, were affiliated to it. With the appointment of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heiner Pfost, the group Steam and Gas Turbines remained in the Institute whilst the Group Reciprocating Engines was regrettably suppressed due to lack of funding from the regional government of the Land North Rheine-Westphalia. With his appointment in 1975, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans Kremer founded the Chair for Power Plants which also became a member of the Institute. In the same year however, the Chair for Process Measurement and Control Technology joined the Institute of Automation Technology and the remaining Chairs (Fluid Energy Machines, Steam and Gas Turbines and Power Plants) renamed the Institute to Institute of Energy Technology.
In the coming years Prof. Dr. – Ing. Klaus G. Grahl succeeded Prof. Fisters as the latter retired and became Professor Emeritus at the Chair of Fluid Energy Machines and, after his premature passing in 1991, Prof. Dr. ès sc. techn. (EPFL) Horst Stoff took over the Chair in 1994.
On October, 1st, 2011 Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Ronald Mailach succeeded Prof. Stoff and at the same time the Chair was renamed to Chair of Thermal Turbomachines.
In 2015 Prof. Mailach moved to Dresden Technical University, where he was appointed to the Chair of Turbomachines and Aeroengines and, after two years vacancy, Prof. Dr. Francesca di Mare was appointed on August, 1st, 2017 to the Chair of Thermal Turbomachines in Bochum. Prof. di Mare research activities are strongly focussed on methods development for aeroengines and in order to reflect the new competence portfolio the Chair was renamed in November 2017 to Chair of Thermal Turbomachines and Aeroengines.
After the retirement of Prof. Zieglers, who also became Professor Emeritus, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hermann Unger was appointed to the Chair for Reactor Technology which was turned into the Chair for Nuclear and New Energy Systems. Prof. Unger headed the Chair until his retirement.
in September 1999 and further as acting Head till the end of August 2001 when his successor, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hermann-Josef Wagner, was appointed. Prof. Wagner joined the former Chair for Ecologically Sustainable Energy Management at the University of Essen with the Chair for Nuclear and New Energy Systems in Bochum and founded thus the Chair for energy Systems
and Energy Management, which he held till July 2018, as he retired. At the same time Prof. Wagner took over the coordination of the Institute of Energy Technology as Managing Director, which he remained till July 2018 when Prof. di Mare was appointed to this position. Prof. Wagner currently leads his group as acting Head whilst a suitable successor is being appointed.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. H. Pfost was responsible for the Chair of Steam and Gas Turbines till his retirement early in 2000. He also continued his activity as acting Head for his own chair while his successor was being appointed and also for the Chair of Fluid Energy Machines during the years of vacancy.
In October 2003 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Eifler was appointed to the Chair of Steam and Gas Turbines, however these themes were now covered by the Chair of Thermal Turbomachines and Prof. Eifler competences enriched the spectrum of research activities History within the Institute by focussing on internal combustion engines, so that the Chair was renamed to Chair for Internal Combustion Engines.
Prof. Kremer retired and became Professor Emeritus early in 1999 and led his Chair as acting Head until his successor, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Viktor Scherer, was appointed in 2000. Prof. Scherer research embraced also some combustion themes (formerly addressed by Prof. Pfost) with focus on energy processes and he renamed his Chair to Chair for Energy Plant and Energy Process Technology. Combustion in gas turbines and air propulsion is further treated by Prof. di Mare.
Since the late 1980s Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinrich B. Weyer, director of the Institute of Propulsion Technology of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne (Porz) was also member of the Institute and his successor, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Reinhard Mönig was also
affiliated to it as he took over the direction of the DLR Institute in 2004.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Enno F. Hicken, director of the Institute for Safety Research and Reactor Technology at the Research Centre Jülich was also a member of the Institute for Energy
Technology since the early 1990s till his retirement in 2001.
The youngest member of the institute is the newly founded Group for Plant Simulation and Safety led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Marco K. Koch, working on safety in energy and industry processes, which joined in June 2018.