On the night of February 24, 2025, at the age of 60, Prof. Dr. Nik Petrinić died.

Nik Petrinić developed and integrated experimental, analytical, and numerical methods at the interface between mathematics, physics, and materials science. He led a multidisciplinary research team that investigated the behavior of novel materials and structures in a wide range of environmental and loading conditions. In addition to his research in materials science, he made important contributions to the field of robotics in agriculture and supported the Cluster of Excellence PhenoRob in Bonn.

Nik Petrinić obtained his PhD in Computational Mechanics at Swansea University. He has worked at Oxford University in the Department of Engineering since 1998, most recently as Royal Academy of Engineering Chair. His activities have also included contributions to research activities at the Centers of Excellence at TU Dresden and the University of Bonn. He was a Visiting Professor and Fellow at the Cluster of Excellence PhenoRob at the Faculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences.

In Nik Petrinić, the University has lost a proven scientist, an outstanding colleague, and an extraordinarily committed university lecturer. At the same time, we have lost a long-time companion and close friend. His untimely death deeply saddens us. We will always honor his memory and mourn together with his wife and children.

Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael Hoch, Rector
Prof. Dr. Heiko Schoof, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences
Prof. Dr. Cyrill Stachniss, Prof. Dr. Heiner Kuhlmann, Spokespersons of PhenoRob