Günter is an internationally acclaimed contributor in the field of thin film coatings and surface engineering. Receiving his Doctorate in Physics in 1984 from Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Günter started his industrial career with Leybold-Heraeus and was promoted to Head of R+D department for thin film technology in 1992. In 1999, Günter Bräuer assumed management of the Fraunhofer IST in Braunschweig and, until 2008, also of the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP in Dresden. At that time, he was motivated by the fun of working together with students and the desire to share with Fraunhofer the benefit of the industrial experience which he had gained during his time at Leybold. In the same year, Prof. Dr. Bräuer was called to the Technische Universität Braunschweig. From 2003 onwards, Prof. Dr. Bräuer also led, in addition to the IST, the Institute for Surface Technology at the TU Braunschweig and over the years has supervised around 250 student projects. In 2013, he was appointed “Visiting Professor“ at Sheffield Hallam University in Great Britain. On 30th September 2020, Prof. Dr. Günter Bräuer's retired as Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST.