The presidential engineer (Giants in Research Series)

Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (25 June 1936 – 11 September 2019) was an Indonesian engineer who was President of Indonesia from 1998 to 1999.

Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (25 June 1936 – 11 September 2019) was an Indonesian engineer who was President of Indonesia from 1998 to 1999. Before venturing into politics, Habibie worked for German aircraft manufacturing company Messerschmitt to develop the Airbus A-300B aircraft. As an aeronautics engineer in Germany, he developed theories on thermodynamics, construction and aerodynamics, which became known as the Habibie Factor, Habibie Theorem and Habibie Method, respectively. Upon returning to Indonesia, Habibie became a government adviser and chief of a new aerospace company. Later, he headed the Agency for Technology Evaluation and Application. In these roles, Habibie supervised the heavy machinery, steel, electronics and telecommunications industries as well as unveiled the first aeroplane developed in Indonesia.