Dr. Angelina Whalley has been Director of the Institute for Plastination since 1997. She first studied at Freie University in Berlin and later at the University of Heidelberg, where she received her doctorate in 1986, with an experimental work on kidney physiology. She then worked for several years at the Institute of Anatomy and the Institute of Pathology at the University of Heidelberg until she took over the management of the IfP from her husband, Dr. Gunther von Hagens, in 1997. At the same time, she began to manage BIODUR® Products, a company that sells special plastics and devices for plastination to more than 400 medical schools and universities around the world. In 2003 she founded Arts & Sciences Exhibitions and Publishing GmbH, which organizes scientific touring exhibitions worldwide and is the publisher of exhibition-related materials. Dr. Whalley is the author of several successful books and exhibition catalogues, and a producer of exhibition-related documentaries.

In addition to her administrative tasks, she continues to shape and transform the design of BODY WORLDS. As a curator, she conceptualized and designed the exhibitions focused on humans and animals. Through her popular scientific approach, BODY WORLDS, has made complex medical issues accessible to a broad lay audience of more than 55 million and inspired people worldwide to lead a healthier life and to be more mindful of their own bodies. With the first exhibition of plastinated animals, BODY WORLDS of Animals (also known as ANIMAL INSIDE OUT), she succeeded in creating an impressive symbiosis of anatomy, didactics and scenic representation, with which she sharpened the viewer’s sense of life and the wonders of nature.

Rurik von Hagens has been Commercial Director of the Institute for Plastination since 2011 and Managing Director of Gubener Plastinate GmbH since 2012.

As the son of Dr. Gunther von Hagens, he grew up with plastination. He gained practical experience in anatomical preparation and plastination as a student when he completed laboratory internships at the IfP. However, he developed a much greater interest and passion for the organization of the BODY WORLDS exhibitions and the associated processes and operations.

Rurik von Hagens studied business administration at the University of Bamberg and the Aston Business School in Birmingham, UK from 2000 to 2005. He holds a degree in business administration and a European Master of Business Science. After graduating, he worked several years for an international group, where he was ultimately responsible for setting up sales activities in Asian countries. This experience was a welcome asset when he decided to join the family business full-time and he was easily able to take over the management of Gubener Plastinate GmbH from his father, who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

The distribution and creation of plastinates for teaching purposes, was in the start-up phase and operating at a high deficit at the time when Rurik entered the company. His first focus was stabilizing the company. He intensified efforts to draw attention to the possibilities and advantages of plastinates in professional circles, and as a result more and more universities and teaching institutions are using preparations made in Guben for their medical training. Rurik von Hagens is committed to taking the mission of BODY WORLDS creators, Drs. Gunther von Hagens and Angelina Whalley into the future.