Dirk Hachenberger is a mathematician working in the fields of combinatorics, number theory, applicable algebra, finite geometry and coding theory. He is the recipient of the 2004 Hall medal of the Institute for Combinatorics and its Applications (ICA). He was also awarded the price for good teaching of the Bavarian State Minister for Science, Research and Arts in 2004. He has published the books "Finite Fields: Normal bases and completely free elements" (in English) and "Mathematics for computer scientists" (in German).