Prof. Hobbacher studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University in Stuttgart, Germany. He started his career in industry in chemical plant equipment, heavy machinery and pressure vessels, finally as head of the design office. Later he finalized his doctorate thesis at the Aachen Institute of Technology in aerospace engineering. In 1980 he became full professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, lecturing welding technology, structural steelwork, pressure vessels and pipes. Here, he established the new Institute for Materials and Production Technology, of which he became the first director. He is chairman of the German Welding Society (DVS) working group on design and analysis, and for a period of ten years he was chairman of the International Institute of Welding (IIW) Commission XV on Design and Analysis of Welded Structures. He served as chairman of an IIW Working Group, which developed the IIW Fatigue Design Recommendations.

His scientific work resulted into numerous publications, documents and books. For his efforts and achievements he was rewarded with the "Evgeny Paton Prize" in 2013.