Joachim Sauer

Joachim Sauer. He is a distinguished German quantum chemist and professor emeritus of physical and theoretical chemistry at the Humboldt University of Berlin. Renowned for his pioneering work in developing and applying quantum chemical methods to complex systems in heterogeneous catalysis and materials science, he has made seminal contributions to the understanding of zeolites and adsorption processes. Despite his significant scientific stature, he is also widely known as the husband of former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, a role in which he has maintained a notably private and apolitical public profile.

Early life and education

Joachim Sauer was born in Hosena, a small town in the historical region of Saxony within the former East Germany. He demonstrated an early aptitude for the sciences, which led him to pursue higher education in chemistry at the Humboldt University of Berlin, then located in East Berlin. Under the guidance of his doctoral advisor, Lothar Kolditz, he completed his Dr. rer. nat. (PhD) in 1974 with a dissertation in the field of quantum chemistry. His early academic work laid a crucial foundation in theoretical methods, which he would later expand upon during a formative postdoctoral research period at the Moscow State University in the Soviet Union.

Academic career

Following his doctorate, Sauer began his academic career as a research scientist at the Central Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR in Berlin-Adlershof. In 1990, following German reunification, he joined the faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin, where he was appointed a full professor of physical and theoretical chemistry. He has held several prestigious visiting professorships, including at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Edinburgh. Since 2003, he has also been a distinguished external scientific member of the Max Planck Society, affiliated with the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin-Dahlem, where he leads a research group focused on theoretical chemistry.

Research and scientific contributions

Sauer's research is centered on the application and development of advanced quantum mechanical methods to solve problems in catalysis and materials science. He is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work on the structure and reactivity of zeolite catalysts, using sophisticated *ab initio* and density functional theory calculations. His studies on the adsorption of molecules like carbon monoxide and nitrogen in metal-organic frameworks and on transition metal oxide surfaces have provided fundamental insights into reaction mechanisms. His development of the COSMO solvation model and his contributions to the QM/MM (quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics) methodology have had a profound impact on the field of computational chemistry, influencing research at institutions like the Argonne National Laboratory and the Technical University of Munich.

Personal life

Joachim Sauer married fellow scientist and future politician Angela Merkel in 1998, a private ceremony held at a registry office. He is known for rigorously maintaining his privacy and independence from the political sphere, rarely attending state events during Merkel's tenure as Chancellor of Germany. An avid enthusiast of classical music, particularly the works of Richard Wagner, he is known to attend the Bayreuth Festival. He has two adult sons from a previous marriage and, together with Merkel, leads a discreet life in a Berlin apartment and a country home in Uckermark, often engaging in hiking trips in regions like the Alps and Island of Rügen.

Awards and honors

In recognition of his scientific achievements, Joachim Sauer has received numerous national and international awards. These include the Schrödinger Medal from the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists in 1999, the Liebig Medal from the German Chemical Society in 2004, and the prestigious Otto Hahn Prize in 2007. He is an elected member of several esteemed academies, including the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and the Academia Europaea. In 2019, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Helsinki for his contributions to theoretical chemistry.

Category:German chemists Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Category:Humboldt University of Berlin faculty Category:Spouses of heads of government