Honorary membership
Honorary membership recognises outstanding contributions to the Division as an institution and to its objectives. These include involvement in its establishment, continuation and expansion, as well as the emphatic and sustained promotion of the Division’s activities. Honorary membership comprises a certificate of appointment, exemption from annual Division membership fees and free participation in FGMR Annual Discussion Meetings. Any member of the Division may submit proposals to the Board for the appointment of honorary members. Proposals must be made in writing, stating the particular merits, and must be supported by two other members. The Board decides on the conferment of honorary membership.
Honorary members
2024: Prof. Dr. Thomas F. Prisner
2023: Prof. Dr. Harald Günther
2022: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Wolfgang Lubitz
2022: Prof. Dr. Stefan Berger†
2020: Prof. Dr. h.c. mult. Tony Keller†
2014: Prof. Dr. Robert Guy Griffin
2010: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Horst Kessler
1998: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Richard R. Ernst†
Prof. Dr. Robert Kosfeld†
Presentation on 12 September 2024 during the FGMR Annual Discussion Meeting in Rostock "...in recognition of his lifelong achievements in the field of magnetic resonance, as well as his commitment to its worldwide community and to the Division in particular. Throughout his many years of research, he shaped the field of magnetic resonance as a global pioneer in the development of pulsed high-field EPR spectrometers, pulse shaping in EPR and dipolar EPR spectroscopy. In addition, he was a pioneer of DNP in solution, at high magnetic fields and for MR imaging. His numerous groundbreaking developments revolutionised and unified the entire field of magnetic resonance spectroscopy. As a mentor, he always supported young scientists in their career paths. He was an ambassador for scientific exchange and promoted the development of the Division, including through his many years of service on the Board and the organisation of the 33rd FGMR Annual Meeting in 2011. His tireless commitment and unwavering pursuit of fair representation and integration of all disciplines of magnetic resonance have made a significant contribution to the Division’s cohesion today."
Award ceremony on 21 September 2023 during the FGMR Annual Discussion Meeting in Konstanz: "...in recognition of his many years of commitment to the Division of Magnetic Resonance, his contributions to organolithium NMR spectroscopy and his internationally highly regarded textbook on NMR spectroscopy. His comprehensive and in-depth textbook introduced generations of NMR spectroscopists to a demanding and ever-expanding field. This book was the result of his successful research into solid-state and solution NMR spectroscopy and remains highly valuable for undergraduate education to this day. Harald Günther's qualities as a bridge-builder between people and disciplines were of great benefit to the Division, of which he was one of the founding fathers. As an assessor on the first Board from 1979 to 1981, as Chair from 1991 to 1993, as editor of MARS and as organiser of numerous conferences and continuing education events, he made a significant contribution not only to the development of the Division, but also to the development of NMR spectroscopy in Germany."
Presentation on 15 September 2022 as part of the FGMR Annual Discussion Meeting in Karlsruhe: "...in recognition of his decades-long promotion of EPR spectroscopy for the benefit of the Division and the international magnetic resonance community. His fundamental work on biological energy conversion demonstrated the capabilities of EPR spectroscopy at the highest level and in many different ways, with an impact extending far beyond the field of magnetic resonance. Particularly noteworthy are his excellent studies of iron–iron and nickel–iron hydrogenases, as well as photosynthetic reaction centres. Through this work, he shed light on two essential areas of energy conversion: the catalytic splitting of water and the activation of molecular hydrogen. The fruits of his work have inspired the Division of Magnetic Resonance for decades, enabled numerous scientific advances and made a decisive contribution to the outstanding position of magnetic resonance in Germany in general and EPR spectroscopy in particular."
Awarded on 9 May 2022 by Profs Jörg Matysik and Burkhard Luy: "...in recognition of his lasting methodological and technical contributions, his many years of commitment to the Division of Magnetic Resonance, and his outstanding teaching activities in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance spanning many decades. His achievements have promoted the understanding of NMR spectroscopy, the interpretation of NMR data and the targeted application of experiments, including by less experienced users, to an exceptional degree, thereby making a substantial contribution to the dissemination of NMR and the benefits of this versatile technique beyond disciplinary boundaries. His numerous book publications are foremost evidence of his outstanding achievements, making practical work at the NMR spectrometer easier for beginners and experts alike, as are the detailed collections of NMR parameters in reference works, which have already served generations of scientists as useful reference resources. The fruits of his work have inspired the Division of Magnetic Resonance for decades, enabled many scientific discoveries and made a decisive contribution to the outstanding position of magnetic resonance in Germany." (Photo: M. Findeisen, 2009)
Presentation on 8 September 2020 by Prof. Dr. Christian Griesinger: "...in recognition of his more than 50 years of pioneering work at Bruker in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance, transforming recent discoveries into commercial products for the benefit of science – from noise decoupling through pulsed Fourier spectroscopy to superconducting magnets, fully digitalised spectrometers, cryo-probes and ultra-high-field spectrometers. The fruits of his work inspired the Division of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for decades, enabled many scientific discoveries and made a decisive contribution to the outstanding position of magnetic resonance in Germany." (Photo: C. Griesinger)
Presentation on 30 September 2014 as part of the FGMR Annual Discussion Meeting in Berlin: "...for his outstanding contributions to the field of magnetic resonance. He is the father of dipolar recoupling sequences and established dynamic nuclear polarisation in solid-state NMR for applications in biological sciences. His fundamental work on dynamic nuclear polarisation required a combination of state-of-the-art NMR and EPR techniques. He has driven dynamic nuclear polarisation in the solid to a useful method for approximately 20 years. The investigation of the DNP effect in solids required a basic understanding of magnetic resonance phenomena and, in addition, chemistry to implement the most efficient polarisation transfer mechanisms with the least power and with biradicals of the correct geometry and rigidity as well as solubility. His instrumental design became commercially available and was adopted by numerous research groups. Bob Griffin has applied his methods to the study of highly relevant biological problems such as amyloids and the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin. He has contributed to educating several excellent scientists, who have a leading role in magnetic resonance in Germany."
Presented on 22 September 2010 during the FGMR Annual Discussion Meeting in Münster: "...in recognition of his continuous commitment both to the founding and the successful continuation of the Division, as well as his diverse national and international achievements in the field."
Award presented on 29 September 1998 in Obernai during the Franco-German NMR Conference II: "...in recognition of his groundbreaking contributions to the development of Magnetic Resonance over more than three decades, which have made Magnetic Resonance the most important means of elucidating the structure and dynamics of molecules in solution and in the solid state, in materials science and the life sciences, and for imaging in medicine, particularly through the introduction of Fourier-transform NMR spectroscopy, multidimensional NMR spectroscopy, multidimensional imaging experiments, polarisation-transfer techniques in solution and in the solid state, and the systematic study of molecular dynamics. The Division thereby honours one of the most outstanding researchers in the natural sciences, who has distinguished himself not only through his scientific contributions, but also through his commitment to Magnetic Resonance and its technological developments, as well as through his advocacy of the development of fundamental research in the public sphere."
Obituary (Harald Günther; MARS 2008, 22)
On 13 December 2007, after a long and serious illness, our founding member and honorary member Dr. Robert Kosfeld, emeritus Professor of physical chemistry at the University of Duisburg, passed away. Robert Kosfeld came from Iserlohn and studied physics in Bonn. After completing his doctorate in 1958, he was a research assistant at the Institute of Physical Chemistry at RWTH Aachen University, where he completed his habilitation in 1967. In 1971, he was appointed Scientific Councillor and Professor, and in 1972 Professor extraordinary. In 1974, he accepted a professorship in physical chemistry at the University Comprehensive School of Duisburg. His scientific interests lay in polymer chemistry and the diverse applications of NMR spectroscopy in this field. In Aachen, he established a highly capable NMR laboratory which, thanks to his activity, soon became known as a centre for Conferences and continuing education courses. Here, he was a tireless and indefatigable organiser, for whom contact between NMR spectroscopists from the most diverse fields was always an important concern, including contact between those separated by the division of Germany. The Aachen Colloquia on NMR spectroscopy, often held with international participation, soon secured a permanent place in the conference calendar of spectroscopists and set important directions for the emerging field of research, for example in 1969 for studies of liquid crystals. Always receptive to new developments, his commitment made it possible for an instrument manufactured by Bruker to be used for the first time in the scientific community in 1970, during a continuing education course in Aachen, to record C-13 Fourier transform spectra. He was one of the founders and editors of the monograph series "NMR Spectroscopy – Basic Principles and Progress" and was a member of the Advisory Board of Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry. He was also a driving force behind preparations for the foundation of our Division and took part in the first meetings of the "NMR Club" in Frankfurt in 1974. From 1985 to 1990, he was then Chair of the Division and, among other things, organiser of the Conference held in Todtmoos in 1990, at which the merger of NMR spectroscopists from East and West was prepared. Even after his retirement, when his illness no longer allowed him to participate actively, he took a keen interest in the further development of the Division. Robert Kosfeld made a lasting contribution to the positive development of NMR spectroscopy in our country on various levels. We shall always remember him with gratitude.