High honor for Wolfgang Kiefer
09/24/2024The physicist Wolfgang Kiefer is one of the leading scientists in the field of Raman spectroscopy. The former chair holder at the University of Würzburg has now been awarded a prize for his life's work.
The ESULaB 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented on 17 September 2014 at the international conference organized by Leibniz-IPHT - the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology - in collaboration with the laser technology company Coherent.
In his laudatory speech, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp, Scientific Director of the Leibniz IPHT and former doctoral student of Kiefer, paid tribute to the pioneering contributions of his mentor to the further development of Raman spectroscopy. He was supported by Dr. Peter Vogt, Sales Director at the laser technology company Coherent. “Wolfgang Kiefer has not only significantly advanced Raman spectroscopy, but has also inspired numerous researchers worldwide,” emphasized Popp.
Influential research in spectroscopy
Kiefer, who was born in Pforzheim in 1941, studied physics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich and obtained his doctorate in 1970. After a research stay in Canada, he worked at the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart, where he laid the foundations for his outstanding work in Raman spectroscopy. In 1988, he accepted an appointment at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, where he worked until his retirement in 2006.
His research led to a better understanding of molecular vibrations and made it possible to observe chemical reactions in real time. Today, these advances are of great importance in numerous applications such as pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology and environmental monitoring. In particular, Kiefer's pioneering work in time-resolved Raman spectroscopy opened up new possibilities for visualizing molecular dynamics.
By combining ultrashort pulse laser techniques with advanced spectroscopic methods, Kiefer has extended the boundaries of what can be observed in the molecular world. Today, these research approaches are important in areas such as photovoltaics and catalysis, where Kiefer's findings on electron dynamics improve the efficiency of solar cells and explain chemical reactions on surfaces.
Formative role for medical diagnostics
One of Kiefer's early visions was the use of Raman spectroscopy to differentiate between healthy and diseased tissue - an approach that is becoming increasingly important in medical diagnostics today. “Even though he didn't carry out any biological research himself, Kiefer's work inspired many others who are now using Raman technology in biomedicine to diagnose infections and cancer,” says Popp, who began his research into Raman biospectroscopy in 2002 when he moved from the University of Würzburg to the University of Jena.
Companion and mentor
In addition to his scientific successes, Kiefer will also be remembered as a mentor to numerous young researchers. “His passion for discovery has left an indelible impression on all of us. He always generously shared his knowledge and shaped an entire generation of researchers,” added Vogt. Today, Kiefer still conducts experiments in his private laboratory and addresses questions that remained unanswered during his active time.
Multiple awards for outstanding achievements
Over the course of his career, Professor Kiefer has received several awards for his contributions to spectroscopy. These include the Raman Lifetime Award at the ICORS 2014 in Jena and the Award for Lifetime Contribution to Raman Spectroscopy from the Indian Institute of Science 2018.
By Lavinia Meier-Ewert / Leibniz IPHT
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