Prof. Dr. Jürgen Ehlers (1929-2008)

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Jürgen Ehlers, the founding director of the Albert Einstein Institute, was one of the most distinguished and influential German Scientists of his generation. When he died very suddenly and unexpected on 20 May 2008, his colleagues and the staff of the Albert Einstein Institute lost a brilliant scientist and an outstanding scholar and teacher.

29.12.1929born in Hamburg
1949 – 1955Study of physics and mathematics at the University of Hamburg, State examination
1958Doctorate (Hamburg)
1959Wissenschaftlicher Assistent of P. Jordan in Hamburg
1961Teaching position at the University of Kiel, Habilitation (Hamburg)
1962 – 1963Research Associate, Dept. of Physics, University of Syracuse, New York
1963 – 1964Lecturer at the University of Hamburg
1964 – 1965Visiting Associate Professor, Graduate Research Center of the Southwest, Dallas
1965 – 1967Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin
1967 – 1971Professor of Physics, University of Texas at Austin
1969 – 1970Visiting Professor in Würzburg and Bonn
1970 – 1995Scientific Member Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics in Munich, Head of the Gravitational Theory Group, Honorary Professor at the University of Munich
1995 – 1998Director, Max Planck Institute für Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), Potsdam
Since 1999Emeritus

Memberships

1972 – 1980Member of the International Committee on General Relativity and Gravitation
Since 1972Member of the Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur in Mainz
Since 1975Member of the Deutsche Akademie für Naturforscher Leopoldina, Halle
Since 1976Member of the International Astronomical Union
Since 1979Member of the Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, München
Since 1981Member of the Astronomische Gesellschaft
Since 1983Honorary Member of the Indian Society for General Relativity and Gravitation
Since 1985Member of the German Physical Society
1993Founding Member of the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
1995 – 1997President of the International Society of General Relativity and Gravitation
Since 2005Honorary Member of the Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune, India

Honours and Scientific Awards

1961Award of the Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur in Mainz
2002Max Planck Medal of the German Physical Society
2005Alessandro Volta Gold Medal of the University of Pavia, Italy
2007Commemorative Medal of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University, Prague