We are sad to hear of the death of Hanns-Ulrich Habermeier who died on July 20th,2019 in Stuttgart / Germany. He was an internationally well renowned applied physicist, who spent his all career to Materials Sciences. Since several years he had to fight about his illness, remaining very active nearly to the end. At the last May E-MRS / IUMRS / ICAM conference in Nice, he was still active participating to all debates. Unfortunately he lost his last battle.
Hnns-Ulrich was born on January 27th, 1945 in Grailsheim a small city in Baden Würtenberg, Germany, mid of the bombing on the last dramatic phase of World War II. This has certainly influenced his life philosophy.
His higher education was performed at the University of Stuttgart, where he became successively “Diplom Physiker” (Master Degree 1970) and PhD thesis in 1974 on defects respectively in magnetic and superconducting materials. He joined the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart (1974-1978). He joined the IBM Thomas Watson Research Center in 1978 as Visiting Scientist and staff scientist, before becoming appointed (1980) as Head of the Scientific Services Technology at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart.
His scientific interests where devoted to physics and technology of a larger spectrum of materials: magnetic, thermoelectric, superconductors, thin films, ceramics, oxides … He published around 400 papers in peer refereed international Journals and was invited to deliver numerous plenary or invited talks at conferences all over the word.
He was deeply involved in the German, European and World Science Community as member of DPG, E-MRS, IUMRS acting as President of E-MRS from 2000 to 2003 and IUMRS President from 2014 to 2016. Hanns-Ulrich was, certainly partially related to his youth:
- a very strong pro-European citizen, strongly supporting Strasbourg, being the symbol of the french-german reconciliation after centuries of successive wars. That is his engagement into E-MRS
- convinced that international collaboration will generate a better life for all. IUMRS, as Materials Scientist, was the right approach.
- Education is the key for world welfare. Hanns-Ulrich played a crucial role in all Material Summits E-MRS organised in series of “World Forum for Next Generation Researchers” At the most recent Summit (2017) at the Council of Europe, his lecture on ”Materials and the Magic Triangle for Human Wellbeing: Education-Research-Econoly “ was a life marker for the International Young Researchers Community.
His memory, his philosophy and his work will remain alive for all of our Community who approached him.