Gerrit "Ger" Challa (born 18 December 1928) is a Dutch chemist. He was professor of chemistry and

polymer technology A polymer (; Greek ''wikt:poly-, poly-'', "many" + ''wikt:-mer, -mer'', "part") is a Chemical substance, substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many Repeat unit, repeating subunits. Due to t ...

at the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen in ...

from 1965 to 1993. Challa was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. He studied chemistry between 1946 and 1953. He worked ten years for the Institute of Cellulose Research of the . Challa obtained his title of

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

in maths and physics on 13 May 1959 under Jan Ketelaar at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

. His thesis was titled: "Formation of polyethylene terephthalate by ester interchange : equilibria kinetics and molecular weight distribution". After starting as professor at the University of Groningen he set the possibility to study polymer chemistry. Challa also developed the research department. He was elected a member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

in 1986. Since 1998 he is also an honorary member of the

Royal Netherlands Chemical Society The Royal Netherlands Chemical Society (In Dutch: ''Koninklijke Nederlandse Chemische Vereniging'', abbreviated: KNCV) is a learned society and professional association founded in 1903 to represent the interests of chemists and chemical engineers ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Challa, Ger 1928 births Living people 20th-century Dutch chemists Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Polymer scientists and engineers Scientists from Amsterdam University of Amsterdam alumni Academic staff of the University of Groningen