Hans-Wolfgang Spiess (born 14 October 1942 in Frankfurt am Main), also Hans Wolfgang Spiess, is a German

polymer chemist A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic and ...

who specializes in the Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of macromolecules. He was director of the

Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research The Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (german: Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung) is a scientific center in the field of polymer science located in Mainz, Germany. The institute was founded in 1983 by Erhard W. Fischer and Gerhard ...

in Mainz until his retirement in 2012.

Education and career

Spiess obtained his PhD in physical chemistry from the Goethe University of Frankfurt in 1968, under the supervision of Hermann Hartmann. He then did postdoctoral work with Raymond K. Sheline at the

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

. In 1970, he moved to the Department of Molecular Physics headed by Karl H. Hausser at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, where he studied high-resolution NMR in solids and liquids. In 1975, he moved to the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the University of Mainz, where he worked with Hans Sillescu and obtained his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

in 1978. From 1981 to 1982, he was professor of physical chemistry at the University of Münster, and from 1983, he was professor of macromolecular chemistry at the University of Bayreuth. In 1984, Spiess became director of the

in Mainz. His research focuses on NMR methods and studies for the determination of the structure, dynamics, and phase behavior of synthetic macromolecules and supramolecular structures.

Honors and awards

In 2002, Spiess received the Liebig Medal and the

Ampère Prize The Prix Ampère de l’Électricité de France is a scientific prize awarded annually by the French Academy of Sciences. Founded in 1974 in honor of André-Marie Ampère to celebrate his 200th birthday in 1975, the award is granted to one or mor ...

, in 2010 the Paul J. Flory Research Prize and the Zavoisky award, in 2005 the Walter Nernst Medal, and in 1988 the

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (german: link=no, Förderpreis für deutsche Wissenschaftler im Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-Programm der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft), in short Leibniz Prize, is awarded by the German Research Foundation to ...

. He is an honorary doctor at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca in Romania and at the

Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań The Adam Mickiewicz University ( pl, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu; Latin: ''Universitas Studiorum Mickiewicziana Posnaniensis'') is a research university in Poznań, Poland. It traces its origins to 1611, when under the Royal Ch ...

, and an honorary professor at the East China Normal University in Shanghai. In December 2011, Spiess received the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate. From 1991 to 1992, Spiess was a member of the board of the European Polymer Federation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiess, Hans-Wolfgang Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize winners 1942 births Living people German physical chemists Max Planck Society people Academic staff of the University of Bayreuth Academic staff of the University of Münster 21st-century German chemists 20th-century German chemists Max Planck Institute directors People from Frankfurt Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research people Polymer scientists and engineers