Professor Hans-Joachim Werner is a distinguished German theoretical chemist who has made seminal contributions to the field of quantum chemistry through his innovative computational methodologies. Born in Hamburg on April 16, 1950, he established his academic career with a professorship in Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Bielefeld in 1987, where he served as Dean of the Chemistry Faculty during 1992-1993. In 1994, he transitioned to the University of Stuttgart, where he held successive leadership positions including Dean of the Chemistry Faculty from 2006 to 2012 and Vice President for Organization and Research from 2012 to 2015. His distinguished academic trajectory culminated in his retirement as Professor Emeritus from the University of Stuttgart in 2018, following more than three decades of transformative research and institutional leadership.
Professor Werner's most significant contribution lies in the development of high-level electronic structure methods for computing molecular properties, particularly through the creation and continuous refinement of the Molpro quantum chemistry program. This sophisticated software package has become an indispensable tool for computational chemists worldwide, enabling precise calculations of energies and properties for large molecules and molecular clusters that were previously computationally intractable. His methodological innovations have fundamentally advanced how researchers study chemical reaction mechanisms, spectroscopic properties of molecules, and non-covalent intermolecular interactions with unprecedented accuracy. The widespread adoption of Molpro across academic and industrial research laboratories globally demonstrates the profound and enduring impact of his work on advancing computational chemistry as a discipline.
Throughout his illustrious career, Professor Werner has received numerous prestigious honors recognizing his exceptional contributions to theoretical chemistry, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Award in 2000, the Wilhelm Jost Medal in 2001, and the Erich Hückel Award for Theoretical Chemistry in 2018. His scholarly influence extends through his editorial roles with Molecular Physics and Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie, and his service on committees including the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft's Commission for IT Infrastructure. As a Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen since 2002 and recipient of the ERC Advanced Grant in 2012, he has helped shape the direction of chemical research in Germany and beyond. Although retired from his professorship, his legacy continues through the ongoing development of Molpro and the enduring influence of his methodological innovations across the global computational chemistry community.
