Wolfgang A. Herrmann is a distinguished German chemist and transformative academic leader who served as President of the Technical University of Munich for twenty-four years from 1995 to 2019. Born in Kelheim in 1948, he pursued chemistry studies at the Technical University of Munich as a scholarship recipient of the Cusanuswerk foundation, completing his diploma work under future Nobel laureate Professor Ernst Otto Fischer. Following his doctorate in Regensburg in 1973 and habilitation in 1978, he held a professorship at the University of Frankfurt before succeeding his mentor Fischer at TUM in 1985. As President Emeritus since 2019, he continues to influence academic discourse while maintaining his status as one of Germany's most prominent scientific figures. His career trajectory reflects a seamless integration of groundbreaking research and visionary institutional leadership that has reshaped the landscape of German higher education.
Professor Herrmann's pioneering research in inorganic and organometallic chemistry has profoundly impacted industrial catalysis processes through the development of water-soluble organometallic catalysts and the discovery of N-heterocyclic carbenes as a versatile ligand class for efficient control of catalytic processes at metal centers. His scholarly output ranks among the most influential in German chemistry, comprising over 800 scientific publications and approximately 80 patents with an impressive h-index of 102 as of 2019, establishing him as one of the most cited German chemists according to ISI metrics. His work on carbon-carbon coupling reactions, particularly olefin metathesis, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, and Grignard cross-coupling, has generated significant industrial applications with his patent claims regarding olefin metathesis catalysts prevailing in a lengthy US patent dispute against Grubbs-type catalysts in 2017. This research has not only advanced fundamental understanding of catalytic processes but has also provided practical solutions for industrial chemistry, demonstrating the profound synergy between theoretical insight and practical application in his scientific approach.
Beyond his research achievements, Herrmann has been instrumental in transforming the Technical University of Munich into a modern, globally respected institution through his progressive reform policies guided by the principle of overcoming conventional thinking patterns. His leadership extended to numerous prestigious appointments including membership in the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, acatech - German Academy of Science and Engineering, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, alongside serving as Chairman of the Global Tech Universities Alliance comprising eleven leading international technical universities. Recognized with Germany's highest scientific honor, the Leibniz Prize from the German Research Foundation, as well as the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art and recognition as President of the Year by the German University Association, his contributions have been celebrated both nationally and internationally. As President Emeritus, he continues to shape scientific discourse and mentor emerging researchers, ensuring that his legacy of innovation and excellence endures across generations of scientists and academic leaders.
