Photo: Lawrence Jackson, White House photographer / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Joachim Sauer is a reminder that not every famous person courts the spotlight. Born in 1949 in Hosena, Brandenburg, he is a German quantum chemist and professor emeritus at Humboldt University of Berlin, with a wall of honors like the Liebig Medal, the Schrodinger Medal, and Royal Society foreign membership. I respect that his scientific standing is entirely his own, even though most people know him as Angela Merkel's husband. The contrast appeals to me: a serious theoretical chemist who stayed at his work while his spouse led a country. The 'American chemist' tag is plainly wrong; he is firmly German.
Overview
Joachim Sauer ForMemRS (German pronunciation: [ˈjoːaxɪm ˈzaʊɐ]; born 19 April 1949) is a German quantum chemist and professor emeritus of physical and theoretical chemistry at the Humboldt University of Berlin. He is the husband of the former chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Joachim Sauer
- Name (Japanese)
- ヨアヒム・ザウアー
- Reading
- よあひむ・ざうあー
- Born
- April 19, 1949 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Ox
- Origin
- Hosena, Brandenburg, Germany
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- chemist / university teacher
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2010 Liebig Medal
- 1982 Friedrich Wöhler Award
- 2018 Foreign Member of the Royal Society
- 2019 Schrödinger Medal
- 2023 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 2023 ACS Award in Surface Chemistry
- 2020 Bunsen Medal
- 2009 Kołos Medal
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Chemist — see all → · University teacher — see all → · More people from Germany →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.