The Faculty of Natural Sciences sadly announces the passing of Professor Peter Behrens.
35 years in materials chemistry
Peter Behrens, internationally known materials chemist, passed away on 13 January 2023 at his home in Wedemark. He was a highly respected and esteemed scientist, an outstanding personality and an excellent academic teacher. He became well-known beyond his own field primarily through his research work on materials and solid-state chemistry. He put his unique scientific signature on the broad field of micro- and mesoporous inorganic materials, above all by breaking down the barriers to biomedical applications. Here, porous materials, biomimetic materials and the functionalisation of solid surfaces were used for applications in implant research, targeted drug release and regenerative medicine. During his scientific career, Peter Behrens published more than 300 research articles in internationally prestigious journals.
During the 35 years of his academic career, Peter Behrens mentored nearly a hundred doctoral students in total. It was the interdisciplinary combination of techniques used in his laboratory with wide-ranging collaborations into medicine, physics and engineering that made his research group so attractive to so many students. His friendly, empathetic, positive and integrating charisma along with his sharp analytical mind were and are significant for the establishment of various cooperations at the university. For Leibniz University in particular, his name is associated with the founding of the Leibniz Institute for Nano and Quantum Engineering (LNQE), the former Centre for Solid State Chemistry and New Materials (ZFM), the HEARING4ALL and PhoenixD clusters of excellence.
With his passing, we have lost a colleague who played a crucial role in defining the content of teaching and research over the past decades. We will honour his memory and always remember his work with gratitude. Our condolences are with his family.
