New member of the Leopoldina

Christian Hertweck elected as member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

| by Christine Vogler

Christian Hertweck, Professor on Natural Product Chemistry at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and head of the Department of Biomolecular Chemistry at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute (HKI) - is a new member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Only recently he was awarded the Leibniz Prize.

The requirements for being accepted to the Leopoldina are no walk in the park: Excellent scientific achievements and dedication to science poliy issues are necessary. Christian Hertweck followed the path of science that eventually lead him to Jena. He studied Chemistry in Bonn and did his PhD thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena. This was followed by research in Seattly and subsequently at the HKI, first as junior research group leader, then as department head and vice director.