A celebratory colloquium was recently held at the Department of Chemistry and Biology in honor of Prof. Dr. Hans Jörg Deiseroth. The renowned chemist has also played an active role in higher education policy at the University of Siegen for decades, serving on the University Council until 2023.
Prof. Dr. Hans Jörg Deiseroth can look back on a long and distinguished career as a researcher, teacher, doctoral advisor, author, Vice Dean, Dean, Vice Rector, Senate member, and University Council member at the University of Siegen. An active, engaged, and always dedicated academic, he recently celebrated his 80th birthday. He has been highly regarded in his many roles for his "critical yet always benevolent attitude," as the chair of the local GDCh group noted.
In his honor, the German Chemical Society (GDCh) organized a celebratory colloquium at the University of Siegen. Numerous colleagues attended to congratulate Prof. Deiseroth and to discuss current topics in inorganic chemistry. The colloquium focused on novel material combinations and the recovery of critical inorganic resources, under the title: "From Novel Material Combinations to the Recovery of Critical Inorganic Resources." The keynote lecture was delivered by Prof. Dr. Klaus Müller-Buschbaum from Justus Liebig University Giessen. Notably, his father was Prof. Deiseroth's doctoral advisor, highlighting a special personal connection.
Prof. Deiseroth studied chemistry in Giessen and Kiel from 1964 to 1970. From 1985 to 1991, he served as Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Siegen, before moving to the University of Stuttgart, where he held a professorship in Inorganic Solid-State Chemistry for three years. In 1995, he returned to the University of Siegen to take up a chair in Inorganic Chemistry. He served as Vice Dean and Dean of the Department of Chemistry and, from 1998 to 2002, as Vice Rector for Research and Young Scientists.
From 1999 to 2008, Prof. Deiseroth was a reviewer for inorganic chemistry at the German Research Foundation (DFG) and, from 2004 to 2008, spokesperson for the DFG review board on chemical solid-state research. He was also a member of the advisory board of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids.
Appointed to the University Council in 2009, Prof. Deiseroth continued to help shape the university’s development even after his retirement in 2011, remaining in the role until 2023.
