It is with deep regret that we announce that Emeritus o. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ekkehart Tillmanns passed away unexpectedly in the night from 29 to 30 December. Ekkehart Tillmanns was a highly valued colleague, mentor and friend to all staff members of the Institute, who will be sorely missed. The Institute, the Faculty and the national and international community have lost a colleague who will be remembered as both a human and scientific role model.
Ekkehart Tillmanns was born in Münster in 1941 and studied at the universities of Tübingen, Göttingen and Bochum. He worked at the University of Illinois in Chicago and the Universities of Bochum, Mainz and Würzburg, before moving to the University of Vienna as a full professor in 1991. He was head of the Institute of Mineralogy and Crystallography from 1991 until his retirement in 2009.
Abraham Gottlob Werner Medal in Gold
In autumn 2020, Ekkehart Tillmanns was awarded the Abraham Gottlob Werner Medal in Gold by the German Mineralogical Society (DMG) for his services to the advancement of mineralogical science.
As a member of several national and international mineralogical societies, Ekkehart Tillmanns had actively contributed to their development. In addition to numerous offices, he also did excellent scientific work, which is documented by more than 185 papers in scientific journals. A detailed obituary will be published in due time.
Our deepest sympathy goes to his family and friends in these sad hours.
