Heino Finkelmann

Heino Finkelmann (born 1945^[1]) is a German chemist who works with liquid-crystalline elastomers.^[2]

Heino Finkelmann
Born	1945 (age 79–80) Gronau, Lower Saxony, Germany
Alma mater	Technische Universität Berlin
Known for	Polymer chemistry Liquid crystalline elastomer
Awards	EPS Europhysics Prize (2003) Gay-Lussac Humboldt Prize (2000)
Scientific career
Fields	Chemistry
Institutions	Paderborn University Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Clausthal University of Technology University of Freiburg
Doctoral advisor	Horst Stegemeyer

Biography

After earning an engineering degree, Finkelmann graduated 1972 as chemist (Diplom) from Technische Universität Berlin.^[1] In 1975, he earned his PhD at the Paderborn University under the supervision of Horst Stegemeyer in Physical Chemistry.^[3][1]

After three years of Postdoc under the guidance of Helmut Ringsdorf at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Finkelmann habilitated from 1978 to 1984 at the Clausthal University of Technology with the group of Günther Rehage in Physical Chemistry.^[1]

From 1984 to 2010, Finkelmann was appointed Full Professor and Director of the Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg.^[1][4][5]

One of his famous works is the concept of the side chain nematic elastomers.^[6]

Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions

• 1984: Carl Duisberg Memorial Prize from the Society of German Chemists^[5][7]
• 2000: Gay-Lussac Humboldt Prize^[5]
• 2003: Agilent Technologies Europhysics Prize of the European Physical Society^[5]
• 2004: Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Toulouse^[5][8]
• 2006: George William Gray Medal of the British Liquid Crystal Society^[9][5][2]