Former Chairs of Geology

The first full professor, appointed from his position as chair in Giessen, ERICH KAISER was a widely traveled, knowledgeable geologist. His quasi dowry was a collection of rocks and photographs from five yearlong stay in Namibia. more

After Kaiser’s demise, LEOPOLD KÖLBL, formerly professor at the Hochschule für Bodenkultur in Vienna, Austria, was appointed in 1934. He left in 1940 for personal reasons. more

In 1942, the “classic” alpine geologist ERNST KRAUS became his successor. Due to war and postwar turmoil, the accomplishments of the author of famous geotectonic books, which followed the famous alpine geologist Otto Ampferer, and anticipated some of the ideas of plate tectonics, could not take effect. more

Kraus was succeeded by ALBERT MAUCHER in postwar 1946. While his predecessors represented general geology (applied geology as an individual branch of geosciences was not yet established), he, with the weight of his research in economic geology, for the first time added aspects of applied geology to the name of the institute. Strengthend by the work of the explicitly “applied” geologist Ferdinand Neumaier at the institute. more

The focus of the institute changed again in 1973, when KLAUS SCHMIDT was appointed successor of Maucher. However, Schmidt died in 1983, much too early, after a brief battle with severe illness. more

Three years went by until the appointment of HUBERT MILLER in 1986. The 3-year vacancy did not have the negative impact it would have had in earlier years, as the institute has grown to six tenured professors, which taught independent fields: Applied Geology (Grimm), Geological Remote Sensing (Bodechtel), Economic Geology (Klemm, Höll), and Geochemistry (Weber-Dieffenbach).

Hubert Miller established plate tectonics as one of the first in Germany. His modern research in the tectonics of South America and Antartica resulted establishment of the field of geochronology at Munich. Through his research, the institute gained a collection of rocks from Antartica and South America. Hubert Miller co-founded the Internationales Begegnungszentrum (IBZ) in Munich for which he was awarded the University Medal in 2003.

Hubert Miller retired after a very successful international career. He passed away on February 26th 2020. Owing to the Corona-crisis, we will postpone a colloquium in his honor, but focus on collecting contribution for a memoriam in print.

in progress. This entry will be updated. more