List of German Nobel laureates

Germany is currently the nation with the 3rd most Nobel Prize winners: 2nd most in the category of physics and chemistry,[1] 3rd most in physiology or medicine[2] and 4th most in literature. Overall there are 115 German Nobel Prize laureates.

Name Year Lifespan Achievements Image
Gustav Stresemann 1926 1878–1929 Reconciliation with France to ensure peace in Europe Gustav Stresemann
Ludwig Quidde 1928 1858–1941 Organization of peace conferences Ludwig Quidde
Carl von Ossietzky 1935 1889–1938 Commitment against German militarism as editor of Weltbühne Carl von Ossietzky
Willy Brandt 1971 1913–1992 Ostpolitik Willy Brandt
Name Year Lifespan Achievements Image
Theodor Mommsen 1902 1817–1903 The History of Rome Theodor Mommsen
Rudolf Eucken 1908 1846–1926 "for serious seeking after truth, penetrating thought, breadth and warmth of presentation, with which he has represented and developed an ideal worldview in numerous works" Rudolf Eucken
Paul Heyse 1910 1830–1914 his fictional works Paul Heyse
Gerhart Hauptmann 1912 1862–1946 "for his fruitful and versatile work in the realm of dramatic poetry" Gerhart Hauptmann
Thomas Mann 1929 1875–1955 Buddenbrooks Thomas Mann
Hermann Hesse 1946 1877–1962 "for his work imbued with profound immersion that developed ever more boldly and incisively, revealing the ideals of classical humanism along with a high artistic style" Hermann Hesse
Nelly Sachs 1966 1891–1970 "for her outstanding lyrical and dramatic works that interpret the fate of Israel with moving strength" Nelly Sachs
Heinrich Böll 1972 1917–1985 Complete works Heinrich Böll
Günter Grass 1999 1927–2015 Life's work Günter Grass
Herta Müller 2009 * 1953 Complete works Herta Müller
Name Year Lifespan Achievements Image
Emil Fischer 1902 1852–1919 Research on sugar and purine groups
Adolf von Baeyer 1905 1835–1917 Work on organic dyes and hydroaromatic compounds
Eduard Buchner 1907 1860–1917 Discovery of cell-free fermentation
Wilhelm Ostwald 1909 1853–1932 Work on Catalysis
Otto Wallach 1910 1847–1931 Research in the field of cyclic hydrocarbons
Richard Willstätter 1915 1872–1942 Research on chlorophyll
Fritz Haber 1918 1868–1934 Development of a process for producing Ammonia
Walther Nernst 1920 1864–1941 Research on Thermochemistry
Heinrich Otto Wieland 1927 1877–1957 Research on Bile Acids
Adolf Windaus 1928 1876–1959 "for merits regarding the research on the structure of sterines and their relationship with vitamins"
Hans von Euler-Chelpin 1929 1873–1964 "for research on sugar fermentation and the contribution of enzymes to this process"
Hans Fischer 1930 1881–1945 Hemin synthesis
Friedrich Bergius 1931 1884–1949 "for contributions to the discovery and development of chemical high-pressure processes"
Carl Bosch 1931 1874–1940 Development of chemical high-pressure processes
Richard Kuhn 1938 1900–1967 "for his work on carotenoids and vitamins"
Adolf Butenandt 1939 1903–1995 Research on Steroid Hormones
Otto Hahn 1944 1879–1968 "for his discovery of the fission of heavy atomic nuclei"
Otto Diels 1950 1876–1954 Discovery of the Diels-Alder Reaction
Kurt Alder 1950 1902–1958 Discovery of the Diels-Alder Reaction
Hermann Staudinger 1953 1881–1965 Founding of Polymer Chemistry
Karl Ziegler 1963 1898–1973 Discoveries in the field of Polymers
Manfred Eigen 1967 1927–2019 Measurement of the rates of fast chemical reactions
Gerhard Herzberg 1971 1904–1999 "for his contributions to the knowledge of the electronic structure and geometry of molecules, especially free radicals"
Ernst Otto Fischer 1973 1917–2007 Research on organometallic sandwich complexes
Georg Wittig 1979 1897–1987 Wittig Reaction
Deisenhofer 1988 * 1943 "for the investigation of the three-dimensional structure of the reaction center of Photosynthesis in a purple bacterium"
Robert Huber 1988 * 1937 "for the investigation of the three-dimensional structure of the reaction center of Photosynthesis in a purple bacterium"
Hartmut Michel 1988 * 1948 "for the investigation of the three-dimensional structure of the reaction center of Photosynthesis in a purple bacterium"
Gerhard Ertl 2007 * 1936 "for studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces"
Stefan Hell 2014 * 1962 "for the development of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy"
Joachim Frank 2017 * 1940 "for the development of Cryo-Electron Microscopy for high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules"
Benjamin List 2021 * 1968 "for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis to accelerate chemical reactions"
Name Year Lifespan Achievements Image
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen 1901 1845–1923 Discovery of X-Rays Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen
Philipp Lenard 1905 1862–1947 Research in solid state and atomic physics Philipp Lenard
Ferdinand Braun 1909 1850–1918 Contribution to the development of wireless Telegraphy Ferdinand Braun
Wilhelm Wien 1911 1864–1928 Research on Thermal Radiation Wilhelm Wien
Max von Laue 1914 1879–1960 Diffraction of X-rays by crystals Max von Laue
Max Planck 1918 1858–1947 Discovery of the Planck constant Max Planck
Johannes Stark 1919 1874–1957 Discovery of the optical Doppler Effect and the Stark Effect Johannes Stark
Albert Einstein 1921 1879–1955 "for his contributions to theoretical physics, especially for his discovery of the law of the Photoelectric Effect" Albert Einstein
James Franck 1925 1882–1964 Confirmation of the Bohr Atom Model James Franck
Gustav Hertz 1925 1887–1975 Confirmation of the Bohr Atom Model Gustav Hertz
Werner Heisenberg 1932 1901–1976 Founding of Quantum Mechanics Werner Heisenberg
Max Born 1954 1882–1970 Fundamental research in quantum mechanics Max Born
Walther Bothe 1954 1891–1957 Development of the Coincidence Method Walther Bothe
Rudolf Mößbauer 1961 1929–2011 Discovery of the Mößbauer Effect Rudolf Mößbauer
J. Hans D. Jensen 1963 1907–1973 Development of the Shell Model of atomic nuclei Johannes Hans Daniel Jensen
Maria Goeppert-Mayer 1963 1906–1972 Development of the Shell Model of atomic nuclei Maria Goeppert-Mayer
Klaus von Klitzing 1985 * 1943 Discovery of the Quantized Hall Effect Klaus von Klitzing
Gerd Binnig 1986 * 1947 Development of the Scanning Tunneling Microscope Gerd Binnig
Ernst Ruska 1986 1906–1988 Invention of the Electron Microscope
Johannes Georg Bednorz 1987 * 1950 Discovery of ceramic High-Temperature Superconductors
Wolfgang Paul 1989 1913–1993 Development of the ion trap (Paul Trap)
Hans Georg Dehmelt 1989 1922–2017 Development of the Ion Trap
Horst Ludwig Störmer 1998 * 1949 "for the discovery of a new type of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations" Horst Ludwig Störmer
Herbert Kroemer 2000 1928–2024 Development of semiconductor heterostructures for high-speed and optoelectronics Herbert Kroemer
Wolfgang Ketterle 2001 * 1957 Generation of the Bose-Einstein Condensate Wolfgang Ketterle
Theodor W. Hänsch 2005 * 1941 Development of the Frequency Comb in connection with his other achievements Theodor W. Hänsch
Peter Grünberg 2007 1939–2018 "for the discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR)" Peter Grünberg
Reinhard Genzel 2020 * 1952 "for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of our galaxy" Reinhard Genzel
Klaus Hasselmann 2021 * 1931 "for groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of complex physical systems", specifically
Name Year Lifespan Achievements Image
Emil Behring 1901 1854–1907 Work on serum therapy Emil Behring
Robert Koch 1905 1843–1910 Discovery of the pathogens of anthrax, tuberculosis, and cholera Robert Koch
Paul Ehrlich 1908 1854–1915 Foundation of immunology Paul Ehrlich
Albrecht Kossel 1910 1853–1927 "in recognition of his contributions to the knowledge of cell chemistry through his work on proteins, including the nuclear substances" Albrecht Kossel
Otto Fritz Meyerhof 1922 1884–1951 Research on metabolism in muscle Otto Fritz Meyerhof
Otto Heinrich Warburg 1931 1883–1970 Research on respiratory ferment Otto Heinrich Warburg
Hans Spemann 1935 1869–1941 Discovery of the organizer effect and artificial cloning of organisms with Hilde Mangold Hans Spemann
Otto Loewi 1936 1873–1961 "for discoveries in the chemical transmission of nerve impulses" Otto Loewi
Gerhard Domagk 1939 1895–1964 Discovery of the antibacterial effects of the sulfonamide Prontosil Gerhard Domagk
Ernst Boris Chain 1945 1906–1979 Discovery of Penicillin Ernst Boris Chain
Hans Adolf Krebs 1953 1900–1981 Discovery of the Citric Acid Cycle Hans Adolf Krebs
Werner Forßmann 1956 1904–1979 "for discoveries on cardiac catheterization and pathological changes in the circulatory system" Werner Forßmann
Feodor Lynen 1964 1911–1979 Research on the regulation of cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism Feodor Lynen
Konrad Bloch 1964 1912–2000 Research on the regulation of cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism Konrad Bloch
Max Delbrück 1969 1906–1981 Foundation of modern molecular biology and genetics Max Delbrück
Bernard Katz 1970 1911–2003 Work on the quantized form of synaptic transmission Sir Bernard Katz
Karl von Frisch 1973 1886–1982 "discoveries regarding the organization and triggering of individual and social behavior patterns"
Georges J. F. Köhler 1984 1946–1995 Research on the immune system and monoclonal antibodies
Erwin Neher 1991 * 1944 Discoveries on the function of individual ion channels in cells Erwin Neher
Bert Sakmann 1991 * 1942 "for the development of a method for the direct detection of ion channels in cell membranes for the study of signal transmission within and between cells" Bert Sakmann
Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard 1995 * 1942 Research on the genetic control of early embryonic development Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
Günter Blobel 1999 1936–2018 "for the discovery of signals embedded in proteins that control their transport and localization within the cell" Günter Blobel
Harald zur Hausen 2008 1936–2023 Research on human papillomavirus Harald zur Hausen
Thomas Südhof 2013 * 1955 Research on the transport system of cells Thomas Südhof
Name Year Life Dates Distinguished Contributions Image
Reinhard Selten 1994 1930–2016 Research on Game Theory Reinhard Selten

References

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