Nobel laureate Martin Karplus: a life between science and memory

Nobel laureate Martin Karplus: a life between science and memory

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - On December 28, 2024, the outstanding chemist Martin Karplus died in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the age of 94. Born in Vienna, who was born in 1930 and had to emigrate in 1938 due to the National Socialist persecution, leaves a significant legacy in science. In 2013 he received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his pioneering work in the computer-aided calculation of chemical structures, such as reported. Karplus shaped the chemistry by developing the Karplus equation, which describes the connection between atoms and its NMR spectrum.

Karplus was not only a brilliant scientist, but also a passionate mentor. He looked after over 250 doctoral students as well as postdocs, whom he lovingly called "Karplusians". The Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research, Martin Polaschek, praised him as an outstanding scientist, whose life's work promoted the formation of young people despite personal tragedies. Karplus had given a life-historical interview in 2020, but was no longer able to travel to Austria due to health reasons, such as