In honor of Otto Stern, whose work on the demonstration of spin quantization laid the foundation for the use of magnetic resonance, and to recognize the lifetime achievements of internationally outstanding personalities in the field of magnetic resonance, the GDCh Division of Magnetic Resonance established the Otto-Stern Award in 2020. The award is presented at irregular intervals, no more than once a year. It includes a certificate, a trophy, and invitations to a keynote speech at the Division conference and to a celebratory dinner. The award is decided by a committee appointed by the Division Board .
Guidelines for the award of the Otto Stern Prize
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The Division of Magnetic Resonance of the German Chemical Society awarded the Otto-Stern Award 2025 to Prof. Dr. Paul Heitjans on 18 September 2025 in Bonn:
"In recognition of his fundamental work on ion dynamics and diffusion in solids using NMR, as well as the establishment of β-NMR for the study of mobility in solid ion conductors. Professor Heitjans has systematically investigated diffusion processes in detail over long timescales using an arsenal of complementary NMR techniques and achieved groundbreaking results, particularly on lithium ion conductors, long before their enormous importance as battery materials became apparent. He has also performed pioneering work in β-NMR, in particular using 8 Li as an ideal nuclear spin probe for relaxation processes for the first time to comprehensively study ion mobility. Overall, he has pursued magnetic resonance with exceptional breadth and depth over many decades, using an interdisciplinary approach in a highly topical research field."
The Division of Magnetic Resonance of the German Chemical Society awarded the Otto-Stern Award 2024 to Prof. Dr. Dr. hc Horst Kessler on 12 September 2024 in Rostock:
"In recognition of his fundamental contributions to the conformational analysis of proteins such as spider silk protein and cyclic peptides using NMR spectroscopy, which enabled the successful design of diagnostics and therapeutics for medical applications. Horst Kessler made fundamental contributions to the understanding of exchange processes using NMR and, with his contributions to multidimensional NMR spectroscopy, inspired an entire generation of NMR spectroscopists. He uniquely combined new NMR spectroscopic methods with the design of mostly cyclic peptides and medicinal chemistry research. Highlights include the RGD peptides that modulate the function of integrins, designed based on NMR-based conformational analysis and optimized for bioavailability. The Otto-Stern Award commemorates the discovery of directional quantization in spin "up" and "down." Horst Kessler used NMR spectroscopy with the goal of obtaining and implementing new ideas for better medicines and diagnostics."
The Division of Magnetic Resonance of the German Chemical Society awarded the Otto-Stern Award 2023 to Prof. Dr. Jean Jeener (1931-2023) on April 15, 2023 in Brussels:
"Professor Jeener invented two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and first formulated the two-pulse experiment which was named COSY by Richard Ernst later on. Together with Richard Ernst, he developed the NOESY and EXSY experiments both theoretically and experimentally. After more than 50 years, polarization transfer via J couplings, as well as transfer via relaxation phenomena and exchange are still cornerstones of NMR spectroscopy for chemical analysis and for life and materials sciences. Professor Jean Jeener's work shaped the NMR spectroscopy that we know today."
Video of the award ceremony (YouTube)
The Division of Magnetic Resonance of the German Chemical Society awarded the Otto-Stern Award 2022 to Prof. Dr. Jörg Kärger on the occasion of the 43rd FGMR Annual Discussion Meeting in September 2022 in Karlsruhe:
" In recognition of his fundamental contributions to the application of pulsed field gradient NMR spectroscopy in the analysis of molecular transport processes in porous materials. Based on NMR investigations of transport processes, Prof. Dr. Kärger has influenced NMR spectroscopy in a wide range and interdisciplinary manner: He has promoted the establishment of fundamental physical models of mass transport at the molecular level. This includes multi-range diffusion, the consideration of adsorption processes, and also the experimental demonstration of one-dimensional diffusion. His work on mass transport and the sorption of complex nanoporous materials has a far-reaching impact on materials and engineering sciences. The knowledge from his work on molecular processes is of great relevance for technical applications such as molecular separation processes and heterogeneous catalysis. His work thus shows in an exemplary manner how magnetic resonance at the highest level, consistently methodically advanced, can serve to solve current challenges, e.g. in the areas of sustainability, climate and energy. "
The first Otto-Stern Award of the Division of Magnetic Resonance was awarded to Prof. Dr. hc mult. Tony Keller (1937-2023):
"In recognition of his fundamental and extraordinary contributions to the development of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy - from noise decoupling and the introduction of pulse Fourier spectroscopy in commercial spectrometers to superconducting magnets and fully digitized spectrometers to cryo heads and ultra-high field spectrometers - which opened up a broad scientific application for NMR spectroscopy in Germany and the world and thus made a decisive contribution to the establishment of NMR spectroscopy in chemistry as well as bio and materials science . The Otto-Stern Award 2020 commemorates the discovery of directional quantization into the spin states "up" and "down". Tony Keller has led the development of NMR spectroscopy in the "up" direction."
| Year | Award venue | name | Reason for the award |
| 2025 | Bonn | Prof. Dr. Paul Heitjans | Fundamental work on ion dynamics and diffusion in solids using NMR as well as establishment of β-NMR for the study of mobility in solid ion conductors. |
| 2024 | Rostock | Prof. Dr. Dr. hc Horst Kessler | Fundamental contributions to the conformational analysis of proteins such as spider silk protein and cyclic peptides using NMR spectroscopy, which enabled the successful design of diagnostics and therapeutics for medical applications |
| 2023 | Brussels, BE | Prof. Dr. Jean Jeener † | Invention of two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and first formulation of the two-pulse experiment |
| 2022 | Karlsruhe | Prof. Dr. Jörg Kärger | Fundamental contributions to the application of pulsed field gradient NMR spectroscopy in the analysis of molecular transport processes in porous materials |
| 2020 | Spiez, Switzerland | Prof. Dr. hc mult. Tony Keller † | Contributions to the development of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy |
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last modified: 08.10.2025 12:51 H from M.Fries
