In Memoriam
Rolf Hünlich
Rolf Hünlich was associated with our institute until 2005. Throughout his time here, he was known as a reliable, open-minded, and considerate colleague. He possessed broad and profound scientific knowledge, which he shared generously and without reservation. Colleagues remember in particular his patience and his exceptional ability to convey complex scientific matters clearly and thoughtfully. His actions were consistently guided by a strong sense of responsibility toward others and toward the institute, earning him lasting respect and appreciation.
Rolf Hünlich received his doctorate in 1970 from Humboldt University in Berlin under the supervision of Arno Langenbach. This academic background also informed his long-standing involvement in the Berlin Oberseminar on Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations, which he organized for many years.
His professional career spanned positions at Humboldt University and the Academy of Sciences of the former GDR. He was a member of WIAS from 1985 to 2005, where he played an important role during and following the period of institutional transition. After German reunification, he contributed substantially to the evaluation processes of the institute and to the establishment and further development of WIAS. As deputy head of Research Group 1, and subsequently as acting head in 2004 following the retirement of Herbert Gajewski, he fulfilled leadership responsibilities with great dedication, reliability, and integrity.
Rolf Hünlich's scientific work covered a wide range of topics, including plasticity and elasticity theory, thermodynamics, semiconductor technology, and device modeling. He was strongly committed to academic teaching, especially to the mathematical education of physicists, thereby fostering numerous collaborations that later became important for WIAS. He also contributed to the development and application of simulation tools, including DIOS and WIAS-TeSCA.
A particular concern of Rolf Hünlich was the support of early-career researchers. He successfully acquired and supervised numerous research projects and guided doctoral students with care and commitment. His scientific legacy includes influential contributions to the thermodynamic modeling of semiconductor devices, which continue to inform research at WIAS today.
Rolf Hünlich will be remembered for his scientific contributions as well as for his integrity, generosity, and sense of responsibility. Through his work and conduct, he made a lasting contribution to the development of the institute. We will honor his memory with gratitude and respect.