Professor Dr.-Ing. Jens Weitkamp, the former director of the Institute of Chemical Technology of the University of Stuttgart passed away in Paris on August 25, 2019, the same town in which he was born on June 5, 1942. Jens Weitkamp studied chemistry at the Universities of Berlin and Karlsruhe. In 1971 he completed his doctoral studies under the supervision of Professor Dr. H. Pichler and his habilitation a few years later at the Engler-Bunte Institute of the University of Karlsruhe with Prof. Dr. K. Hedden. In 1986, Jens Weitkamp became Professor of Chemical Technology at the University of Oldenburg. In 1988 he took over a Full Professor position for Chemical Technology at the University of Stuttgart.
High quality research on upgrading of crude oil and natural gas as well as petrochemistry has determined the scientific life of Jens Weitkamp and he has advanced these fields to a very large extent. Examples are refinery processes like cracking, hydrocracking, isomerisation, alkylation, reforming and demetallization as well as petrochemical reactions like alkylation of aromatics, transalkylation and epoxidation. Jens Weitkamp has advanced our understanding of zeolites and porous materials significantly.
In his service to the International Zeolite Association, he served on the IZA council from 1994 till 2001 acting as the vice-president from 1994 to 1997 and the president from 1997 to 2001. He also served as the Chairman of the 10th International Zeolite Conference (IZC), held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1994. In 1993, Jens Weitkamp founded the scientific journal “Microporous Materials”, which he edited until the merger with “Zeolites” in 1997. From 1998 to 2003 he edited the new scientific journal “Microporous and Mesoporous Materials” as Editor-in-Chief, which became the leading journal within the field of zeolites and porous materials. Jens Weitkamp received a number of highly ranked recognitions among them are the Alwin-Mittasch-Prize of the DECHEMA (2010) and the Carl-Engler Medal (2002) of the German Society for Petroleum and Coal Science and Technology (DGMK). He became Corresponding Member of the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 2003.
The scientific community devoted to the research of zeolites, porous materials and heterogeneous catalysis shows great respect for the lifetime achievement of Jens Weitkamp and we regret the loss of this excellent scientist, teacher and human being. We will keep him in our memories. Our thoughts go to Sophie, his companion for the last ten years.