Jan Peter Toennies

Professor Jan Peter Toennies (born 3 May 1930) is an American scientist and former director of the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (formerly named the Max Planck Institute for Flow Research). He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania of German immigrant parents.

Education

Lower Merion High School, Lower Merion, Pennsylvania 1948, Amherst College, Amherst, MA., B.A. 1952, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, Ph.D. in chemistry 1957. Fulbright student in Göttingen 1953–1954.

Professional record

• 1957–1962 DFG Stipendium with Prof. W. Paul, Physics Institute, University of Bonn, Germany.
• 1962–1965 Scientific assistant to Prof. W. Paul, Physics Institute, University of Bonn.
• 1965–1967 Privat-Dozent, Physics Institute, University of Bonn.
• 1967–1968 Dozent, Physics Institute, University of Bonn.
• 1965–1974 Visiting Professor, Institute for Physical Chemistry, Göteborg University.
• 1969–1998 Appointment to Scientific Member of the Max-Planck-Society and Director at the Max-Planck-Institute für Strömungsforschung (now Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization).
• 1971 – Associate Professor, University of Göttingen; Adjunct-Professor, University of Bonn.
• 1981 - Founding member of the World Cultural Council.^[1]
• 1998–2002 Acting Director at the Max-Planck-Institut für Strömungsforschung.
• 2002–2007 Emeritus Scientific Member of the Max-Planck-Society

Prizes and special recognition

• 1964 Physics Prize of the Academy of Sciences, Göttingen
• 1983 "Fellow" of the American Physical Society
• 1988 Alumni Citation, Brown University
• 1990 Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen
• 1991 Gold Heyrovsky Medal of the Czech Academy of Sciences
• 1992 Hewlett-Packard Europhysics Prize for solid state physics
• 1992 Max-Planck-Prize of the Germany Research Society and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
• 1993 Member of the Germany Academy of Natural Scientists "Leopoldina" in Halle, Germany
• 1996 Recipient of the first MOLEC Conference Award
• 1999 Honorary Fellow of the International Molecular Beams Symposium
• 2000 Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
• 2002 Stern-Gerlach Gold Medal of the German Physical Society
• 2005 Kolos Medal of University of Warsaw
• 2006 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics (with Giacinto Scoles)
• 2007 Honorary Doctorate in Science, Amherst College, MA, USA

See also

• Timeline of low-temperature technology
• Holstein–Herring method

References

• Z. Herman (1995). "Jan Peter Toennies On his 65th Birthday". Ber. Bunsengesellschaft Phys. Chem. 99: 781–782. 

• J.P. Toennies (2004). "Serendipitous meanderings and adventures with molecular beams". Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem. 55: 1–33. doi:10.1146/annurev.physchem.55.081203.151413. PMID 15117245.