In memory of Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Queisser
July 6, 1931 – June 27, 2025
The Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research mourns the passing of Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Queisser, who died on 27 June 2025 at the age of 93. As the founding director of our institute, he shaped its scientific direction for nearly three decades and leaves behind an outstanding scientific legacy.
Born on 6 July 1931 in Berlin, Queisser earned his doctorate in 1958 at the University of Göttingen. In 1959, he moved to the United States to join the Shockley Semiconductor Corporation in Mountain View, California – the cradle of what would become Silicon Valley. Together with William Shockley, he developed the now-famous Shockley–Queisser limit, which defines the maximum theoretical efficiency of a solar cell.
After research positions at Bell Laboratories (1965) and a professorship in Frankfurt am Main (starting in 1966), he was appointed in 1970 as the founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, which he led until his retirement in 1998. Queisser was a visionary in semiconductor physics, a strong advocate for knowledge transfer to industry, and an early promoter of international scientific cooperation – especially with Japan.
From 1976 to 1977, he served as president of the German Physical Society. He became a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 1994 and was named an Honorary Fellow of the Japan Society of Applied Physics in 2012. His scientific contributions continue to resonate internationally to this day.
With Prof. Hans-Joachim Queisser, we have lost a pioneering researcher, a founder and builder who helped shape semiconductor physics and photovoltaics over many decades. His tireless spirit of discovery, foresight, and passion for science remain an inspiration for generations to come. The Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research will honour his memory and carry forward his legacy. His work – from the Shockley–Queisser limit to innovative semiconductor technologies – lives on in the achievements of the many scientists he inspired.
We will remember Hans-Joachim Queisser with deep gratitude.
