Theodor-Förster Memorial Lectureship
In honour of the memory of Theodor Förster (1910–1974), the GDCh Division of Photochemistry and the German Bunsen Society for physical chemistry generally award the Theodor-Förster Memorial Lectureship every two years to individuals who have made outstanding scientific contributions and rendered exceptional service in the field of photochemistry. The named lectureship is accompanied by a certificate and an invitation to give four lectures. The first of these lectures is delivered following the award ceremony at the “Lecture Conference on Photochemistry”, which takes place in even-numbered years. The award is decided by a selection committee appointed for this purpose, representing the Division of Photochemistry and the German Bunsen Society.
The award is not currently open for applications (next call for proposals: early 2028).
The Theodor-Förster Memorial Lectureship of the GDCh Division of Photochemistry and the German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry was awarded to Prof. Dr. Katja Heinze on 17 September 2024 in Mainz on the occasion of the 29th Lecture Conference on Photochemistry.
"In recognition of her groundbreaking work in the field of molecular photophysics and photochemistry. Through her research, Ms Heinze builds an exemplary bridge between coordination chemistry, photophysics and the theoretical description of electronically excited states. This methodologically holistic approach enables Ms Heinze to carry out highly innovative work investigating various luminescence phenomena, spectral upconversion, intra- and intermolecular energy and electron transfer processes, and molecular sensing. The focus is often on coordination compounds of frequently occurring metals, bringing about a paradigm shift away from the ‘classic’ but rare elements Ru, Ir and Pt. Ms Heinze’s work opens the door to fundamentally new concepts in the development of photoactive coordination compounds and lays the foundation for their technological applications in the coming decades."
The self-chosen title of the 2024 Theodor-Förster Memorial Lectureship is:
"Photophysics and Photochemistry of Complexes with Earth-abundant Metals"
The Theodor-Förster Memorial Lectureship of the GDCh Division of Photochemistry and the German Bunsen Society for physical chemistry was awarded to Prof. Dr. Thorsten Bach on 20 September 2022 in Düsseldorf on the occasion of the 28th Lecture Conference on Photochemistry.
"In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the development and application of organic photochemistry and asymmetric photocatalysis. As the long-standing holder of the Chair of Organic Chemistry at the Technical University of Munich, he succeeded in combining two important fields of research, photochemistry and asymmetric catalysis, in his contributions. Professor Bach is one of the most distinguished contemporary organic photochemists, who has revolutionised, in some of his groundbreaking work, the fields of enantioselective photochemistry, [2+2] photocycloadditions and asymmetric photochemistry with chiral catalysts. Using these new methods and catalyses, he succeeded in producing numerous natural products and active pharmaceutical ingredients selectively and in high yields. We honour Professor Bach with the Theodor-Förster Memorial Lectureship for his outstanding contributions to the combination of photochemistry and organic chemistry".
| Year | Name | Institute |
| 2026 | Prof. Dr. Burkhard König | University of Regensburg |
| 2024 | Prof. Dr. Katja Heinze | Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz |
| 2022 | Prof. Dr. Thorsten Bach | Technical University of Munich |
| 2020 | Not awarded | |
| 2018 | Prof. Dr. Michael Grätzel | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland |
| 2016 | Prof. Dr. Douglas C. Neckers | Perrysburg, Ohio |
| 2014 | Prof. Dr. Ben L. Feringa | University of Groningen |
| 2012 | Prof. J. C. Scaiano | University of Ottawa |
| 2010 | Prof. Miguel A. Miranda | Universidad Politecnica Valencia |
| 2008 | Prof. Masahiro Irie | University, Tokyo |
| 2007 | Prof. Dr. Gion Calzaferri | University of Bern |
| 2005 | Prof. Nicholas J. Turro | Columbia University, New York |
| 2003 | Prof. Dr. Jakob Wirz | University of Basel |
| 2001 | Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Kurt Schaffner | Max Planck Institute, Mülheim |
| 1999 | Prof. Dr. Frans De Schryver | University of Leuven |
| 1997 | Dietmar Möbius | Göttingen |
| 1995 | Waldemar Adam | Würzburg |
| 1993 | Jan W. Verhoeven | Amsterdam |
| 1991 | Fritz P. Schäfer | Göttingen |
| 1989 | Zbigniew R. Grabowski | Warsaw |
| 1987 | Albert Weller | Göttingen |
| 1975 | George Porter | London |
Theodor-Förster Memorial Lectureship of the GDCh Division of Photochemistry and the German Bunsen Society for physical chemistry was awarded to Prof. Dr. Burkhard König on 15 September 2026, at the 30th Lecture Conference on Photochemistry in Braunschweig.
"In recognition of his outstanding scientific achievements and special contributions in the fields of photochemistry and photocatalysis. Through his research, Burkhard König has built an exemplary bridge between photochemistry, mechanistic elucidation and preparative organic synthesis. With conceptually and methodologically pioneering work, he has made a decisive impact, in particular, on visible-light photocatalysis and photoredox catalysis, and opened up new reaction pathways for activating challenging substrates and for photoinduced electron-transfer processes. His contributions to the application of organic photocatalysts and to the development and use of consecutive photoinduced electron-transfer processes, which have made new areas of reactivity accessible for organic synthesis, are also noteworthy. His work has made a major contribution to establishing organic photocatalysis as a powerful tool in modern synthetic chemistry and to advancing the field significantly over the past two decades."
The title chosen by the lecturer for the 2026 Theodor-Förster Memorial Lectureship is:
"Photochemical Strategies for Better Organic Synthesis"