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Homepage/Divisions/Society of Water Chemistry/Board
Society of Water Chemistry

Board

Board

Board of the GDCh Division Society of Water Chemistry

Board 2026

Prof. Dr. Thomas Ternes (Chair), German Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz
Prof. Dr. Martin Elsner (Deputy Chair), Technical University of Munich
Dr. Ralph Fliege, Bayer AG, Monheim
PD Dr. Elisabeth Janssen, Eawag, Dübendorf (Switzerland)
Dr. Alexander Kämpfe, German Environment Agency, Bad Elster
Dipl.-Ing. Björn Marquardt, Hamburg Wasser
Dr. Stephanie Spahr, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin
Prof. Dr. Christian Zwiener, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen

Permanent guests of the Executive Board
Dr. Frank Brauer (Main Committee for Analytical Methods – Development and Standardisation)
Dipl.-Ing. Regina Gnirss, Berliner Wasserbetriebe
Prof. Dr. Holger Lutze, Technical University of Darmstadt (Main Committee for Research)
Dr. Marco Scheurer, State Institute for the Environment of Baden-Württemberg, Karlsruhe
Dipl.-Geoökol. Sebastian Sturm, DVGW Water Technology Centre, Karlsruhe
Dr. Markus Weber, Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG, Leverkusen
Dr. Rudi Winzenbacher, Landeswasserversorgung Water Board, Langenau
Rotating representative Young Water Forum

Honorary Chairs
Prof. Dr. Fritz Frimmel (Chair: 1992–2003)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Jekel (Chair: 2004–2012)
Prof. Dr. Torsten C. Schmidt (Chair: 2013–2021)

2025
Prof. Dr. Thomas Ternes (Chair), German Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz
Prof. Dr. Martin Elsner (Deputy Chair), Technical University of Munich
Dr. Rudi Winzenbacher (Deputy Chair), Landeswasserversorgung Special-Purpose Association, Langenau
Dr. Ralph Fliege, Bayer AG, Monheim
Dipl.-Ing. Regina Gnirss, Berliner Wasserbetriebe
PD Dr. Elisabeth Janssen, Eawag, Dübendorf (Switzerland)
Dr. Alexander Kämpfe, German Environment Agency, Bad Elster
Dipl.-Ing. Björn Marquardt, Hamburg Wasser
Dr. Marco Scheurer, Baden-Württemberg State Institute for the Environment, Karlsruhe
Dr. Stephanie Spahr, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin
Dipl.-Geoökol. Sebastian Sturm, DVGW Water Technology Centre, Karlsruhe
Dr. Markus Weber, Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG, Leverkusen
Prof. Dr. Christian Zwiener, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen

Permanent guests of the Executive Board
Dr. Frank Brauer (Main Committee for Analytical Methods – Development and Standardisation)
Prof. Dr. Holger Lutze, Technical University of Darmstadt (Main Committee for Research)
Rotating representative Young Water Forum

  • Prof. Dr. Torsten C. Schmidt (Chair: 2013-2021)
  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Jekel (Chair: 2004-2012)
  • Prof. Dr. Fritz H. Frimmel (Chair: 1992-2003)
  • Prof. Dr. Karl-Ernst Quentin (Chair: 1971-1992)
  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wilhelm Husmann (Chair: 1949-1970)
  • Dr. Wolf Olszewski (Chair: 1933-1945)
  • Prof. Dr. Josef Tillmans (Chair: 1930-1933)
  • Prof. Dr. Hugo Haupt (Chair: 1926-1930)

Milestones of the Society of Water Chemistry

  • 2026: First presentation of the Student Water Award
  • 2026: Centenary conference: 100 years of the Division Society of Water Chemistry (Kiel)
  • December 2010: Establishment of the Walter Kölle Foundation under the umbrella of the GDCh
  • 01/01/2000: Renaming of the "Division water chemistry" to "Society of Water Chemistry"
  • 1993: First presentation of the PhD Award water chemistry
  • 1976: 50th anniversary conference: 50 years of the Division water chemistry (Kiel)
  • 1974: Creation of the Division logo
  • 1971: First presentation of the Division Award water chemistry (now: Division Award Society of Water Chemistry)
  • 1952: First independent Division conference (Bad Homburg)
  • 03/09/1948: Re-establishment of the "Division water chemistry" in the GDCh (Technische Hochschule Hannover) and election of Prof. Dr. Husmann as provisional chair
  • 22/01/1947: Foundation of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) as the successor organisation to the Association of German Chemists and the German Chemical Society
  • 1940-1945: Change of name to "working group water chemistry, including waste materials and corrosion issues"
  • 1935: Change of name to "Division for water chemistry, including waste materials and corrosion issues" following the seizure of power by the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP)
  • 07/02/1928: Constituent meeting of the working committee "German standard methods for water analysis" (Kassel)
  • January 1927: Publication of the first yearbook VOM WASSER by Verlag Chemie (collection of presentations for the Division conference)
  • 27/05/1926: Foundation of the "Division for water chemistry" within the Association of German Chemists (VDCh) at the Botanical Institute of Kiel University