Werner Heisenberg
1901-1976
- Theoretical physicist
- 1932 Laureate of the Nobel Prize in Physics
Heisenberg came from a Bavarian family of scholars. After qualifying for university studies, he first studied mathematics before transferring to physics. He was already finished with his doctorate in 1932, at the University of Munich, where he finished his post-doctorate qualification the following year, entitling him to teach at the university level. At the ripe age of 26, Heisenberg became a professor at the University of Leipzig, where he and his colleague Friedrich Hund turned his department into an international Center for theoretical physics. In 1932, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research in quantum mechanics, yet above all for the uncertainly principle he postulated. During the Third Reich, unlike many other scientists and despite numerous threats, he did not emigrate. Instead, he cooperated with the regime within the framework of the Uranium Project in 1941. After the war, he continued teaching and researching at various universities and institutions. In the young Federal Republic of Germany, he promoted the use of nuclear energy for civil purposes.