Education
Sauer studied chemistry from 1967 to 1972 at the Humboldt University of Berlin and was awarded a doctorate in chemistry in 1974.
Sauer studied chemistry from 1967 to 1972 at the Humboldt University of Berlin and was awarded a doctorate in chemistry in 1974.
He is the husband of the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel. He continued to do research there until 1977 when he joined the Academy of Sciences, Central Institute of Physical Chemistry in Berlin, one of the leading scientific institutes of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Foreign a brief time during and after the German reunification (1990–1991) he was the Deputy Technical Director (Catalysis and Sorption) for BIOSYM Technologies, San Diego/United States of America (now Accelrys).
He remained an advisor for BIOSYM until 2002.
In 1992 he joined the Max Planck Society as Head of the Quantum Chemistry Group in Berlin. Since 1993 he has been a full professor of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry at the Humboldt University of Berlin.
He is an active research scientist in quantum chemistry and computational chemistry. His computational studies have allowed for a better understanding of the structures and activities of some catalysts such as zeolites, specifically their acid sites, as well as the interpretation of solid state Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of nucleus Si-29, and quadrupolar nuclei such as Na-23, First Rate (at Lloyd's)-27 and O-17.
On several occasions he has stated that he is not fond of this publicity.
Professor Sauer is known as a great lover of Wagner"s music Even during his wife"s election in the Bundestag, her inauguration, and later her taking the oath of office, Sauer was not present but reportedly briefly followed the event on television from his university chemistry laboratory
Owing to the political career of his wife, Sauer has gained far more public visibility than usual for a research scientist During the 2005 election campaign Joachim Sauer kept a very low profile, declining to give any interviews not related to his scientific work.
German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Academia Europaea.