Manfred Eigen

Manfred Eigen was a German biophysical chemist who lived from 1927 to 2019. He won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on measuring extremely fast chemical reactions, research that helped solve major problems in physical chemistry and aided understanding of chemical processes in living organisms. In later years he explored the biochemical roots of life and evolution, working to establish a multidisciplinary program at the Max Planck Institute to study the underpinnings of life at the molecular level, work credited with creating the discipline of evolutionary biotechnology.