Prof. Waldemar Adam
A Tribute
Waldemar Adam was born July 26, 1937, in Alexanderdorf, Ukraine. He began his career in chemistry as a laboratory technician at the Cincinnati Chemical Works, received his B.Sc. in 1958 from the University of Illinois (under J.C. Martin) and his Ph.D. from MIT in 1961 (with F. D. Greene). He started his independent academic career in 1961 as Assistant Professor at the University of Puerto Rico, where he was promoted to Associate Professor in 1965 and to Full Professor in 1970. In 1980 he moved to the University of Würzburg to occupy the Chair of Organic Chemistry. After his formal retirement in October 2002, he moved back to Puerto Rico in April 2003. Presently, he holds a part-time appointment at the Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras.
During his career he received numerous awards, honors and distinctions. Thus, he was A.P. Sloan Research Fellow, J.S. Guggenheim Fellow, NIH Career Development Fellow, NATO Senior Fellow, NSF Senior Fellow (India), JSPS Senior Fellow (Japan), INSA Senior Fellow (India), and Distinguished Visitor (University of Alberta). He obtained the Distinguished Scientist Award (Lion's Club of Puerto Rico), the Leonardo Igaravidez Award, the College of Chemists Award, the A. v. Humboldt - J. C. Mutis Award, the Japanese-German Research Award (JSPS, A. v. Humboldt-Foundation), the Theodor-Förster-Gedächtnisvorlesung (GDCh and Bunsen Society), the Iberdrola Visiting Professorship, and the Excellence in Teaching Award (ACS-PR Section). He also received the Dr. honoris causa from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and he is a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.
He has been a visiting professor at the University of Zürich, Switzerland; SUNY-Buffalo, New York, University of São Paulo, Brazil; University of Puerto Rico, Marine Sciences,
