Richard Ernst developed the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which can be used to study the interaction of atoms and their neighbouring atoms in molecules. Scientists can use this method to determine the three-dimensional structure of molecules. This earned him the award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1991. As a further development of NMR, Ernst also laid the foundations for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an imaging method for depicting tissue and organs in the body. It is impossible to imagine modern medicine without it.
Richard Ernst studied chemical engineering at ETH Zurich in the 1950s and received his doctorate in physical chemistry in 1962. He later moved to the USA to work in the private sector. In 1970 he returned to ETH as a professor. Ernst was awarded 17 honorary doctorates and, in addition to the Nobel Prize, numerous other prestigious scientific awards, such as the Benoist Prize.
Throughout his life, Ernst had an extremely broadly range of interests and commitments. From his early youth, chemistry and art enthralled him in equal measure. During a trip to Asia, he developed a great interest in Tibetan art, which he went on to collect, study and restore. Although not a Buddhist himself, Ernst was a great admirer of Tibetan Buddhism. It was at his invitation that the Dalai Lama was a guest of ETH in 2005.
Another of Ernst’s great passions was classical music. Social issues and their context were always important to the scientist and engineer. He once said that he had never intended his research to be the exclusive reserve of the ivory tower of academia, but wanted it to be used in the development of meaningful and useful applications.
