Thisbe Kerstin Lindhorst HonFRSC (born 19 November 1962) is a German biochemist who has been professor of organic chemistry and biochemistry at Kiel University since 2000.[1] She was a board member of the German Chemical Society from 2012 to 2019,[2] and was elected as its president from 2016 to 2017. Her research focuses on glycosciences and the function of the glycocalyx.[3]

Early life and education

Lindhorst was born on 19 November 1962 in Munich.[4] She studied chemistry at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich from 1981 to 1984 and chemistry with biochemistry at the University of Münster from 1985 to 1987.[2] She achieved a PhD at the University of Hamburg in 1991,[3] with a thesis on the inhibitors of fucose metabolism.[5]

She undertook her postdoctorate at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada from 1992, focusing on carbohydrates and dendrimers,[5] before returning to Hamburg to earn her habilitation in 1998.[3]

Career

In 2000, Lindhorst was appointed Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at Kiel University; she was the first woman to hold the post since the Second World War.[6]

In 2015, Lindhorst was elected president of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) for the 2016–2017 term.[7] She was second women to hold the position in the society's 150-year history.[8]

As part of the society's anniversary commemorations in 2017, Lindhorst co-edited Unendliche Weiten: Kreuz und quer durchs Chemie-Universum, a book covering the implications of modern chemistry to everyday life, with Hans-Jürgen Quadbeck-Seeger.[8][9] In August 2017, she wrote the editorial for Angewandte Chemie celebrating the GDCh's anniversary, noting chemistry's moral and ethical duties, and pushing for "a culture that has the well-being of the entire population and the planet in mind".[10]

Research

Lindhorst is an expert in carbohydrate chemistry and has written over 150 research papers.[8] She has pioneered studies of multivalency in the glycosciences and the importance of the orientation of molecules on cell surfaces for biological recognition.[8] Her findings around molecule orientation have potential for anti-adhesion therapies and in antimicrobial drug development.[8]

Honours and awards

In 1998, Lindhorst was awarded the chemistry prize of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Karl Ziegler funding award.[1] She also won the Carl Duisberg Memorial Prize [de] in 2000.[1][3]

In 2017, Lindhorst was one of 12 women given the IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering award.[6][8] She was also made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2017.[11]

Personal life

Lindhorst has two children, born in 1991 and 1995.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Kurzbiographie und Publikationen von Thisbe K. Lindhorst". University of Hamburg (in German). Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Research Profile/CV Prof. Dr. Thisbe K. Lindhorst" (PDF). Kiel University. January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Guest lecture by Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Thisbe Lindhorst: Modern Perspectives in the Glycosciences". Giessen University. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Lindhorst, Thisbe". University of Hamburg. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Prof. Dr. Thisbe K. Lindhorst". AcademiaNet. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b "International Award for Thisbe K. Lindhorst". Kiel University. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  7. ^ Renate Hoer (23 September 2015). "Thisbe K. Lindhorst wird neue GDCh-Präsidentin". German Chemical Society (in German). Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Awards" (PDF). IUPAC. p. 4. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Unendliche Weiten: Kreuz und quer durchs Chemie-Universum". Wiley. March 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  10. ^ Thisbe K. Lindhorst (10 August 2017). "Chemistry Has a Commitment to Life". Angewandte Chemie. 56 (37): 10962–10963. doi:10.1002/anie.201707088. PMID 28796403. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Our Honorary Fellows". Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 4 January 2024.