Erich Sackmann (1934–2024), Emeritus of Excellence in the Department of Physics at the Technical University Munich in Germany, passed away on May 29, 2024. Erich was a long-time member of the Biophysical Society and president of the German Biophysical Society from 1974 to 1980.
Erich was a pioneer of German biological physics, inspiring generations of students and researchers worldwide. His research focused on the mechanics and thermodynamics of the living cell, ranging from the physics of cell membranes, cell adhesion, and the cytoskeleton to the physics of biological polymers and their molecular assemblies. He is renowned for developing a number of model systems, such as polymer-supported lipid bilayers or synthetic vesicles functionalized with ligands and cytoskeletal elements, which enabled studies of cell adhesion, cell recognition, and cell migration.
Erich started his research group in 1974 at the University of Ulm, Germany, where he studied the phase behavior of lipid monolayers. In 1980, he moved to Technical University Munich, Germany, where he led the advent of biophysics: from studies of molecular motions in lipid membranes, to mechanical properties of red blood cells, reconstituted lipid vesicles, and actin networks. In his studies, he applied experimental methods developed in other areas of physics, such as neutron-spin echo spectroscopy, neutron reflectometry, and light scattering, to cells or their model systems. He established a series of measurement techniques, such as magnetic tweezers microrheology and quantitative interference contrast microscopy, which are used widely by the field. Moreover, the precision of his novel experimental techniques contributed to the entry of modern polymer physics into biology.
Erich received numerous prestigious awards during his long and illustrious career. He received the Wolfgang Ostwald Award of the German Colloidal Society in 2001 and the Stern-Gerlach Medal in 2005, the highest award for experimental physics given by the German Physical Society. Erich saw teaching as his calling and was beloved among his many students from his classroom and the lab. Aside from his scientific pursuits, he liked to travel the world, hike in Schwartzwald, and read mystery novels.