Harald zur Hausen

Prof. Dr. Harald zur Hausen was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discovery of the human papillomavirus which can cause cervical cancer. He worked on the important basis for this discovery during his time at FAU, when he was head of the Institute of Clinical Virology from 1972 to 1977. Prof. zur Hausen maintained close ties with FAU after his departure and was a member of the University Council from 1998 to 2002. He became an honorary senator of FAU in 2002 and received an honourary doctorate from the Faculty of Medicine in 2005. From 1983 until 2003, zur Hausen served as Scientific Director of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ in German) in Heidelberg.