Hartmut Grassl Receives Medal for Art and Science from the City of Hamburg
Credit: VDW
During a festive symposium on 25 September, 2025, Hamburg's Senator for Science Maryam Blumenthal presented the Medal for Art and Science to Hartmut Grassl, former director at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M). Awarded by the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the honor recognizes the climate researcher's exceptional scientific achievements. It has been awarded to outstanding personalities from the fields of research, science, and art since 1956.
The symposium “From the Alps to the Wadden Sea” at Bucerius Law School, during which the award ceremony took place, was organized by the Federation of German Scientists VDW (Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler) with the support of the MPI-M, among others. The occasion was Grassl’s 85th birthday on March 18, 2025.
“Hartmut Grassl has had a significant impact on our institute and on climate research in Hamburg and Germany, and has been exceptionally committed to communicating climate change and advising policymakers,” says Jochem Marotzke, Managing Director of the MPI-M.
The Senator for Science emphasized this as well: “Professor Hartmut Grassl's work is a prime example of what science can achieve for our society.”
Hartmut Grassl was a director at the MPI-M from 1988 to 1994 and from 1999 to 2005. His research included the study of radiative transfer in the atmosphere using satellite and ground-based observation methods as well as models. He was also involved in various advisory bodies, such as the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU). From 1994 to 1999, he was director of the World Climate Research Programme in Geneva. He received numerous awards, including the Max Planck Research Prize, the German Environmental Award, and the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Hartmut Grassl
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
hartmut.grassl@mpimet.mpg.de
Prof. Dr. Jochem Marotzke
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
jochem.marotzke@mpimet.mpg.de