Research

The zoologist and anatomist Ernst Haeckel was among the foremost evolution theorists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In his research, he was guided by Darwin's insights and focused on the developmental stages of marine animals such as radiolarians, calcareous sponges, medusae and siphonophores.

Haeckel also acted as an artist. Furthermore, he was the founder of the Deutscher Monistenbund, promoting natural scientific knowledge based on materialist monism.

Since 2013, an edition of Haeckel's letters is being prepared at the Ernst-Haeckel-Haus at the University of Jena as Leopoldina long-term project. Here, apart from Haeckel's significance as a scientist, his cultural and political involvements will be commented critically.

www.leopoldina.org/de/haeckel

Career

• since 1909 Professor Emeritus
• since 1865 Professor of Zoology at the University of Jena
• 1865 Dr. phil., University of Jena
• 1862 Extraordinary Professor at the University of Jena
• 1861 Private lecturer at the University of Jena
• 1861 Habilitation, University of Jena
• 1858 Medical exam and licensure as physician
• 1857 Dr. med. at the University of Berlin
• 1856 Assistant of Rudolf Virchow at the University of Würzburg
• 1852-1858 Studies of medicine in Berlin, Würzburg and Vienna

Functions

• 1908 Co-Founder of the “Phyletisches Museum”, Jena, Germany
• 1906 Founder of the “Deutscher Monistenbund“
• 1882 Co-Founder of the Institute of Zoology at the University of Jena, Germany
• 1876 Prorector of the University of Jena, Germany

Honours and Memberships

• 1909 Honorary Doctor, University of Geneva (Dr. med.hc.)
• 1908 Darwin-Wallace Medal
• 1907 Medal of the Swedish Academy on occasion of Linné's 200th birthday
• 1905 Honorary Member of the “Gesellschaft für Rassenhygiene”
• 1900 Bressa Prize of the Academy of Sciences Torino
• 1900 Darwin Medal of the Royal Society
• 1899 External Member of the Accademia dei Lincei
• 1898 Honorary Doctor, University of Cambridge, UK
• 1895 Medal for his merits in characterizing marine animals from the collections of the Challenger expedition
• 1894 Golden Linné Medal of the Linnean Society
• 1894 Honorary Member of the “Nassauischer Verein für Naturkunde”
• 1889 Honorary Member of the „Medizinischer Verein“ of the University of Jena, Germany (nowadays “Landsmannschaft Rhenania zu Jena und Marburg”)
• 1884 Honorary Doctor, University of Edinburgh, UK
• 1865 Honorary Doctor, University of Jena, Germany
• 1864 Cothenius Medal of the Leopoldina, Germany