Research

Rudolf Hagemann is distinguished for many important contributions to General Genetics and Plant Genetics. He did research work for ten years in the Institute for Research in Cultivated Plants Gatersleben of the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin, headed by Hans Stubbe. In 1967 he was appointed Professor of Genetics and head of the Institute of Genetics of the University of Halle, Faculty of Sciences. He built up this institute and led it for 25 years. It won a good reputation nationally and internationally.

His main fields of research have been (1) genetic instability (paramutation) and (2) chloroplast genetics (= plastid genetics). Together with an increasing number of coworkers he investigated the experimental induction of plastid mutations, the molecular and electron microscopic analysis of plastid mutants and the modes of their transmission, the expression of plastid genes and their cooperation with nuclear genes. Moreover, problems of evolution have been studied. In the 1990-years the history of genetics became the main field of Hagemann’s research work.
So far he published 210 papers, review articles and books, among them several monographs and a textbook of “General Genetics” in four editions.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Rudolf Hagemann, Jägerplatz 3, D-06108 Halle (Saale), hagemann@genetik.uni-halle.de

Career

• 1997 Guest Professor of Molecular Genetics at University of Salzburg, Austria
• since 1996 Retired Professor of Genetics; Lectures about the Fundamentals of Genetics in Leipzig, Germany; Research work on the History of Genetics and Extranuclear Inheritance
• 1996 Professor of Genetics at Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine in Göttingen, Germany 
• 1994-1996 Professor of Genetics at Max-Planck-Institute of Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany
• 1990/95 Guest Professor of Molecular Genetics at University of Salzburg, Austria
• 1967-1994 Professor of Genetics and Director of the Institute of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
• 1981-1984 Director the Section of Biological Sciences of University of Halle, Germany
• 1966 Habilitation, University of Halle, Germany
• 1958-1967 Research work in the Institute for Research in Cultivated Plants of the German Academy of Sciences Berlin at Gatersleben, Germany
• 1958 Promotion University of Halle, Germany    
• 1955-1958 Research work in the Institute for Research in Cultivated Plants of the German Academy of Sciences Berlin at Gatersleben, Germany
• 1955 Diploma in Biology
• 1952-1955 Study of biology and genetics at the University of Halle, Germany
• 1950-1952 Study of biology at the University of Leipzig, Germany

Projects

• 1971-1990 Member of the GDR-central Research Project MOGEVUS and the subsequent project “Programm Biosciences”

Functions

• since 2014 Chair of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geschichte und Theorie der Biologie (DGGTB)
• 1987-1990 Member of the „Scientific Board of the Max Planck Institute for Cultivation Research, Cologne, Germany
• 1967-1990 Chairman of the Section “Genetics and Breeding” and member of the precidency of the Biological Society of GDR

Honors and Memberships

• 2013 Miescher-Ischida Prize of the International Society of Endocytobiology
• 1990 Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of German Democratic Republic (GDR) 
• 1989 Award of the Thomasius Medal of the University Halle in recognition of the promotion of upcoming scientists
• 1980 Award of the N.I.Vavilov Medal of the All Union Society of Geneticists and Breeders of the Soviet Union
• 1969 Election to member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina; Member of its Senate from 1974 to 1993