The chemist Johannes Lelieveld uses innovative measurement methods and computer models to examine how chemical and meteorological processes impact Earth’s atmosphere. His research offers vital insights into the atmosphere’s self-cleaning capacity as well as into the influence of different kinds of emissions on climate and human health. The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Stifterverband are honouring his achievements with the 2024 Carl-Friedrich-von-Weizsäcker-Prize. The prize, endowed with 30,000 euros, is awarded for scientific achievements that deal with important challenges facing society. It is thus the German award for scientists working in the area of science-based policy advice.
“Johannes Lelieveld’s research has played an important role in helping us better understand the interaction between the atmosphere and processes on Earth,” says Leopoldina President Bettina Rockenbach. “Humans influence the atmosphere via pollutants such as particulate matter and ozone. At the same time, these pollutants negatively impact human health. Johannes Lelieveld’s research shows that air pollution and climate change cannot be considered separately. He is also frequently involved in advising policy-makers and society, not least via his involvement in the Leopoldina ‘Clean Air’ Ad hoc statement.”
“With this award to Johannes Lelieveld, the Stifterverband and the Leopoldina are honouring a scientist whose work has clearly demonstrated how excellent research can help solve urgent issues facing society,” says Michael Kaschke, President of the Stifterverband. “His latest research on air quality and the impact of emissions on health not only provides new scientific insight but also creates a solid basis for specific and workable policy decisions. He thus exemplifies the principle behind the Carl-Friedrich-von-Weizsäcker-Prize: placing science at the service of society.”
Johannes Lelieveld is a Dutch atmospheric researcher who has served as Director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz/Germany since 2000. He has developed aircraft-based measurement programmes and computer models that simulate the interaction of chemical and meteorological processes. For example, he has managed to describe how clouds influence the chemistry of the ozone, how Asian monsoons impact the atmosphere’s ability to regenerate, as well as what risks arise due to nuclear catastrophes such as at Fukushima in Japan and Chernobyl in Ukraine. More recently, he has examined the effects of air pollution on human health and how emissions impact human mortality rates. Lelieveld has also used his expertise to advise policy-makers and society, for example when it comes to prioritising which emissions should be reduced in order to lessen risks to health. He has also created guidelines to reduce the risks to human health caused by air pollution and environmental changes.
After obtaining his doctorate in atmospheric physics from the University of Utrecht/The Netherlands in 1990, and following research stays at the University of Stockholm/Sweden and the University of California in San Diego/USA, Johannes Lelieveld was appointed Professor of Atmospheric Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry at the universities in Wageningen/The Netherlands and Utrecht in 1993. He has been Director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz/Germany since 2000, and Professor of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Mainz/Germany since 2002. Johannes Lelieveld is also a member of numerous academies and scientific organisations, including the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Geophysical Union. He became a member of the Leopoldina Geosciences Section in 2015. His research has been honoured with numerous awards, including the Vilhelm Bjerknes Medal from the European Geosciences Union, and the Cardiovascular research high impact award from the European Society of Cardiology. Lelieveld was also one of the first researchers to receive an “Advanced Research Grant” from the European Research Council (ERC).
The Carl-Friedrich-von-Weizsäcker-Prize is the science prize from the Stifterverband and is endowed with 30,000 euros. Together with the Leopoldina, the Stifterverband awards the prize every two years to scientists or research teams who have made a valuable scientific contribution to tackling the challenges facing society today. The first Weizsäcker-Prize was awarded to Professor Dr Jens Reich, scientist and civil rights activist, in 2009. Other recipients include the marine researcher Antje Boetius, the economist Christian Dustmann and the neuropsychologist Thomas Elbert.
The award ceremony will take place on Tuesday 25 November 2025 in Halle (Saale)/Germany as part of the Leopoldina’s traditional Christmas Lecture, which will be held by this years’ prize winner on the topic of “Air Quality, Climate Change and Health”.