Wilhelm Foissner
Wilhelm Foissner (born August 18, 1948 in Wartberg ob der Aist , Upper Austria ; † March 20, 2020 ) was an Austrian biologist. He was a university professor working in Salzburg and a leading expert in the taxonomy and biology of the ciliates (eyelash animals) worldwide.
life and work
Wilhelm Foissner was born in 1948 as the son of the federal railway official Anton Foissner, his wife Maria Foissner in Wartberg ob der Aist, Upper Austria . After completing primary school, he began an apprenticeship as a carpenter, which he completed with the journeyman's examination. He then worked as a laboratory assistant in a medical laboratory. In 1973 he passed the external university entrance qualification and then worked until 1980 as a teacher for microscopy and photography at the Linz hospital. At the same time, Foissner studied zoology and botany at the University of Salzburg and received his doctorate here in 1979. In 1980, Foissner became an assistant, and after his habilitation in 1982 in 1987, professor at the zoological institute of the University of Salzburg. From 1996 to 1999, Foissner was President of the German Society of Protozoologists after a three-year vice-presidency . In 2006 he became President of the International Society of Protozoologists.
Foissner's work was recognized in awards and honors. The "Ilse und Wilhelm Foissner Foundation" is named after the cilitate researcher and his wife, it awards prizes and supports international projects. In 1988 Helmut Berger , Salzburg, 1989 Josef Dieckmann from Münster (D), 1990 Hans Find Larsen , (Dk) and 1992 Weibo Song (China) was the winner.
Wilhelm Foissner's scientific work so far comprises around 200 lectures, 10 books and a good 600 (!) Publications, most of which have been published in internationally recognized specialist journals. Around 500 new species, many new genera and some new families and orders were discovered by Foissner. This scientific achievement makes Foissner one of the world's leading experts in research into the world of protozoa.
Wilhelm Foissner's field of work is the unicellular organisms ( Protozoa ) and primarily the ciliate animals ( Ciliophora ) and the shell amoeba ( Testacea ). His work includes studies of biodiversity , morphology , taxonomy , phylogeny and fine structure, studies of the ecology of the ciliates and test acts of the waters and especially of the soil , studies of the nature and function of the "silver line system" discovered by the Viennese BM Klein. Soil zoology has developed as a new focus, whereby the use of soil animals for bioindication is particularly taken into account.
Awards
- 1980 Christian Doppler Prize of the State of Salzburg
- 1985 Sandoz Prize in Vienna
- 1986 Tratz Prize (Salzburg)
- 1992 Stiegl Water Protection Prize (Salzburg)
- 1999 Culture Prize of the Province of Upper Austria
- 2003 Culture Medal of the Province of Upper Austria
Web links
- Literature by and about Wilhelm Foissner in the catalog of the German National Library
- Biography on the website of the University of Salzburg
- Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Foissner on ZOBODAT
- Website Landesmuseum Upper Austria. (PDF; 5.3 MB)
- Festschrift Wilhelm Foissner
- PDF University of Salzburg
- [1]
- Book excerpt from Google Books
Individual evidence
- ↑ Salzburger Nachrichten: Wilhelm Foissner dies: The man who gets animals out of the mud. Retrieved March 26, 2020 .
- ↑ Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Foissner on ZOBODAT biography.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Foissner, Wilhelm |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian biologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 18, 1948 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wartberg ob der Aist , Upper Austria |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 20, 2020 |