Gottfried Schatz

Gottfried Schatz (born 18 August 1936 in Strem, Austria) is a Swiss - Austrian biochemist. He played a leading role in elucidating the biogenesis of mitochondria and was a co-discoverer of mitochondrial DNA.

Upon obtaining his PhD in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Graz (Austria), he did postdoctoral work at the University of Vienna and at "The Public Health Institute" of the City of New York. In 1968, he emigrated to the USA in order to assume a professorship Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Six years later, he returned to Europe in order to join the newly created Biocenter at the University of Basel, which he chaired from 1983 to 1985, From 1984 to 1989 he was Secretary General of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). After his retirement in 2000, he presided the Swiss Science and Technology Council (SSTC) until 2003. He is the author of more than 200 professional publications as well as of two books of essays on the broader implications of science. His scientific autobiography "Interplanetary travels" was published in 2000.

(Tratto dalla voce Gottfried Schatz pubblicata in Wikipedia)