It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Ekhard Salje, a distinguished member of our community and former President of Clare Hall (2001-2008). Professor Salje’s contributions to the field of Earth Sciences and his dedicated service to Clare Hall have left an indelible mark on both the College and the wider University.

Ekhard Karl Hermann Salje FRS was born 1946 in Germany. He was an Emeritus Professor and formerly Professor of Mineralogy and Petrology and Head of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge.

Most unusually he was a Fellow of the National Academies of 3 countries: United Kingdom – the Royal Society; Germany – the Leopoldina; Spain/Catalonia – Academia Royal. He was Chevalier dans l’ordre des Palmes Academiques (France) and was awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2007, the highest order for a civilian. The People’s Republic of China presented him with China’s highest civilian honour, the Friendship Medal, at a ceremony in the President’s Lodge on 13^th December last year, a great honour for the College. He held a senior visiting post at Xi’an Jiaotong University for many years and their President and a number of senior colleagues attended the ceremony with senior diplomats.

He was Head of Department in Hanover before he moved in 1985 to Cambridge. In 1998 he assumed the post of Head of Department of Earth Sciences which he retained for 10 years until October 2008. In October 2001 he became President of Clare Hall, a post he held until 2008. He set a very high bar for future presidents. He very much relished his time in Clare Hall and remained an Honorary Fellow there. He encouraged international cooperation at Clare Hall, in particular with China.

He ran several international cooperations. As Programme Director of the Cambridge-MIT Institute, he was responsible for joint research in the field of Future Technologies at MIT and in Cambridge. He was chairman of the highly successful Cambridge e-science Centre and chairman of the steering committee of the Cambridge Environmental Initiative (CEI)  together with MIT. He was President of the British branch of the Alexander von Humboldt Association, Chairman of the Cambridge European Trust and a member of the Wissenschaftsrat (Germany), advising the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, on the future development of universities in Germany.

During visits abroad, he held the Mombusho chair in Japan, a visiting chair for Mathematics in the Sciences in Leipzig and chairs in Earth Sciences at universities in Bilbao, Grenoble, Le Mans, and the Université Paris VI. He was the Ulam fellow at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Professor Salje was the most cited researcher in Mineralogy and built the field of Mineral Physics in Cambridge. He used approaches that combine theoretical and experimental methods, such as the stability of minerals and the transformation processes that occur within them in response to changes in temperature and pressure. He developed the field of ‘Ferroelasticity’ which plays a major role in minerals but also in metals and high-tech materials. The dynamics of phase transitions include the movements of nano-domains which progress as avalanches. Over the last decade, he cooperated on these topics with Professor Ding and members of his group in Xi’an.

Beyond his academic achievements, Professor Salje was a cherished member of our community, known for his warmth, generosity, and unwavering commitment to fostering academic excellence and collaboration. His leadership as President of Clare Hall was marked by significant advancements in our academic programmes and a deepened sense of community among Fellows and students, which continues with the annual award of the Salje Medal.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Professor Salje’s family, friends, and colleagues. His legacy will continue to inspire scholars in Cambridge and around the world for generations to come.

Obituary from Cambridge University