Nobel laureate Richard R. Ernst, the pioneer of modern nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), died on 4 June 2021 in his birth town of Winterthur, Switzerland. He was the key player in transforming NMR from its roots in physics to an indispensable tool in chemistry and medicine. His many fundamental innovations not only propelled NMR into becoming the most versatile analytical method in structural chemistry and molecular biophysics but also were essential to the development of Fourier-transform (FT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an exceptionally powerful tool in diagnostic medicine.
Ernst was born on 14 August 1933, the son of an architecture teacher. His parents fostered a love for music in him and his two sisters, with Ernst composing and playing the cello. His interest in chemistry was kindled by the discovery in his home’s attic of a large box of chemicals left by his late uncle, a metallurgical engineer. Ernst went...
