FAU Alumni #HallOfFame: Prof. Dr. Harald zur Hausen
Virologist and Nobel Prize winner
Millions of girls and also boys have him to thank for the fact that there is an effective vaccination against cervical cancer: Prof. Dr. Harald zur Hausen. Prof. Dr. zur Hausen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2008 for his research on the human papilloma virus, with which Prof. Dr. zur Hausen was able to prove that HP viruses are significantly involved in the development of cervical cancer. The foundations for his groundbreaking research were laid by Prof. Dr. zur Hausen at FAU in the 1970s: From 1972 to 1977, he established the Institute of Virology as its founding director. Prof. Dr. zur Hausen remained closely associated with FAU even after his departure – as a university councilor (1998 to 2002), as an honorary senator of FAU (since 2002) and was awarded an honorary doctorate at the Faculty of Medicine (2005). In July 2018, FAU named a lecture hall at the Faculty of Medicine after its famous alumnus. The honoree traveled all the way to Erlangen for the inauguration ceremony. In the summer of 2021, Tanja Neumann, moderator and FAU alumna, spoke with Prof. Dr. zur Hausen, among other things, about his time at FAU, how his life changed after receiving the Nobel Prize and his deep connection to FAU.