Mourning for Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Hansjörg Sinn
Founding Father of TUHH Passes Away at a Very Advanced Age
23.12.2025
He was one of the intellectual fathers of Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) and inscribed the founding mission "Technology for Humanity" into its DNA: Now, Professor Dr. rer. nat. Hansjörg Sinn has passed away at the age of 95. The TU Hamburg mourns Hansjörg Sinn, who was one of the most influential personalities in Hamburg’s science policy for decades.
“With Hansjörg Sinn, the TU Hamburg loses one of its founding fathers and most important visionaries. His guiding principle ‘Technology for Humanity’ continues to shape our university today — as a commitment to always combine excellent engineering sciences with social responsibility. We owe him great thanks and will honor his work and attitude in respectful memory,” commented the President of the TUHH Professor Dr.-Ing. Andreas Timm-Giel.
Sinn was born on July 20, 1929, in Ludwigshafen. After studying in Mainz, Innsbruck, Bonn, and Braunschweig, he earned his doctorate in 1956 and habilitated in 1963 in Munich. From 1965 until his retirement in 1995, he shaped teaching and research at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hamburg. His work on metallocene/MAO catalysts and on the pyrolysis of plastics and used tires set standards and had a lasting impact on polymer chemistry. As rector and from 1970 to 1972 as vice president of the University of Hamburg, as well as in his as a non-partisan senator for science and research, he acted as a conciliator during politically challenging times in higher education and made important contributions to Hamburg’s science and economic location, including founding the TU Harburg and the Institute for Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hamburg. For his scientific achievements, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by TUHH. Sinn was a consistent advocate for a second university in Hamburg with technical disciplines. Already in 1928, Max Brauer, the citizen of Altona and later First Mayor of Hamburg, had spoken of a "Technical University on the Lower Elbe." Independently of this, Sinn noted in the 1960s a lack of technical disciplines and consistently campaigned for a Technical University in Hamburg. Nevertheless, more than a decade passed until its founding in 1978. “Perhaps the evaluation was too thorough,” Sinn speculated in 1982 as a reason for the long maturation process: “But in the end, the Harburg location emerged as a gem among German universities.” Early on, Sinn attested to the success of the founding: TUHH had an “exceptional quality consciousness.” The networking with industry was exemplary. Regarding the motivation behind the guiding principle “Technology for Humanity,” which he developed during the founding years, Sinn said: “It is important that we are not dominated by technology but rather use technology to increase our welfare and shape our environment accordingly.”
With Hansjörg Sinn, TU Hamburg loses one of its founding fathers, a continuous advocate and visionary, a great researcher, and a person who represented forward-looking principles with his attitude that continue to influence TU Hamburg. The Hamburg University of Technology will honor his memory with great respect.
TUHH - Public Relations Office
Ruediger Bendlin
E-Mail: bendlin@tuhh.de
Phone: +49 40 428 78 3330
