Professor Kurt Mehlhorn awarded the Saarland Order of Merit

The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.

In her speech, Minister-President Anke Rehlinger praised Mehlhorn as the ‘architect of Saarland as a centre for computer science’: "For over five decades, Kurt Mehlhorn has played a decisive role in shaping the profile of computer science in Saarland – as a researcher, teacher, networker and visionary. With foresight and perseverance, he has created institutions that today extend far beyond our national borders. He has not only strengthened the location, but also promoted generations of young scientists. This life's work deserves the highest recognition."

Kurt Mehlhorn, born on 29 August 1949 in Ingolstadt, is one of the most influential figures in computer science in Germany and Europe. After studying Mathematics and Computer Science in Munich and at Cornell University in the USA, where he obtained his doctorate in 1974, he began his scientific career at Saarland University in 1974. First as a research assistant, then from 1975 as a professor of computer science. During his first year as a professor at the university, he had to replace himself as a visiting professor in his own chair, as at the age of 26 he was not yet old enough to become a full professor; he was only able to take up a regular position at the age of 27.

At the end of the 1980s, Kurt Mehlhorn was accepted as a scientific member of the Max Planck Society and entrusted with the establishment of the first Max Planck Institute dedicated exclusively to computer science. In 1990, the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science was founded with Mehlhorn as its founding director and based in Saarbrücken. The location was chosen thanks in part to Mehlhorn's decades of scientific work, which had contributed to the international reputation of computer science in Saarbrücken. Minister President Rehlinger emphasised that hardly any other scientist had shaped Saarland as a centre for computer science over the past 50 years and – indeed – continued to do so as much as Kurt Mehlhorn. 

Mehlhorn's scientific work focuses on algorithms – the basis of every calculation. An algorithm is a precisely described sequence of individual steps for solving an (informatic) problem. In recent decades, its further development has proven to be many times more important for the performance of modern computer systems than the mere increase in computing speed. In 1995, Mehlhorn and colleagues founded Algorithmic Solutions Software GmbH, which set global standards with LEDA, a software library for graph theory and geometric calculations.

Mehlhorn has supervised over 90 doctoral students during his career. Even as a senior professor, he remains active in teaching and is committed to the further development of the university as a centre of science. He has received numerous awards for his decades of successful work as a scientist and scientific director, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation (1987), the Konrad Zuse Medal (1995), the French Gay-Lussac-Humboldt Prize (1989) and seven honorary doctorates. From 2002 to 2008, he was also Vice-President of the Max Planck Society and continues to serve as an honorary ambassador for Saarland. ‘Kurt Mehlhorn is a figurehead for our state – as a world-renowned scientist, teacher and innovator,’ said Rehlinger. ‘By awarding him the Saarland Order of Merit, we are honouring not only his scientific excellence, but also his contribution to the reputation of the Saarland around the world.’