116 Obituary

Obituary Professor Dr. Reinhard Lieberei

On March 5th 2019 Professor Reinhard Lieberei, 
one of the leading scientists in the field of 
Applied Botany, passed away in Gorleben at 
the age of 70. He was born on July 4th 1948 in 
Seefeld, a small city in the North of Germany. 
From 1968 to 1974, he studied biology at the 
TU Braunschweig. For his PhD, which he 
achieved in 1976, he joined the group of Prof. 
Dr. Böle Biehl and studied the activation of 
chloroplastic polyphenol oxidases. Thereafter, 
for his Habilitation, he entered the field of 
phytopathology and chemical ecology. In this 
context, Reinhard Lieberei’s research was 
focussed on various diseases of the cyanogenic 
rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis. He demonstrated 
that the HCN, which is liberated from injured 
Hevea leaves as potential defense mechanism 
against herbivores, strongly impairs the defense 
against pathogens by inhibiting the biosyn- 
thesis of phytoalexins. Related to this project, 
Reinhard Lieberei did his first research stay in 
the Central Amazon rain forest region in Brazil. The experiences of 
this enthralling adventure led to his ongoing interest in the tropics. 
Back in Germany, in 1984, he obtained his venia legendi in botany 
from the Faculty of Natural Science at the TU Braunschweig. 

After his Habilitation, Reinhard Lieberei held a position as Assistant 
Professor at the Technical University Braunschweig, until, in 1989,  
he accepted a Professorship at the University of Hamburg in the  
Institute for Applied Botany. He held this position until his retire- 
ment in 2013. In the university, he was strongly engaged within the 
academic self-administration, e.g., as Head of the Institute, Head of 
the Department or Head of the Faculty.

In Hamburg, Reinhard Lieberei’s research area was broadened by 
introduction of various physiological and biochemical aspects of 
plant tissue and organ culture, and − most importantly − the work 
on ecologically and economically sustainable agro-production 
in the tropics, in particular on value adding processing of cocoa 
beans, namely the control of fermentation. By further elucidating 
the physiological basis of cocoa fermentation and the intrinsic meta- 
bolic processes, he successful carried on the seminal work of his 
mentor, Prof. Böle Biehl. Reinhard Lieberei became a well known 
and renowned specialist for his studies of cocoa fermentation.  This 
scientific work – apart from the relevance for basic science − had 
an impact on processes in cocoa plantations. In this way, Reinhard 
Lieberei represented, like no other, the ideal of an “Applied Plant 
Biologist”. By his enthusiasm, he inspired and motivated many 
students to enter the field of plant biology. It was one of the major 
maxims of Reinhard Lieberei that he should pass on his knowledge 

and experiences to others. Accordingly, he 
was a very successful academic teacher and 
mentor.  This is evidenced by the large number 
of scientists that were educated, trained and 
shaped by Reinhard Lieberei and his scientific 
philosophy. 

In addition to Prof. Lieberei’s successful re-
search, his tremendous achievements as an 
academic teacher and his extensive administra-
tive work, Reinhard Lieberei always was also 
commited to support the scientific community.  
Already in his early career, he was chairman  
of the association “Host Pathogen Interactions”  
within the German Phytomedicinal Society 
(Deutsche Phytomedizinische Gesellschaft). 
From 1996 to 2005, he was president of the  
German Society of Applied Botany (Vereini-
gung für Angewandte Botanik). In his incum-
bency, he has made many efforts to modernise 
and update the society. From 2008 to 2013, he 

acted as editor-in-chief for the Journal of Applied Botany. Due to  
his comprehensive knowledge of plant biology and his extensive  
experience in the tropics, he was appointed as Scientific Head of  
the SHIFT programme (Studies on Human Impact on Forests and 
Floodplains in the Tropics), an important and extensive venture of  
the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. For about 
six years (1996-2003), he was responsible for coordination and 
guidance of the various scientific endeavors involving sustainable 
management in Brazil. Because of his well known reputation, he 
was made a part of many other multilateral research projects, e.g., 
ECOMAN (Ecosystem Management in Atlantic Rain Forest Rural 
Areas). After his retirement he continued being active in the field  
of Applied Botany, and in 2018, he realized his lifelong dream by 
establishing a corresponding museum: the Museum für Nutzpflanzen 
in Gorleben, which was opened in October 2018.

Although the scientific work of Reinhard Lieberei was mainly 
established in field of Applied Botany, his research also had a strong 
impact in basic science, especially the interface between plant 
physiology, biochemistry and ecology. His contributions to this 
interdisciplinary area of research was based on his comprehensive 
knowledge and experience is each branch of plant biology. In this 
regard, Reinhard was one of the last and rare polymaths in modern 
plant biology. 

 
Dirk Selmar 

Institute for Plant Biology, TU Braunschweig,  
Braunschweig, Germany

Prof. Dr. Reinhard Lieberei  
(1948-2019)