Heiner Eckert was born in Munich, Germany, where he gained his diploma in Chemistry at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in 1973, going on to receive his PhD with “summa cum laude” under Professor I. Ugi three years later. In 1977, he founded “Dr. Eckert GmbH”, a company specializing in developing fine chemicals and processes for chemicals production, particularly in the field of phosgenation reactions. At present he is working as an Academic Director at the TUM, with his research focused on new methods in organic syntheses development. Dr. Eckert has published numerous scientific publications and patents, and indeed the “Eckert hydrogenation catalysts” are named for him.