Steckbrief Herkunft / Profile Background
Introduction :
- Former husband of German chancellor Angela Merkel, Ulrich Merkel is a molecular biophysicist at the Technical University of Munich.
- He has grey eyes with smoke grey hair and is of white ethnicity.
Personal Life, Parents and Family Details :
- Ulrich was born and brought up in the city of Chemnitz, Germany.
- He got married to her college classmate Angela Kasner in 1977, although the couple divorced in 1982. It was in the year 1974 that they had met and both were studying physics at the same university at the time. They respected each other and fell in love subsequently.
- Angela Kasner is now Angela Merkel – Germany’s former chancellor. She was born on 17th of July, 1954 in Hamburg-Barmbec-Nord, Germany and took the topmost position of her country in the year 2005. She herself was a noted physicist and Quantum chemist before she joined politics in 1989.
- His father-in-law was Pfarrer Horst Kasner aka ‘Der Rote Kasner’ who died on 2nd September, 2011.
- His brother-in-law and sister-in-law were Marcus Kasner and Irene Kasner. Marcus and Irene are theoretical physicist and occupational therapist respectively.
Education : Qualifications, High School & College Info
- Ulrich completed his graduation with a Bachelor’s degree in physics during the period 1974 to 1977.
Career, Job, Salary and Net Worth :
- Ulrich is currently a full-time professor at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. He also undertakes research projects related to the field of Molecular physics coupled with biotechnology.
- Molecular Biophysics is a multi-disciplinary field with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Engineering combined into one. It is the study of physical principles that attempt to explain the biological function of bio-molecular systems in junction with structure, dynamics and organization of single molecules to macromolecular structures.
- This field encompasses a range of experimental and theoretical fields such as OMR (Optical & Magnetic Resonance), Micro-calorimetry, Fluorescence imaging, computer simulations, molecular modelling, in-phase kinetic techniques, Information Science, Statistical mechanics and X-ray Crystallography.
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- A close friend of his and Angela and he talked about the reason for their divorce. He said that there was no outward animosity in the marriage which could have hinted that they were unhappy. Both were of naturally sombre mood which also didn’t give away any clues to their divorce.
- He recounted that Ulrich and Angela had shifted in a downtrodden one-room flat in Leipzig and a year later, after graduation, moved to East Berlin. The flat had no toilet and no hot water and was very unsanitary. For the coming 3 years, Ulrich was constantly taking time out after his work to refurbish the flat while her beau studied for her Ph.D. One day, in 1982, Angela just packed her bags and moved out of the apartment, a few months after which they divorced officially.
- Interestingly, German chancellor Angela Merkel has still kept Ulrich’s last name despite having second marriage to Joachim Sauer in 1997, to whom she is married till present. Joachim is a Quantum chemist and is a professor at Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany.
- There is a black and white photo of Ulrich and Angela in their young days of marriage. Both are standing, with their hands locked with each other, on a small village road near a forest consisting of massive Eucalyptus trees. He is wearing a collared t-shirt and jeans with a leather jacket on top, while Angela is wearing jeans and a top with a sweater and jacket on top. Her jacket is buttoned up while Ulrich’s is open. Also, both have short hairdo in the picture.