11/03/2026 | The Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) mourns the loss of its former colleague Dr Christiane Schnack, who passed away on 2 March 2026 at the age of 75.
Historian Christiane Schnack was one of the first employees at the institute who shaped ZMT in its early days. She brought a wealth of life and professional experience to the table: she grew up on her parents' farm in the Hüttener Berge hills in East Holstein. After training as a technical assistant, she worked in the fisheries biology department of the Institute of Oceanography in Kiel.
After a few years, she grew tired of laboratory work at the institute and at sea and began studying history. The cultural history of the early Middle Ages became the subject of her doctoral thesis under Michael Müller-Wille. Her doctorate was followed by archaeological project work on Lake Constance. From there, she returned to northern Germany to be close to her parents. Even after her retirement, she remained connected to her homeland.
In June 1992, she was hired by ZMT founding director Gotthilf Hempel. At that time ZMT was still an institute at the university known as the ‘Centre for Marine Tropical Ecology’. Christiane Schnack was entrusted with a varied range of tasks and sought out further fields of activity. She quickly set up the library and established a lively exchange of publications. She was responsible for preparing the ZMT's reports and was a highly valued assistant to the director. After his retirement, she continued to work with him as an assistant, supporting him in editing speeches and manuscripts.
Press and public relations work and scientific communication were close to her heart. She helped to make the centre's research accessible to a broad public and to raise the profile of international collaborations. Even in the early years of the institute, she provided communication support for scientific projects and fostered cooperation with partners from all over the world.
She was deeply committed to communicating topics related to tropical marine and coastal research – a field of research to which ZMT has been dedicated since its foundation. Her work built bridges between the natural and social sciences, as well as the media and the public. She combined technical precision with the ability to convey complex content in a clear and understandable way. Through her diverse communication efforts, Christiane Schnack contributed significantly to the national and international perception of the ZMT and its timely admission to the Leibniz Association.
She worked closely with Ulrich Saint-Paul, the first mangrove researcher at the ZMT, supporting him in his role as then Vice-Chair of the Society for Tropical Ecology (gtö) and was responsible for publishing the newsletters.
Colleagues remember Christiane Schnack as a reliable contact and a person with great warmth.
Our sympathy goes out to all those who were close to her.