With deep sadness, we announce the passing of Professor Hanspeter Pfander on June 10, 2025, at the age of 85. He passed away peacefully of natural causes at the Bürgerspital in
Berne, surrounded by his beloved wife Regula. Until his final days, he remained intellectually engaged, particularly in the fields of politics and science, with a lifelong passion for carotenoids. He looked back on a long and distinguished career in carotenoid research.
In 1972, Hanspeter was appointed Associate Professor at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Bern, succeeding Professor Grob to lead the carotenoid research group. From the outset, he established a productive collaboration with carotenoid researchers at Roche, particularly with Dr. Isler. In 1975, he served as General Secretary of the Carotenoid
Symposium in Bern—marking the beginning of a 40+-year commitment to the International Carotenoid Society, which lasted until the Lucerne conference in 2017.
Over the course of his career, Hanspeter authored more than 200 scientific publications and patents, many of which were the result of international collaborations. Notably, he worked closely with the University Medical School of Pécs (Hungary) and the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca (Romania). In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded honorary doctorates by Cluj in 1994 and by Pécs in 1997.
Hanspeter’s research focused on the synthesis of carotenoids. Through meticulous multistep synthesis pathways, he and his team succeeded in producing numerous carotenoids to better understand their structure, properties, and potential applications. His work laid the foundation for the synthetic accessibility of both commercially and scientifically significant carotenoids.
In the later stages of his academic career, he collaborated with Professors Jensen and Britton to compile a comprehensive book series on carotenoids. Volume 1A was published in 1995, and in 2017 the authors revisited the colorful history of carotenoids—creating a reference work that remains indispensable today.
His lifetime achievements were recognized by the International Carotenoid Society with the President’s Award in 2011 and the Otto Isler Award in 2017. The latter, which he fondly referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize of Carotenoids,’ held special significance for him.
Following his retirement in 1999, Hanspeter embarked on a new venture: in 2000, he co-founded Carotenature. What began as a post-retirement project evolved into a successful
small business. He remained actively involved in the company until 2021, before entering a well-deserved second retirement.
We will remember Hanspeter as a dedicated researcher and scientist, an exceptional organizer, and above all, a warm-hearted individual with a fine sense of humor and an open
mind.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Regula, his son Marc, his daughter Babette, and their families.
