Prof. em. Dr. Jan Olof Stenflo

Jan Olof Stenflo became full Professor in astronomy at the ETH and the University of Zurich (dual professorship) in 1980 and has been head of the Institute of Astronomy since that time. This institute was founded in connection with the appointment of Professor Stenflo. He retired end of November 2007.

Born in Sweden in 1942, J.O. Stenflo completed his PhD and habilitation thesis in astronomy at the Lund University in 1968 on the basis of observations of the sun's magnetic field which he had made in the former Soviet Union. There followed several years in the USA (Pasadena, Boulder), combined with research periods in Lund, Sweden, and PI activity for a solar experiment on a Soviet satellite.

His research was mainly in the area of solar astrophysics. At ETH Zurich he has led the development of advanced instrument systems for polarimetry and the exploration of solar magnetic fields. These systems are now used with great success at the world's largest solar telescopes in the USA and on the Canary Islands. During 1983-97 he was president of the LEST (Large Earth-based Solar Telescope) Foundation. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.