Gerhard Ertl received his PhD in physical chemistry in 1965 from the Technical University of Munich. He is currently Professor Emeritus at Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Germany, where he was also the Director of the Department of Physical Chemistry from 1986 to 2004. In addition to winning the 2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces, his many awards received over the years include the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the Karl Ziegler Prize, the Otto Hahn Prize, and the Japan Prize. He is an acknowledged leader in the field of surface science.

Helmut Knozinger received his Ph.D. at the University of Munich and became a professor of physical chemistry. His research interests are the fields of surface spectroscopy, surface chemistry and heterogeneous catalysis. The professor is co-editor of numerous books. He was President of the International Association of Catalysis Societies and received national and international awards, such as The Alwin Mittasch-Medal and the Max Planck-Forschungspreis.