Diffusive Spreading in Nature, Technology and Society

Epidemic Spreading.- Hot Brownian Motion: Experiment.- Nature-Inspired Transport Optimization.- The Neolithic Transition.- Spreading Innovations.- Expansion of Language Families.- The Expansion of Farming.- Spreading of Failures in the Internet and in Power Grids.- Analyzing Language Shift.- Search for Food of Birds, Fish and Insects.- Uphill Diffusion.- Hot Brownian Motion: Theory.- Dispersal in Plants and Animals.- Diffusive Transport in Non-Equilibrium Steady State.- A New Class of Superspreader.- Transport Systems Living Organisms.- Brain Structure Revealed by Diffusive Spread of Molecules.- NMR Versatility.- Spore Dispersal in Lower Organisms.- Diffusion Processes in Atmospheric Physics.- Language Migration.

Prof. Jörg KärgerProfessional Career1962 - 1968 Studying Physics at Leipzig University1968 - 1970 PhD-fellow Leipzig University, Dr. rer. nat. in Physics 19701970 - 1977 Scientific co-worker, Leipzig University1977 - 1982 Senior scientific co-worker, Leipzig University1978 Habilitation ("Promotion B")1982 - 1989 Lecturer, Leipzig University1989 - 1994 extraordinary Professor, Leipzig University1994 - April 2009 Professor with full chair (Interface Physics), Leipzig Universitysince April 2009 Professor emeritus, Leipzig University
Professional Activities and Memberships1996 - 1999 Dean of the Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences at Leipzig University1996 - 1999 President of the German Zeolite Association, member of the FEZA Board (Federation of European ZeoliteAssociations)1997 - 2000 Ombudsman of Leipzig University2002 - 2006 Editorship www.diffusion-fundamentals.org (since 2003),Microporous and Mesoporous Materials (European Editor 2004 - 2008)
Membership in Editorial BoardsZeolites (1992 - 1997), Adsorption (since 1993), Microporous andMesoporous Materials (since 1993)Honours1978 Gustav-Hertz-Award of the German Physical Society1980 Leibniz-Medal of the German Academy of Sciences1986 Donald-W.-Breck Award of the International Zeolite Association (togetherwith H. Pfeifer, D. Freude and M. Bülow)1993 Max Planck Research Award of the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation and the Max-Planck-Society2000 Member of the Saxon Academy of Sciences2005 Theodor-Litt-Award of Leipzig UniversityResearch InterestExperiment andtheory of mass transfer and matter conversion in complex systems



Prof. Dr. Gero Vogl, Wien Dr.phil. (Physik, Universität Wien), Dr. rer.nat.habil. (TU München) Emer. Professor 

"It is this new view on a subject, to which also the reader of this book is cordially invited during his walk through the most diverse realms of spreading phenomena, with manifold, excellent opportunities provided by the individual chapters and with a wealth of correlations between these chapters, by which the book has become much more than their simple sum." (Armin Uhlmann, zbMATH 1405.00009, 2019)
"This book provides a broad overview of the state of the art in understanding and studying diffusive spreading throughout an impressive array of subjects. ... The book has numerous examples that will be useful to instructors in a mass transfer class, and the book should be of interest to a wide audience of chemical engineers. It is genuinely enjoyable reading in that hazy area between work-related and leisure reading." (Randall Q. Snurr, AIChE Journal, January, 2019)
"The book covers topics related to nature, technology and society, as promised by the book title. The key messages of the various chapters, twenty in total, are thoroughly elaborated and presented addressing a broad readership. The boundaries among the individual scientific disciplines are crossed. ... it is the wide scope considered in the book and the scholarly presentation which makes me warmly recommend the book for a broad audience, within and beyond the readership of our journal." (K. Hammer, Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, September, 2018)
"This book is a nicely edited and well-presented compilation of the papers given at the Sixth International Diffusion conference, held at the Technical University of Dresden in August 2015. ... this is an excellent book which should be of lasting value to anyone who is interested this important subject." (Douglas Ruthven, Adsorption - Journal of the International Adsorption Society, Vol. 24 (04), May, 2018)