In Memoriam

Franz will be remembered for founding the fields of chronobiology, chronomics and chronobioethics. 

Born on July 5, 1919 in Romania, Franz studied the adrenal as a physician scientist in post-World War II Innsbruck, Austria. His work continued at Harvard Medical School, where he held a World Health Organization fellowship in clinical endocrinology in 1948. In 1949, he moved to the University of Minnesota, where his breakthrough experiments led to the important discovery that circadian rhythms are partly endogenous and can be manipulated by environmental synchronizers, notably the lighting and feeding schedules. Franz coined the term circadian, after documenting that biologic rhythms tip the scale between health and disease and even between life and death.

Franz was a scholar in the true sense of the word, combining science, philosophy, poetry, and spirituality. His close associates lost a dynamo, an inspiration, and a truly great friend, and leaves a void that cannot be filled. Many worldwide call him their mentor and turned to him for advice. Minnesota Medicine called him Father Time, and colleagues in Russia and Azerbaijan honored him as Lord of Time.