Peter Christian Lockemann (17 November 1935 – 21 July 2025) was a German computer scientist and academic who was professor of

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

at the

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; ) is both a German public research university in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, and a research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 when the University of Karlsruhe (), founde ...

and was director at the

FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik The FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik ("Research Center for Information Technology"), is a non-profit research institute for applied computer science and informatics research and technology transfer. It was established in 1985 by Wirtschaftsministe ...

Karlsruhe (FZI). He retired in March 2004. Lockemann was considered a pioneer of

business information systems An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, Information Processing and Management, store, and information distribution, distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, info ...

and was involved in the development of

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and a ...

s and

information systems An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, information systems comprise four components: task, people, structu ...

. He published textbooks and over 100 scientific articles.

Life and career

Lockemann studied

Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

at the

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Established in 1868 by King Ludwig II ...

and finished his doctoral studies in 1963 under the supervision of

Hans Piloty Hans Piloty (November 1, 1894 – August 12, 1969) was a German electrical engineer and communications engineer. Life Hans Jakob Piloty descended from an upper middle-class Munich family of artists and scholars. He began studying electrical eng ...

. He was subsequently a Research Fellow at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

. From 1972, the founding year of the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of Karlsruhe, he was a professor there, from 1979 to 1981 dean, and until his retirement he headed the group for Information Management Systems. In 1985, together with several colleagues, he founded the FZI Research Centre for Computer Science in Karlsruhe. He also held several guest professorships in the USA, including at the California Institute of Technology and at the

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

, and held advisory positions with industry and ministries. In 2003, the

Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Goethe University Frankfurt () is a public research university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt ...

of Frankfurt am Main awarded him an honorary doctorate for his achievements in research and as a promoter of knowledge transfer into business practice. In 2005 he received the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Lockemann died on 21 July 2025, at the age of 89.Mourning for Peter Lockemann
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lockemann, Peter 1935 births 2025 deaths Academic staff of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology fellows German computer scientists Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany