Heinrich Holland

Heinrich Dieter 'Dick' Holland (May 27, 1927 – May 21, 2012) was an emeritus professor in the Earth and Planetary Sciences department of Harvard University. He made major contributions to the understanding of the Earth's geochemistry, especially large-scale geochemical and biogeochemical cycles.

Personal life Holland was born on May 27, 1927, to Jewish parents in Mannheim, Germany. In 1947 he entered graduate school at Columbia University, receiving a master’s degree in 1948 and Ph.D. in 1952, both in geology. He served on the faculty of Princeton University from 1950 to 1972, rising from the rank of instructor to full professor.

Holland moved to Harvard University in 1972. He later became the Harvard Harry C. Dudley Professor of Economic Geology. In 2006 he retired from Harvard and became a visiting scholar in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, where he remained active in research and writing until his death. During his career he held visiting appointments at University of Oxford, Durham University, University of Hawaiʻi, Heidelberg University, Penn State, Imperial College, London, and Hebrew University, Jerusalem. The Chemical Evolution of the Ocean and Atmosphere, July 1, 1984. Princeton University Press. Living Dangerously November 28, 1995, Princeton University Press. (with Ulrich Petersen).