We are saddened to share the news of the Feb. 20, 2023, passing of Professor Emeritus Immo Scheffler, a world-renowned expert on mitochondria and a widely-acclaimed educator with a broad influence on the UC San Diego campus for more than four decades.
Scheffler was a recognized expert on all aspects of mitochondrial biology, being among the first, in the early 1970s, to isolate and characterize many mammalian mutants using Chinese hamster ovary cells. His studies with these mutant lines shed important light on many mitochondrial functions such as protein synthesis, respiration and assembly of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes. His seminal work led to a deeper understanding of several human mitochondrial disorders, as well as of other cellular processes such as protein glycosylation, metabolism, gene regulation and mRNA turnover. He gained recognition and prominence in such varied fields as somatic cell genetics, lipoprotein chemistry, polyamine biology and biochemistry, genomic structure and gene therapy, glucose regulation, transcriptional control and mitochondrial disorders in humans.
Born in Dresden, Germany, on Dec. 17, 1940, Scheffler obtained his Bachelor of Science, with honors, and Master of Science, also with honors, degrees from the University of Manitoba, in Winnipeg, Canada. After completing his doctorate with Buzz Baldwin at Stanford University in 1968 in physical biochemistry, he completed post-doctoral work as a Helen Hay Whitney Scholar at Harvard Medical School and the Institut Pasteur in France, between 1969-71. Scheffler joined the Department of Biology at UC San Diego in 1971 as an Assistant Professor in Revelle College, rose through the ranks to become Associate Professor in 1977 and Full Professor in 1982. He served as the Chair of the Department of Biology from 1990-92.
Scheffler was a dedicated and passionate teacher who cared deeply about his students. He received virtually every teaching award at UC San Diego. These included the Excellence in Teaching Award, Revelle Seniors (1975, 1982); Outstanding Faculty Advisor, Revelle Seniors (1980); Award for Excellence in Teaching, UC San Diego Chancellor's Associates (1984); Teacher of the Year Award, UC San Diego Alumni Association (1994); and Distinguished Teaching Award, UC San Diego Academic Senate (1996). In recognition of his outstanding teaching, he was honored in 2000 as the first endowed chair holder of the Paul D. Saltman Professorship of Science Education.
Scheffler was an outstanding citizen and colleague, with extensive service to the Academic Senate at UC San Diego, departmental leadership and student engagement.
Scheffler served on the editorial boards of several journals, including that of the Journal of Biological Chemistry for over a decade and published two editions of his authoritative book, “Mitochondria” (Wiley). In recognition of his research accomplishments, he was selected in 1984 for the Alexander von Humboldt Award for Senior U.S. Scientists. He was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2008 and retired to Professor Emeritus in 2010, while continuing his teaching until 2014.
Scheffler cultivated considerable and valued relationships with scientists through his sabbaticals, as well as overseas teaching and mentoring. The Pasteur Institute was the start, but over the years he spent time in Germany, Holland, Finland and China.
Scheffler cared deeply about UC San Diego, education, students and his fellow faculty. He maintained his association with UC San Diego until 2021, when he returned to Canada, the country for which he always had a soft spot, by relocating to Victoria, Canada. Outside his UC San Diego activities, he loved nature, hiking, history, gardening, music, world affairs and food. He was an avid collector of Native American art. His scholarly engagement, caring for his colleagues and students, as well as his enthusiasm for teaching will be remembered fondly and continue to inspire many of his former students and colleagues around the world. He is survived by his wife, Diana, and son, Timothy, and his family.
