The Nemmers Prize

Past Winners

Nemmers Prize winners are authorities in everything from quantum chaos to planetary habitats to music composition. They come from around the world, and they represent diverse perspectives that challenge the way we think. Shown here is Northwestern President Michael H. Schill (second from left) and Provost Kathleen Hagerty (third from left) with 2024 Nemmers Prize winners Michael Woodford (Economics) and Luigi Ambrosio (Mathematics).

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The Nemmers Story

Erwin Esser Nemmers served on the faculty of the Kellogg Graduate School of Management from 1957 until his retirement in 1986. He was a man of wide-ranging interests who earned an undergraduate degree and master’s degree in music, a law degree from Harvard, a degree in aeronautical engineering from Iowa, and doctorates in both economics and law from Wisconsin. He and his brother, Frederic Esser Nemmers, were principals in a Milwaukee-based, family-owned church music publishing house. Together, they contributed $14 million to Northwestern upon their deaths and designated the gifts for two purposes: the establishment of four endowed professorships in the Kellogg Graduate School of Management and the establishment of the university-wide Nemmers Prizes.

Additional Information

For questions and additional information, please contact us via the following emails:

• General Inquiries
• Prizes in Earth Sciences, Economics and Mathematics
• Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science
• Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition