Biography

Ferdinand Ruzicka was born on March 10, 1941, in Vienna, Austria. His father, Ferdinand Ruzicka, was a tax consultant; his mother's maiden name was Karoline Hemetzberger. His grandparents included a Czech, from whom the name Ruzicka stems. His ancestors were artisans or farmers, who had enjoyed at most a few years of schooling. In Vienna he attended the primary school and the gymnasium where the German language was used. He was a fairly good pupil in a general way, but really interested in physics, mathematics and biology. The other subjects left him cold. He chose the University at Vienna, where he began his physical studies. He completed his courses and then immediately started his doctoral work on fluorescence materials with Prof.Reeger. After two years of research work, 1969, Ruzicka was a "Dr.phil".

He began his scientific activity with electron microscopic work at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Leukemia Research and Hematology in Vienna and at the Institute for Hematology of the Society for Radiating and Environmental Research in Munic over immune electronmicroscopic investigations and the application of freeze-etching technique for the preparation of blood cells.
He developed a new preparation technique for the transmission electron microscope to examine human chromosomes. In his Habilitation work (necessary to become an "Universitätsdozent for cytophysics") he examined human chromosomes stained with different banding techniques and highest resolution. A modell of chromosomes was developed on base of this research.

1976 he foundet the institute "Zytophysikalische Grundlagenforschung".
From 1976 till 1997 Univ.-Doz. Dr. Ruzicka has teaching responsibilities at the Institute for Histology and Embryology of the Medical Faculty, Vienna, the Department of Research at the University Clinic for Dentistry, Vienna and at the Institute for Human Biology, Vienna.

He has published 160 scientific publications in: " Blut, Int.J.Clin.Pharmacol., Humangenetik, Chromosoma, Chromosomes Today, Human Genet., Microscopica Acta, Zschr.f.Stomatologie, J.Periodont.Res., Anzeiger der Österr.Akademie der Wissenschaften" and in different books. He wrote the  book: " Elektronenmikroskopische Hämatologie, Springer 1976" and several brochures.

Univ.-Doz. Dr. Ruzicka holds 2 prizes and 5 ordinary and foreign memberships.

Ruzicka married Hermine Dirnberger in 1970, and Maria Mayer in 1978. He has two children Esther and Roswitha and lives in Austria.