From the laudation:

“Professor Heimann has been internationally active for more than 35 years as a researcher and educator in Applied Mineralogy founded on fundamental research. He began his scientific career in Berlin under Professor Mehnert. His doctoral and habilitation work culminated in the influential 1975 monograph Dissolution of Crystals: Theory and Technical Applications. (...)

In 1977, Professor Heimann left Berlin and, after a period in Karlsruhe, moved to Canada in 1979, where he spent a total of 14 highly successful years. Among other activities, he led research on the safety of radioactive waste disposal at Atomic Energy of Canada and also served as an advisor on nuclear waste management in Germany. (...)

Since 1993, Professor Heimann has held the Chair of Applied Mineralogy at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. (...) The interdisciplinary degree program in Geoecology at Freiberg, now one of the university's most popular programs, also bears his unmistakable influence. (...)

The German Mineralogical Society honors Professor Dr. Robert Bertram Heimann as a researcher and teacher who has provided numerous new impulses for Applied Mineralogy and has made an outstanding contribution to its development and international recognition far beyond the borders of Germany.”