In memory of Professor George Michael Sheldrick (1942-2025)

It is with deep respect that I write to honor the memory of Professor George Michael Sheldrick, FRS (1942-2025), one of the most influential chemists of our time, whose pioneering work has left an enduring mark on the field of structural chemistry.He passed away on 20 February 2025 in Bovenden, Germany, at the age of 82.Born in Huddersfield, England, Sheldrick was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he also began his academic career, later becoming a Fellow of the college.In 1978, he joined the University of Gttingen, where he served as Professor of Inorganic and subsequently Structural Chemistry until his retirement in 2011 [1].His Illustration: ChatGPT profound impact is evidenced by more than 284,000 citations and an H-index of 113 -figures that reflect both the depth and breadth of his scientific influence [2].Sheldrick's name is most closely associated with the development of the SHELX suite of programs, which revolutionized the refinement and solution of crystal structures using X-ray diffraction.Initially created for small-molecule crystallography, the suite evolved to support the refinement of complex macromolecular structures, particularly those derived from high-resolution or twinned data.Tools such as SHELXL, SHELXD, and SHELXE became indispensable to crystallographers worldwide, forming the backbone of numerous high-throughput structural pipelines.Their robustness, speed, and accessibility made them a cornerstone of modern structure determination, both in academia and industry [3].