Scientific Life and Works of Walter Noll

Walter Noll (1925–2017) was an American mathematician of German birth who made lasting contributions to the foundations of continuum physics and the classical non-linear field theory. This essay is an attempt to put in a broader perspective Noll’s methods and achievements in the hope that young generations of researchers may find their inspiration in the talent and depth of the old. By no means should this be considered as a historical account on the development of continuum mechanics through the second half of the twentieth century. We are content to illuminate Noll’s precious legacy.