Harald Pasch was born on 16 August 1952 in Berlin, Germany. After school he decided to study Chemistry at the University of Odessa (former USSR) graduating with a diploma in Organic Chemistry in 1976.
Following his keen interest in academic research he joined the Central Institute of Organic Chemistry of the former Academy of Sciences of the GDR in Berlin as a research associate. In 1982 Pasch obtained his PhD degree in Polymer Science working on condensation polymers.
He moved into research on radiation-sensitive materials for microelectronic applications for four years, followed by research in polymer characterization.
In 1986 he was appointed as Head of the Analytical Department and in 1987 he obtained his habilitation in Polymer Science (DSc). In the same year Pasch followed an offer to do research in the Middle East and from 1987 to 1989 he conducted research on hydrophilic copolymers, condensation polymers and the development of spectroscopic methods at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) in Kuwait City.
After returning to Germany he moved to Darmstadt and established an analytical department at the German Institute for Polymers. In parallel he was appointed Senior Lecturer at Darmstadt University of Technology where he lectured Analytical Polymer Science and supervised postgraduate students.
In the following years Pasch developed novel methods for polymer fractionation, most prominently in the field of multi-dimensional liquid chromatography leading to the publication of textbooks on liquid chromatography of polymers and mass spectrometry (in 1997 and 2004 respectively).
In 2000 Pasch was appointed Extraordinary Professor at Stellenbosch University following his interactions with Professor Ron Sanderson, then head of the Institute of Polymer Science. He contributed to the activities of the UNESCO Centre for Macromolecules and Materials at the University of Stellenbosch and in 2005 he was awarded the UNESCO Chair in Macromolecular Characterisation at Darmstadt University of Technology.
Working in polyolefin research for a significant number of years he developed a close collaboration with SASOL, the major chemical company in South Africa. As a consequence of SASOL's strategic goals, the SASOL Chair in Analytical Polymer Science was established at Stellenbosch University and in 2008 Pasch was appointed to the Chair. His current research focuses on polyolefin analysis, multidimensional fractionation of polymers, high-throughput analytical techniques and non-column based polymer separations.

Harald Pasch is married to Marlene Pasch and they have three daughters.

He is the author or co-author of more than 300 publications in top international journals and has been the promoter of more than 40 postgraduate students (MSc and PhD). Pasch is the editor of the Springer Laboratory Book series and a member of the editorial boards of Polymer International and the International Journal for Polymer Analysis and Characterization.
In 2013 he published the textbook 'Multidimensional HPLC of Polymers', his latest book 'Advanced Separation Techniques for Polyolefins' appeared in September 2014. In July 2014, Pasch was awarded a 'Distinguished Professorship' by the University of Stellenbosch. He was awarded the 2017 Gold Medal of the South African Chemical Institute (SACI).

HPLC of Polymers (Co-author: B. Trathnigg), Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, 1997
Coupled Liquid Chromatographic Techniques in Molecular Characterization. In: Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry (Ed. R.A. Meyers), J. Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 2000
MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry of Synthetic Polymers (Co-author: W. Schrepp), Springer-Verlag, 2003
Multidimensional Liquid Chromatography in Industrial Applications (Co-author: F. Rittig) In: Multidimensional Liquid Chromatography: Theory and Applications in Industrial Chemistry and Life Sciences. Eds.: S. Cohen, M. Schure, Wiley, 2008
Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry of Polymers (Co-author: N.A. Mautjana) in Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry, Eds.: R.A. Meyers, John Wiley: Chichester. 2011
Chromatography. In: Polymer Science: A Comprehensive Reference, Eds.: K. Matyjaszewski, M. Moeller, Volume 2, p. 33-64, Elsevier BV, 2012
Multidimensional HPLC of Polymers (Co-author: B. Trathnigg), Springer-Verlag, 2013
Advanced Separation Techniques for Polyolefins (Co-author: M.I. Malik), Springer-Verlag, 2014 (Online)

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