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Lectures

 

Educational and professional experience

since 10/2017	Director for Molecular Catalysis at the Max-Planck-Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Mülheim/Ruhr
since 12/2002	External Scientific Member of the Max-Planck-Institute for Coal Research, Mülheim/Ruhr
since 02/2002	Chair of Technical Chemistry and Petrochemistry (Successor to. Prof. W. Keim)
04/2000 - 02/2002	Acting Chair of "Technical Chemistry and Petrochemistry" at RWTH Aachen
01/1998 - 02/2002	Head of the Technical Laboratories at the Max-Planck-Institute for Coal Research, Mülheim/Ruhr
06/1995 - 01/1998	Group leader at the Department of "Organic Synthesis" (Director: Prof. M. T. Reetz) at the Max-Planck-Institute for Coal Research, Mülheim/Ruhr.
05/1995	Habilitation (Dr. rer. nat. habil.) in Inorganic Chemistry and appointment as Privatdozent (lecturer) at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena (Thesis: Catalytic Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide to Formic Acid)
08/1992 - 05/1995	Research associate at the Max-Planck-Working Group "CO2-Chemistry" (Director: Prof. E. Dinjus) at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
01/1991 - 08/1992	Liebig Fellow of the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie at the Institute for Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Regensburg
01/1990 - 12/1990	Postdoctoral Studies at the Dyson Perrins Laboratory for Organic Chemistry, University of Oxford, UK, with Prof. J. M. Brown
12/1987 - 12/1989	PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) with Prof. H. Brunner, Institute for Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Regensburg (Thesis: Enantioselective Catalytic Transferhydrogenation using Formates)
10/1982 - 12/1987	Studies of Chemistry at the University of Regensburg (Dipl.-Chem.-Univ.)

Research interests

• Green Chemistry through sustainable catalytic processes
• Catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide
• Mechanisms and structure/activity-relationships in organometallic catalysis
• Selective and catalytic conversion of biomass
• Supercritical fluids and other advanced fluids as benign reaction media for catalysis
• Multiphase catalysis and catalyst immobilization for continuous-flow molecular catalysis

Publications

• Over 280 contributions to peer-reviewed international journals and edited monographs Complete list of publications

• Co-Editor of the books Chemical Synthesis Using Supercritical Fluids (Wiley/VCH1999), Multiphase Homogeneous Catalysis (Wiley/VCH 2005) and Handbook of Green Chemistry, Vol 4-6: Green Solvents (Wiley/VCH, 2010)

• More than 60 patents and patent applications in the field of catalytic chemical synthesis and/or the application of supercritical fluids

• More than 100 invited lectures at international conferences and research institutions

Fellowships, Scientific Recognition and Awards

2015	Molecular Science Forum Lecture of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Chemical Society
2015	Nankai University Lectureship in Organic Chemistry, Nankai University, China
2014	European Sustainable Chemistry Award of the European Science Association of Chemical and Molecular Sciences (EuCheMS), together with Prof. Jürgen Klankermayer (RWTH Aachen)
2013	Visiting Lecturer for Promotion of Chemistry, National Science Foundation, Taiwan
2011	Honorary Member of the Ethiopian Chemical Society
2010	Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC)
2009	Wöhler Award of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker
2008	CATSA Eminent Visitor Award of the South Africander Catalysis Society
2005	Guest Professorship at the Universitè de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
2003	Griess Lecture of the Royal Society of Chemistry
2001	Otto-Roelen-Medal of DECHEMA
2000	2nd International Messer Innovation-Award
11/1999	Nozaki Lecture, Univ. Osaka, Japan
01/1999	Visiting Scientist at the National Institute for Chemicals and Materials Research in Tsukuba, Japan
1998	Carl-Zerbe-Award of the Deutsche Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Erdöl, Erdgas und Kohle (DMGK)
1998	Bennigsen-Foerder-Award of Nordrhein-Westfalen
1997	Angewandte-Chemie-Award for best lecture at the Chemiedozententagung
1997	Gerhard-Hess-Award of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
1991 - 1992	Liebig-Fellowship of the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (FCI)
1990	Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Stiftung Volkswagenwerk
1990	Award for Best PhD Thesis in Sciences of Energieversorgung Ostbayern AG
1990	Studienabschluss-Stipendium of the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (FCI)
1987 - 1989	Promotions-Stipendium of the Government of Bavaria
1982 - 1987	Hundhammer-Stipendium of the Government of Bavaria

Professional activities

Journals

• 2004-2010 / 2010-2016 Scientific Editor / Chairman of the Editorial Board of “Green Chemistry” (Royal Society of Chemistry)
• Since 2005 Member of the International Advisory Board of “Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis” (Wiley)
• 2018 - 2021 Member of the Kuratorium/Editorial Board of Angewandte Chemie (GDCh, Wiley-VCH)
• Since 2021 Advisory Editor of Angewandte Chemie (GDCh, Wiley-VCH)

Conferences

• 2002 - 2016 Chairman of the Conference Series “Green Solvents”
• 2013 Member of the Organizing Committee of the 15^th International Congress on Catalysis (ICC), Munich, Germany
• 2019 Chairman of the 14^th European Congress on Catalysis (EuropaCat), Aachen, Germany
• 2019 Chairman of the 17^th International Conference in Carbon Dioxide Utilization (ICCDU XVII), Aachen, Germany
• 2022 Chairman of Gordon Research Conference on Green Chemistry, Castelldefels, Spain

Coordinated Research Programs

• 2002 – 2006 Coordinator of the BMBF funded ConNeCat lighthouse project “Regulated Systems for Multiphase Catalysis”
• 2010-2014 Coordinator of the large-scale collaborative research project “SYNFLOW” within the 7th Framework Program of the EU
• Since 2007 Co-Spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence “Tailor-Made Fuels form Biomass / The Fuel Science Center” at RWTH Aachen University and MPI CEC
• Since 2007 Scientific Director of CAT, the joint Catalytic Center of RWTH Aachen and Covestro
• Since 2016 Chairman of the Coordination Group of the BMBF funded Kopernikus Project “P2X: Exploration, Validation, and Implementation of „Power-to-X“ Concepts”

Scientific Societies and Advisory Boards

• 2009 - 2016 Strategy Council of RWTH Aachen University
• 2014 - 2018 Scientific Advisory Board of the Renewable Energy Program of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT
• Since 2013 External Advisory Board of the UK Catalysis Hub
• Since 2009 Scientific Advisory Board of the Center for Sustainable and Circular Technologies at the University of Bath
• 2018 – 2020 Advisory Board of the International Green Technology Association, Beijing, China
• 2006 - 2014 Board of the Section “Sustainable Chemistry” of GDCh
• 2005-2011 Board of the Petrochemical Division of DGMK
• Since 2015 Scientific Council of DGMK
• 2006-2008 Chairman of the Catalysis Section of DECHEMA
• 2011-2014 Chairman of the German Catalysis Society GeCatS
• 2011-2016 / since 2018 Member of the Board of DECHEMA, from 2020 as Deputy Chairman