Person
Prof. Dr. rer. nat.Walter Leitner
UniversitätsprofessorLehrstuhlinhaber
Address
Building: Sammelbau Chemie
Room: 38B 420
Worringerweg 2
52074 Aachen
Contact
- WorkPhone
- Phone: +49 241 80 26480
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
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Over 280 contributions to peer-reviewed international journals and edited monographs Complete list of publications
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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)
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More than 60 patents and patent applications in the field of catalytic chemical synthesis and/or the application of supercritical fluids
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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 15th International Congress on Catalysis (ICC), Munich, Germany
- 2019 Chairman of the 14th European Congress on Catalysis (EuropaCat), Aachen, Germany
- 2019 Chairman of the 17th 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