A new Humboldt Research Award at the Institute

This winter, a new scientist has joined the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society with a Humboldt Research Award by the Humboldt Foundation. After a delay due to pandemic situation, the researcher coming from Italy now started the activities in Berlin.

„The Humboldt Research Award represents an unique opportunity to strengthen collaborations with internationally recognised researchers, we are very happy for this possibility“, Prof. Dr. Robert Schlögl, Director of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry Fritz Haber Institute, says.

Prof. Gabriele Centi from the University of Messina (Italy) is being recognized for his work on development of innovative heterogeneous catalysts, the pioneering work on catalysis for energy transition, and his activities to support the catalysis community. He is the President of the International Association of Catalysis Communities (IACS). He will use the prize money to enforce a cooperation with FHI's Department of Inorganic Chemistry and the CatLab laboratory in IRIS-Adlershof, Berlin.

He pioneered the development of novel approaches for solar fuels and CO₂ conversion by using renewable energy sources (particularly, for the relevant area of formation of >C1 products from the reduction of CO₂) and more recently for the electrocatalytic synthesis of NH₃ from N₂ and H₂O. Prof. Centi has advanced the understanding of catalytic phenomena particularly at the nanoparticles-nanocarbon interface and how this concept can be used to develop new approaches in very challenging areas for enabling the transition towards sustainable use of energy and resources. His recent effort is to build the novel breakthrough catalytic technologies based on renewable energy necessary to meet the net zero emission challenge.

Prof. Dr. Robert Schlögl, director of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry, is delighted that Prof. Centi has begun the activities in Berlin: “We already started intense discussions on new breakthrough directions for catalysis, which can be possible only by personal face-to-face discussions sharing the competences and addressing the research from unconventional perspectives. Our department will significantly benefit from Centi’s expertise and visions on solar fuels. Only if scientists from all over the world join forces to develop solutions together, we will be able to tackle the major challenges of our time, such as climate change.”