Prof. Stamatakis returns to the Institute with Bessel Award
The Theory Department is happy to welcome back Prof. Michail Stamatakis. In 2023, he was among the 20 internationally renowned scientists awarded with a Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Together with the colleagues in the Department, he will focus on the development and application of kinetic Monte Carlo approaches to simulate catalytic chemistries relevant to energy conversion and sustainable chemicals manufacturing.
Since 2023, Michail Stamatakis is Professor of Computational Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, where he focuses on computational catalysis and chemical reaction engineering. He has led the development of stochastic simulation methods that utilize supercomputers to provide essential insights into identifying new catalysts to support sustainability within the chemical industry. During his first visit in the Theory Department of the institute, last year, he worked on unraveling the complexity of electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 to useful chemical precursors such as hydrocarbons and alcohols.
During the next three months, Prof. Stamatakis will focus on advancing microkinetic simulation tools for both surface heterogenous catalysis and electrocatalysis. Of specific interest is the development of capability aiming at capturing morphological changes of catalytic surfaces, which can occur under reaction conditions, within kinetic simulations. This is important in the accurate prediction of catalytic performance and its dependence on operating conditions at the reactor (or electrochemical device) level.
The Fritz Haber Institute warmly welcomes Michail Stamatakis once again and regards his visit as the perfect opportunity to foster the innovative thinking required to address major contemporary challenges, such as achieving sustainable energy solutions for our society.
Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation honors around 20 internationally recognized scientists from outside Germany with the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Awards. These awards are given in acknowledgment of their exceptional research achievements. Named after the German astronomer and mathematician Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel (1784–1846), the prize is regarded as one of the most prestigious among the German Research Awards given to international scientists. The recipient has the freedom to select any hosting institution in Germany, making the award a prestigious accolade for both the awardee and the chosen institution.
