Dr. Huimin Liu Awarded Prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship
The Fritz-Haber-Institut of the Max Planck Society is proud to announce that Dr. Huimin Liu has been awarded the esteemed Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship. This prestigious fellowship will support Dr. Liu's research in the field of electrocatalysis over the next two years, starting February 2025.

Dr. Liu, a chemist with a PhD in Electronic Science and Technology from Nankai University, China, has conducted significant research on noble metal nanocatalysts and electrocatalytic processes. Her doctoral work, under the supervision of Prof. Jingshan Luo, focused on the electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.
Following her PhD, Dr. Liu continued her postdoctoral research at Nankai University, where she developed electrocatalysts for the synthesis of C-N products from the co-reduction of CO2 and nitrate, as well as ammonia synthesis from NO reduction.
With the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, she will be working under the guidance of Dr. Arno Bergmann and Prof. Beatriz Roldán Cuenya at the Interface Science Department trying to gain insight into the mechanisms of electrocatalytic C-N coupling from the co-reduction of CO2 and nitrate to urea. This innovative work holds significant promise for sustainable chemical synthesis and environmental applications.
Alexander-von-Humboldt significance and figures
The Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation is known for its commitment to promoting international scientific cooperation. Established in 1860, the foundation has been fundamental in promoting connections between researchers across the World and supporting academic exchange.
In 2023, the Foundation preserved an interdisciplinary network of over 30.000 Humboldtians across 140 countries in the World. Among those, 61 have been awarded a Nobel Prize.
Between 2018 and 2022, a total of 4,690 research stays were sponsored in Germany at universities and 1,790 at non-university research institutions respectively. In the last Humboldt Rankings from 2023, Max Planck institutes head the list of non-university research institutions, with the Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin leading. The Fritz Haber Institute hosted a total of 68 researchers in the years from 2016 to 2022. This means that the FHI "hosts" the most Humboldt researchers in Berlin behind the major universities (FU, HU, TU).