Sebastian Öner was born in Berlin and studied physics at the University of Konstanz, Germany (2006). After a research stay at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, and completing his diploma thesis on the characterization of micro- and nanoscale defects in polycrystalline solar cells, he moved to the FOM Institute AMOLF in the Netherlands (2012) to pursue a PhD on light-matter interactions at the nanoscale and nanoscale photovoltaic energy conversion. During this time, Sebastian studied electrochemical driving forces and charge carrier extraction of photogenerated electrons and holes. This research sparked his broader interest in electrochemistry.
In 2016, he joined the Boettcher group at the University of Oregon (now UC Berkeley) to conduct research on photoelectrodes and bipolar membranes. Supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG), Sebastian made groundbreaking contributions to our fundamental understanding of bipolar membranes (BPMs). Beyond fundamental insights, his work led to the development of BPMs with record-breaking activity and current density, initiating a new research direction within the Boettcher group and generating increased interest in BPMs within the broader electrochemistry community.
In 2020, Sebastian returned to Berlin and joined Beatriz Roldán Cuenya’s Interface Science Department at the Fritz Haber Institute with a DFG return fellowship. He was promoted to group leader at the beginning of 2022. In January 2023, he was awarded the ERC Starting Grant, as well as grants from DFG-ANR and the BMBF (German Ministry of Education and Research), to conduct fundamental research on interfacial ionic processes and other overpotential-dependent processes in micro- and macroscale bipolar membranes and other electrochemical interfaces.
Despite its relatively young age, the Interfacial Ionics group has made significant scientific contributions. The team heavily expanded overpotential-dependent Arrhenius analysis to link the overpotential-dependent apparent activation parameters to overpotential-dependent solvation kinetics and overpotential-dependent rate-limiting steps in electrocatalysis, but also in bipolar membranes and electrodeposition. In this context, the team is most well-known for its work using hydrogen pump membrane electrode assemblies at kinetic current densities up to 100’s mA cm-2 and pressures up to 10 bar. This work led to true scientific discoveries on the ion solvation kinetics in bipolar membranes, the hydrogen evolution reaction and the multi-step oxygen reduction reaction. Additionally, Dr. Öner’s team introduced new time resolution to Arrhenius analysis to study transient poisoning and coverage effects with a µs-s time resolution. The team also started to link the overpotential-dependent activation parameters with structural and chemical changes at the catalyst-solution interface in collaboration with operando spectroscopy and microscopy experts in the Interface Science department. Currently, the team is busy expanding electrochemical Arrhenius further across different cells and reactions and incorporating other experimental and modelling techniques.
In addition to supervising and mentoring his research group, Sebastian developed and independently taught the MSc course Electrochemistry 2.0 (5 ECTS) and is currently independently teaching the BSc course Chemical Kinetics (5 ECTS) in the Chemistry Department of the Free University of Berlin.