Postdoc Roey Ben David at the DAAD anniversary
At the celebrations of the DAAD's 100th anniversary, Dr. Roey Ben David, postdoctoral researcher at the Interface Science Department holding a DAAD scholarship, had the unique opportunity to exchange ideas with DAAD President Prof. Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee and Foreign Minister Dr. Johann Wadephul.
Every year, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) invites its new scholarship holders to an exchange meeting. This year, the occasion of the meeting was a very special one: the DAAD celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025. From July 4 to 6, more than 500 international DAAD scholarship holders came to Berlin for the anniversary, exchanging ideas, and to expanding their network at the meeting. The celebration days were opened with a welcome address by DAAD President Prof. Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee and a speech by Foreign Minister Dr. Johann Wadephul. A varied program followed with keynote speeches, presentations by scholarship holders, and ample time for exchange among scholarship holders and with DAAD staff.
Before the evening program began, four selected representatives of the scholarship holders had the honor of participating in an informal discussion with the DAAD President and the German Foreign Minister. Among those invited was Dr. Roey Ben David from Israel, who is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Interface Science Department. The discussion focused on the participants’ experiences in Germany, their research, and their future academic aspirations.
„It was a privilege to share my personal perspective as an Israeli researcher in Germany and to speak about my work on catalysts for ammonia decomposition at the Fritz Haber Institute, supported by the DAAD Green Hydrogen Fellowship Program.“ - as Dr. Ben David describes the DAAD anniversary meeting.
Dr. Ben David earned his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel under the supervision of Dr. Baran Eren, who is currently a guest scientist at the Fritz Haber Institute funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Supported by the DAAD, Dr. Ben David joined the Fritz Haber Institute for his postdoctoral research, initially working with Prof. Thomas Lunkenbein and Prof. Beatriz Roldan Cuenya. Following Prof. Lunkenbein’s appointment to the University of Bayreuth, Dr. Ben David is now co-supervised by Dr. See Wee Chee. With his strong background in materials engineering and surface science, he is a valuable member of the Interface Science team. His current research employs operando scanning electron microscopy to investigate the structure and activity of metal catalysts during ammonia decomposition reaction.
About the DAAD
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the world's largest funding organization for international exchange of students and researchers. In 1925, the DAAD was founded as a student initiative to enable students at German universities to spend time abroad. Since its foundation, the DAAD has supported more than 3 million academics in Germany and worldwide. In addition to awarding scholarships, the DAAD is also involved in promoting the internationalization of German universities and research institutions as well as strengthening German studies abroad, and supporting countries in the Global South in establishing high-performing universities.
