Robert Schlögl new Leopoldina Vice President
Schlögl became a member of the Leopoldina's chemistry section in 2011. Since then, he has been diversely involved in the academy's tasks, especially in science-based policy advice in the area of energy, as his own research is concerned with questions of the production, storage, and transport of energy.
He is researching energy conversion processes in nature and the significance of catalysts within these processes. In individual research projects, he is working, for example, on the conversion of light into electrical energy, storage materials for hydrogen, the catalytic splitting of water, and further development of fuel cells. Robert Schlögl's research aims to develop new, powerful catalysts while emphasizing the sustainability of the processes. He seeks to understand the basic chemical reactions of these processes in order to use them for new energy systems.
Within the Leopoldina, Schlögl was for example one of the initiators of the project “Energy Systems of the Future” (ESYS), with which the German academies of science accompany the energy transition. From 2013 to 2017, he served as chairman of the ESYS steering committee. Schlögl is co-author of several Leopoldina statements. He contributed to the statement “Coronavirus Pandemic ‒ Sustainable ways to overcome the crisis” in spring. He was also involved in the ad-hoc-statement “Energy transition 2030: Europe's path to carbon neutrality” published in June of this year and the ad-hoc statement “Climate targets 2030: Towards a sustainable reduction of CO₂ emissions” published in 2019.
About the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
As the German National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina provides independent science-based policy advice on matters relevant to society. To this end, the Academy develops interdisciplinary statements based on scientific findings. In these publications, options for action are outlined; making decisions, however, is the responsibility of democratically legitimized politicians. The experts who prepare the statements work in a voluntary and unbiased manner. The Leopoldina represents the German scientific community in the international academy dialogue. This includes advising the annual summits of Heads of State and Government of the G7 and G20 countries. With 1,600 members from more than 30 countries, the Leopoldina combines expertise from almost all research areas. Founded in 1652, it was appointed the National Academy of Sciences of Germany in 2008. The Leopoldina is committed to the common good.