UniSysCat News & Events

A team of four scientists, including UniSysCat group leader Peter Saalfrank from the University of Potsdam, was awarded an ERC Synergy Grant for their project IRASTRO, that is dedicated to interstellar astrochemical research.

The UniSysCat groups of spectroscopists Horch and Zebger discover a potential shortcut for catalytic hydrogen cleavage in a hydrogenase that is controlled by light - opening up new possibilities for manipulating this process.

The EC²/BIG-NSE doctoral program celebrated its 17th Jubilee and Alumni Meeting on October 28-29, 2024, welcoming around 40 alumni for insightful panel discussions.

We congratulate UniSysCat group leader Roldán Cuenya from FHI Berlin, on winning the “ACES – Margarita Salas” Award in Physics, Mathematics and Engineering, that honors her research on catalytic nanostructured materials.

A UniSysCat team has shown that it is possible to study proteins, such as a chloride pump, in living cells using time-resolved IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy.

The Berlin University Alliance showcases Berlin's exceptional research landscape, bringing the people behind the science closer. Under the motto “How can chemistry become more sustainable?” they present UniSysCat.

A team around UniSysCat group leader Adam Lange shows a new way how to measure the interaction of membrane proteins with different lipids and the influence of lipid exchange on the stability and activity of the protein.

Nobel laureate Prof. Szostak explores the origins of life in a special lecture at TU Berlin.

This year's Nobel prize in chemistry goes to David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper for their achievements in protein research. UniSysCat warmly congratulates!

An interdisciplinary UniSysCat team uses molecular imprinting to immobilize and exploit enzymes for heterogenous catalysis.

The expert of cellular structural biology Prof. Dr. Philipp Selenko from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rechovot, Israel visited the lab of UniSysCat‘s spokesperson Prof. Dr. Juri Rappsilber for five months this year.

Prof. Dr. Graham Hutchings from Cardiff University wins this year's Gerhard Ertl Lecture Award for his pioneering work on novel heterogeneous catalysts, in particular with gold nanocrystals and gold-palladium alloy catalysts.

The 'Atlas of Petromodernity' written by UniSysCat Postdoc Benjamin Steininger and Alexander Klose consists of forty-four short essays on the era of petroleum modernity. Their book is now available for open access download and as paper copy.

A team around the UniSysCat groups of Holger Dobbek, Petra Wendler and Athina Zouni visualize the structure of photosystem II at unprecedented resolution - thanks to cryo-electron microscopy.

A team of UniSysCat scientists from TU Berlin, Fritz-Haber-Institut and BasCat (UniCat BASF JointLab) developed a new catalyst for propane dehydrogenation based on cobalt nanoclusters.

In a recent study, a team of UniSysCat researchers investigated the extent to which their heterostructured electrocatalysts based on non-noble metals can actually compete with noble metals when operated for longer times.

Every year, all PhD students and supervisors of the doctoral program EC2/BIG-NSE meet in a nice Hotel outside of Berlin in order to present the progress of their research.

Scientists from BasCat (UniCat BASF JointLab) and the Fritz Haber Institute developed an accelerated discovery approach for the catalytic production of propylene that can compete with a procedure developed over decades.

UniSysCat member Markus Antonietti, director at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, has been awarded by the Belgian Solvay Institutes, enabling him to give lectures about his research on a tour of Belgium.

UniSysCat scientist Benjamin Steininger co-curated the exhibition "Tank oder Teller", which deals with conflicts over the distribution of agricultural production. Festival and exhibition start on May 31 in Halle/Saale.

The research group of Ariane Nunes Alves studied the pathways of hydrogen and inhibitory gases through a selected hydrogenase in order to improve its inhibitor resistance for clean energy applications.

A new publication in Nature Chemistry offers insights into a reaction that didn’t seem possible before. First author Dustin Kass explains what they found out in a video. It is a story of success, but also one of persistence in the face of problems.

Listen to the newest episodes of the podcast "exzellent erklärt" with a variety of different science topics- from the use of bacteria to tattoos as signs of power.

On April 8, 2024, UniSysCat's data steward gave a workshop on Research Data Management for the students of the doctoral program EC2/BIG-NSE.

The UniSysCat group of Prof. Matthias Driess from TU Berlin receives one Million Euros from the DFG for their highly innovative research on the fixation and functionalization of nitrogen at mild conditions using silicon.

With the decision of the Berlin House of Representatives to provide co-financing, it is now finally certain that the „Chemical Invention Factory - John Warner Center for Start-ups in Green Chemistry“ will be built from 2025.

The UniSysCat group of Prof. Kallol Ray welcomes Prof. Wonwoo Nam from the Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea for a four-year research stay to work on green catalytic systems.

Berlin University Alliance (BUA) has been chosen as a finalist in a Germany-wide competition to realize a forward-looking Transfer Center for "New Materials for Sustainable Technologies".

By combining different spectroscopy methods, the UniSysCat groups of Holger Dau, Peter Hildebrandt and Kallol Ray have gained new insights into the function of the active site of the enzyme SOR.

Prof. Dr. Beatriz Roldán Cuenya, director at the Fritz-Haber-Institut Berlin has recently been named a new member of the Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina. Congratulations from UniSysCat!

On the 7th of March 2024, UniSysCat group leaders met to discuss the proposal for the coming funding period of the German Excellence Strategy.

On 4 March, Prof. Omar Yaghi from the University of California, Berkeley, gave a special UniSysCat lecture to mark the presentation of the Humboldt Research Award.

The Berlin Clusters of Excellence, the Berlin University Alliance and Berlin politicians came together to talk about the importance of academic research for the city.

Under the motto “Catalyzing Diversity in Science”, UniSysCat researchers discussed opportunities for improvement regarding diversity and discrimination.

UniSysCat researchers design surfaces with asymmetric metal pairs to promote electrochemical valorization of CO2 into multicarbon e-chemicals.

On the 12th of January, the general assembly of UniSysCat elected a new speaker team representing the new direction of the cluster: Welcome to the new members Prof. Dr. Juri Rappsilber and Prof. Dr. Maria Andrea Mroginski!

Researchers from UniSysCat and from the University of Aix Marseille met for an international exchange in the field of "gas-converting metalloenzymes" and to discuss new cooperations.

Congratulations to Dr. Meera Mehta from the University of Manchester! She was awarded for her outstanding research, dedication and the significant impact she has made in the area of catalysis.

UniSysCat researchers suggest a cost-effective solar-driven hydrogen production method in a new Nature publication. A coupled process improves economic viability by creating a valuable chemical alongside hydrogen.

Scientists from Oxford came to Berlin to discuss with UniSysCat members the catalysis of future collaborations.

Read the article in “Süddeutsche Zeitung” about the latest activities of Benjamin Steininger (UniSysCat) and Alexander Klose a.k.a. the research collective “Beauty of Oil”.

UniSysCat presented its research to stakeholders from the fields of science, business, politics, civil society, and culture at an event organized by the Berlin University Alliance.

Bold and visionary ideas that challenge the limits of what can be imagined– read our interview with UniSysCat group leader Juri Rappsilber about the innovative "TransFORM" project.

Berlin universities are cooperating to support the chemical transition with GreenCHEM– the innovation ecosystem for Green Chemistry.

Distinguished scientists gathered at TU Berlin to evaluate and advise on UniSysCat's research and future directions. The event included talks, a poster session, and discussions on the various aspects of catalysis research and collaborative interactions.

Congratulations to Dr. Yano, a member of UniSysCat’s scientific advisory board, on her recent promotion.

UniSysCat group leader Martin Oestreich and coworkers just published a paper in Nature on a catalytic halodealkylation of fully alkylated silanes by making use of a sacrificial Friedel–Crafts reaction.

Dr. Ina Czyborra, the Senator for Higher Education and Research, Health and Long-Term Care, is on an “excellence-tour” visiting all Clusters of Excellence in Berlin. This week, she made a stop at UniSysCat!

20 professors were honored for their role in fostering innovative startups. Among the awardees are Prof. Reinhard Schomäcker and Prof. Stefan Hecht, both affiliated with UniSysCat.

Learn all about this surface sensitive spectroscopic technique in a recent review published in Nature Reviews by Jacek Kozuch, Kenichi Ataka and UniSysCat group leader Joachim Heberle.

UniSysCat’s spokesperson was nominated for his work on organic photocatalysts that could revolutionize decentralized and eco-friendly energy conversion.

The call for applications for the Clara Immerwahr Award 2024 is now open. The application deadline is November 5, 2023.

UniSysCat group leader Peter Neubauer has won Agilent's Thought Leader Award, which is endowed with 1.9 million US Dollars. We asked him, how this award will impact his research in UniSysCat.

Rhomboid proteases are promising targets for drug development. Researchers from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) and UniSysCat have published new findings about them in Science Advances.

Check out the newest episodes of the podcast with a variety of different topics - from the freedom of science to the agriculture of the future.

An article by UniSysCat researchers and collaborators was published in Nature Communications. It sheds light on the mechanism of Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT).

John C. Warner, honorary professor and the scientist who gave his name to the Chemical Invention Factory at TU Berlin, discusses the concept of Green Chemistry.

Congratulations to Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces celebrating it's 30 year anniversary.

UniSysCat group leaders Majd Al-Naji and Markus Antonietti published a paper in “ChemSusChem”, which was also featured on the cover with creative artwork showing circular plastics economy.

Hon. Professor and former UniSysCat group leader Frieder W. Scheller received the Anthony and Alice Turner award at the World Congress on Biosensors 2023 in Busan, South Korea, on June 6th.

Interesting interview with UniSysCat researcher Ariane Nunes Alves published in Berlin newspaper “Tagesspiegel”. In it, she talks about catalysts, enzymes, proteins and how to harness AI for cancer medication development.

UniSysCat researchers revealed atomistic details on the mechanism of photosynthetic oxygen formation – just published in two articles in “Nature”

Scientists of UniSysCat and SCIoI combined experimental data and deep learning (AI) for a new structure prediction level of challenging targets

In a special event the chemist and philosopher Dr. Jens Soentgen and the artist Julius von Bismarck shared transdisplinary insights on the role of fire in our society and its impact on climate change

Five UniSysCat groups provide insights into the structure of intermediate Q responsible for the conversion of methane to methanol in soluble methane monooxygenase

The UniSysCat groups of R. van de Krol and R. Schomäcker propose to couple photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting with the hydrogenation of chemicals.

Five UniSysCat groups jointly investigated what happens when the orientation of a single functional group in a photocatalyst is reversed - the impact on catalytic performance is huge

Prof. Renske M. van der Veen holds now a joint W2-S professorship with the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin at TUB in the Institute of Optics and Atomic Physics heading the field of "Dynamics in Light Energy Conversion".

The team of UniSysCat group leader Martin Oestreich developed a new synthesis route relevant for the sustainable methylation of aromatic compounds

Two joint works of 3 Unisyscat groups show the vital role of sulfur: non-innocence in the catalytic reduction of dioxygen to hydrogen peroxide & in mimicking the reactivity of ribonucleotide reductases

Four UniSysCat groups deciphered the multistep incorporation process of the catalytic NiFe(CN)2(CO) cofactor into [NiFe]-hydrogenase, paving the way for chemical reconstitution of this biocatalyst.

Understanding how drugs bind to their target is very helpful for drug development. UniSysCat researchers Sohraby and Nunes Alves reviewed the latest computational methods for predicting the kinetics of binding mechanisms.

UniSysCat researchers reveal a unique mechanism by which an NAD+-reducing [NiFe] hydrogenase becomes more oxygen tolerant, which is of interest for hydrogen energy strategies and regenerating nucleotide cofactors.

Neuroscientists are looking for accurate sensors to image nerve signals in tissue, particularly the brain. UniSysCat researchers now shed light on the voltage-sensing mechanism of the fluorescence of microbial rhodopsins.

From brain research to dark matter - five new episodes of the podcast "exzellent erklärt" were released from November 2022 to January 2023.

UniSysCat researcher Maria Andrea Mroginski is convinced: catalysts have enormous potential in the fight against the climate crisis. Elena Matera asked her about her research on catalysts for sustainable energy production.

We welcome Prof. Dr. Serena DeBeer from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion as a new member of our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).

UniSysCat researcher Ariane Nunes Alves et al. describe the boost of structure-activity prediction by machine learning methods in an editorial for a virtual issue in the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling.

UniSysCat researcher Dr. Nadia Elghobashi-Meinhardt will join University College Dublin (UCD) in January 2023 as Assistant Professor and Ad Astra Fellow. Congratulations on this career step!

An international team including UniSysCat researcher Nadia Elghobashi-Meinhardt elucidated the mechanism & inhibition of Wnt acylation mediated by the enzyme PORCN - a process comprising an important signalling pathway in our body

The Clara Immerwahr Award 2023 goes to Dr. Reshma Rao from Imperial College London for her outstanding research in the field of catalysis.

A team of UniSysCat researchers reviewed the development of technologies for the catalytic valorization of lignin, a natural plant material, to valuable chemicals in biorefineries.

A team of six UniSysCat groups discovered a promising recyclable catalyst for cross-couplings by combining a nickel catalyst and a photocatalyst in a single material.

For her dissertation, Dr. Anastasia Kraskov, member of the UniSysCat group of Prof. Peter Hildebrandt, is awarded with this year's Tiburtius-Preis.

The Einstein Professorship of chemist Stefan Hecht strengthens Berlin's material sciences: with his team, he researches new materials with improved properties.

The European Research Council (ERC) grants an international research team around UniSysCat group leader Robert Bittl almost nine million euros for the study of “Chirality and Spin Selectivity in Electron Transfer Processes".

UniSysCat is part of this year's Berlin Science week with three events! Join our panel discussion on energy security in Urania Berlin on Nov 9 or meet Prof. Heberle in Humboldt Labor or listen to the Science Slam on Nov 10.

The GreenCHEM project will be funded with up to 10 million euros from the BMBF to develop the Berlin region into a hotspot for chemical innovations. As a networking partner, UniSysCat is pleased to announce this success!

The idea for the CTC was developed by UniSysCat member Prof. Peter Seeberger and Dr. Matthew Plutschack from the MPICI.

Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless receive this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.

The 20th episode of the podcast "exzellent erklärt - Spitzenforschung für alle" with Prof. Drieß, co-spokesperson of UniSysCat, is about "Green chemistry - catalysis processes can be sustainable".

The call for applications for the Clara Immerwahr Award 2023 is now open.

Application deadline: November, 13, 2022

Three UniSysCat PIs are organizing this year's GDCh Electrochemistry conference in Berlin from 27 to 30 September at Freie Universität Berlin. Registration is still possible.

From archeology to active materials and the origin of life - four new episodes of the podcast "exzellent erklärt" were released from July to September.

On 5 September, Prof. John Warner was ceremoniously appointed Honorary Professor of Green Chemistry at TU Berlin. UniSysCat is delighted about this great step forward in the promotion of green chemistry in Berlin.

A team of UniSysCat researchers presents a simple method for the screening of the photocatalytic activity of up to four catalysts in parallel – a method that may save a lot of time in the lab.

UniSysCat researcher Prof. Maria Andrea Mroginski is co-organizing the CECAM-Workshop on "Immobilizing peptides and proteins" from 4 to 7 October 2022 in Paris. There are still slots for Postdocs and PhD students available.

Dr. Bartholomäus Pieber, currently leading a research group at the MPICI, has been appointed an Assistant Professor at ISTA - Institute of Science and Technology Austria. He will join ISTA in June 2023.

A team of UniSysCat researchers developed a powerful electrode material for the electrolysis of alcohol, aldehyde and water: plasma-modified nickel foam.

On 10 September, UniSysCat member Prof. Roldán Cuenya from FHI Berlin will be awarded the prestigious X-ray medal for her groundbreaking fundamental work in understanding catalytic processes using X-ray methods.

UniSysCat member Prof. Maria Andrea Mroginski was interviewed for "TU intern" about the simulation of catalysts for the energy transition.

A research team around UniSysCat group leader Prof. Roldán Cuenya from FHI Berlin provides insights into size effects and structural changes important for the activity of cobalt oxide nanoparticles at work.

A team of UniSysCat researchers found a coupling scheme for the ATP-driven electron transfer in the double-cubane cluster protein and its associated metalloenzyme based on the structure of their complex.

A team of UniSysCat researchers developed a very efficient Ca−Fe−O catalyst for electrocatalytic water splitting. They also could elaborate the critical role of Calcium in the process.

UniSysCat member Prof. Birgit Kanngießer has been awarded with the Outstanding Achievement Award 2022 of the European X-ray Spectrometry Association.

The German Chemical Society (GDCh) honours Prof. Paul T. Anastas and Prof. John C. Warner with the August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann-Denkmünze for their special services to chemistry. UniSysCat congratulates!

In the new episode of the BR50 podcast, UniSysCat member Prof. Dr. Robert Schlögl, CatLab researcher Dr. Steffi Hlawenka and Prof. Dr. Franziska Holz (DIW Berlin) discuss hydrogen as the "champagne" of renewable energies.

From energy research to hearing aids to computer simulations in optics - five new episodes of the podcast "exzellent erklärt" were released from May to July.

The networking event Berlin4Ukraine on 30 June 2022 aims to introduce exiled researchers from Ukraine to the academic system in Germany and Berlin.

UniSysCat congratulates the prior associated member Zeynep Altintas to her appointment to a professorship in Biomaterials (at the Faculty of Engineering) at Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel.

From 20 to 25 June, everything revolves around catalysis in the Mall Anders: The Cluster of Excellence "UniSysCat - Unifying Systems in Catalysis" presents itself and its research.

Dr. Charlotte Vogt receives the Clara Immerwahr Award 2022 for her outstanding scientific contributions in the field of spectroscopy of catalysis.

UniSysCat offers help for scientists from Ukraine working in related research areas. To establish scientific contacts, we recommend the event "Berlin4Ukraine: Meet & Learn - Networking event for researchers in exile" on June 30, 2022.

Onward Aid is a grassroots organization that delivers medicine and medical supplies to frontline hospitals in Ukraine. After multiple successful trips to Ukraine, they are now collecting donations for further activities.

The Director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences is honored for his contributions to improving our understanding of surface chemistry.

UniSysCat warmly congratulates its member Prof. Schlögl on becoming the new President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He will take up his new post on 1 January 2023.

Dr. Benjamin Steininger and Dr. Alexander Klose have been working for years on the cultural theory of petromodernity and how to overcome it. On 22 June, 22:05, their research will be presented in a film on ARTE.

Two papers in Angewandte Chemie involving several UniSysCat groups show the versatility of Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) as materials for coupled photo- and electrocatalysis.

The Science Council recommends funding for a new research building worth around 69 million euros. Four UniSysCat research groups are involved in the large project.

For his photocatalysis reseach project, UniSysCat member Bart Pieber from MPIKG in Potsdam receives 839,000 Euro funding from the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation.

UniSysCat group leader Beatriz Roldán Cuenya will be awarded the prestigious Faraday Medal from the Royal Society of Chemistry for 2022.

This year's Clara Immerwahr Awardee Charlotte Vogt has been interviewed for Berliner Zeitung. Read here how she wants to save the climate - with the help of catalysis.

A recent operando study involving the UniSysCat group of Beatriz Roldan Cuenya reveals decisive parameters in the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction that were previously not understood.

Science in a shopping mall? That's literally "Mall Anders". UniSysCat is part of this experimental SciComm experience.

"The next antibiotic agent may be waiting to be discovered in your front garden." The Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse presents their research on microorganisms in the new episode of "exzellent erklärt".

A research team from the group of UniSysCat member Prof. Martin Oestreich introduced a deuteration technique by which otherwise expensive or noncommercially available NMR solvents can be prepared.

Quantum physics has the potential to revolutionize the future of computing. Researchers from the ML4Q Cluster of Excellence discuss the latest developments in the new episode of "exzellent erklärt".

Shuang Li has been a member of UniSysCat since 2015. She started as a PhD student with a BIG-NSE scholarship and finally, she became a group leader in UniSysCat. Now, she obtained a professor position at Sichuan University.

A research team including the group of UniSysCat member Adam Lange from FMP Berlin could directly visualize the ions in a variety of different ion channels under near-native conditions using solid-state NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.

"Sustainable flying - new aircraft models, different fuels" is the topic of the latest episode. Scientists from the SE²A Cluster of Excellence in Braunschweig explain how flying shall become sustainable by 2050.

An international team involving the UniSysCat group of Prof. Heberle successfully deciphered the pathway of chloride ions through a light-powered rhodopsin. Their findings make up a detailed „movie of a moving chloride ion“.

On Monday, February 28 at 7 pm, UniSysCat will present its research on the stage of MitWissenschaft in Humboldtforum Berlin.

Today, February 11, 2022 is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. We take this day as an opportunity to focus our attention on the women in UniSysCat.

In turn of this year's IUPAC Global Women's Breakfast, UniSysCat will host an online meeting: Meet four female UniSysCat group leaders and talk with them about research interests and career options.

How can we grow old healthily? This is the topic of the latest episode of the podcast "exzellent erklärt". Researchers from CECAD Cologne describe how one can prevent age-related diseases through changing the lifestyle.

As a group leader at the FMP Berlin, UniSysCat member Han Sun conducted theoretical and experimental research for the development of new drugs.

A team involving UniSysCat group leader Tobias Gensch presents kraken, a new database employing machine learning methods to predict properties of new ligands for catalysis.

The idea behind the new project „CILCat“ of the former UniSysCat group leader Martin Oschatz is to develop new materials to make catalysis more sustainable.

Climate change - can we hold the 1.5 degrees limit? This question is addressed and even answered in the latest episode of "exzellent erklärt" by the CLICCS Cluster of Excellence. Listen in!

Peter Strasser's group is researching electrocatalysts for an age without fossil carbon. In the article, published by TU Berlin, they present some of their most important lab devices and explain their function and use.

The new UniSysCat video series "Day in the Life" has been launched today! The first episode shows the daily work in the lab of UniSysCat researcher Shuang Li. Follow us also on Youtube :)

We kindly invite you to this year's EC2/BIG-NSE Online Workshop on Friday, January 7, 2022: The new batch of PhD students will present the work plan of their future PhD within UniSysCat and EC2/BIG-NSE.

On September 30th, 2021 the BeVoice Academy presented an artistic event on the subject of catalysis. UniSysCat is happy to have contributed. Here are some impressions of the event.

Quantum technology is the future. However, the fascinating world of quantum is still full of mysteries for the human mind. The latest episode of "exzellent erklärt" takes a dive into the world of quantum science.

A UniSysCat team around Prof. Beatriz Roldan Cuenya applied electron microscopy to track the dynamic evolution of copper catalysts in real-time under reaction conditions.

How fair is our education system? That is what researchers from the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute are investigating. For "exzellent erklärt" they also shed light on the situation in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UniSysCat groups of Matthias Driess and Tobias Gensch unravelled an unexpected mode of activation of carbon disulfide with a bis(silylene).

Artificial Intelligence decodes catalyst performance based on "materials genes of catalysis" which encode crucial material properties. Researchers from NOMAD, FHI Berlin and BasCat have proposed a new approach for modeling heterogeneous catalysis.

Congratulations to Dr. Charlotte Vogt from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. She receives the 2022 Clara Immerwahr Award for her outstanding research in the field of catalysis.

With ultrashort X-ray laser pulses, a research team involving the UniSysCat groups of Athina Zouni & Holger Dobbek gained important new insights into the function of photosystem II, a key catalytic system in photosynthesis.

Two recent interdisciplinary UniSysCat publications shed light on the importance of protonation on the functionality and reactivity of molecular compounds relevant in chemistry and biology.

Roderich Süßmuth has already been awarded in 2020 for his achievements in the field of peptide chemistry. The award was finally handed over at the annual meeting of the Max Bergmann Kreis.

We've been filmed! The Berlin University Alliance organized a film team to showcase the research of the Driess group on their Youtube channel "WissenAusBerlin".

UniSysCat member Prof. Markus Antonietti from Max Planck Institute of Colloids & Interfaces receives the prestigious award "Lombardia è Ricerca" for the development of artificial photosynthesis.

Omar M. Yaghi from UC Berkeley receives this year's Gerhard Ertl Lecture Award for his excellent pioneering research in the field of reticular chemistry. The award ceremony will be an online event on Friday, Dec 10, at 4 pm.

Bacteria in the gut - how drugs affect our microbiome: Lisa Maier from the Cluster of Excellence „Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections“ (CMFI) in Tübingen investigates the effects of drugs on our microbiome.

The award ceremony originally planned for 2020 had been rescheduled to November 3, 2021. Congratulations once again from UniSysCat!

UniSysCat researchers Shuang Li and Arne Thomas present highly active single-atom catalysts based on inexpensive and durable materials. Their approach is a great step towards more efficient electrochemical water splitting.

What an exciting new task for UniSysCat group leader Prof. Martin Oestreich! He recently joined the board of the new book series "Lives in Chemistry - Lebenswerke in der Chemie".

Nobel Laureate Prof. Gerhard Ertl celebrated his 85th birthday on October 10th. UniSysCat warmly congratulates the pioneer of surface chemistry and spiritus rector of our catalysis research.

A team of UniSysCat researchers deciphered the structure of the hunger switch in our brain - the tiny protein called melanocortin 4 receptor.

Benjamin List and David MacMillan receive this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of new catalysts. We're excited that the importance of catalysis is highlighted by the highest award.

Alzheimer's - origin, findings, research questions. Prof. Christian Haass from the Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology talks about his work on the neurological disease.

Together with Dieter Oesterhelt and Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann has been honoured with the very prestigious biomedical research award for his pioneering work on optogenetics.

LGBTQ STEM Berlin and the Society of Spanish Researchers in Germany (CERFA) invite to the first Bundesciencia LGBTQ STEM Tisch on September 30.

The three top articles published in Angewandte Chemie report sophisticated studies of reaction intermediates important in biocatalytic processes involving metalloenzymes.

UniSysCat member Joachim Heberle became a new member of the Austrian Agency for Scientific Integrity (ÖAWI) and the central ombudsman of FU Berlin.

On September 1, 2021, the first episode of the podcast of the clusters of excellence in Germany appeared: scientists explain to podcaster Larissa Vassilian how they want to find answers to relevant topics of our time.

The exhibition 'Oil. Beauty and Horror in the Petrol Age', curated by UniSysCat member Dr. Benjamin Steininger, will open at Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg on September 4, 2021.

The call for applications for the Clara Immerwahr Award 2022 is now open.

Application deadline: October 31, 2021

TU Berlin gives insights into the Rappsilber Lab: They work on proteins - the building blocks of life. Find out how they analyze the structure and interaction of proteins in their natural environment.

Prof. Dr. Beatriz Roldán Cuenya, UniSysCat member and Director of the Interface Science Department of the Fritz Haber Institute, has recently been elected as a Fellow of the American Vacuum Society (AVS).

Industry wants catalysts of high long-term stability. That’s what makes the research of UniSysCat member Prof. Franziska Hess so valuable - she predicts catalyst activities.

Honoring his outstanding achievements in life sciences, UniSysCat member Prof. Juri Rappsilber has been elected a new member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

UniSysCat is happy to welcome Ariane Nunes Alves as a new member of UniSysCat! She will start as a junior group leader at Technische Universität Berlin.

On July 20th, the Humboldtforum in Berlin opened its doors for the public. UniSysCat is part of the opening exhibition "Nach der Natur" in Humboldtlabor.

Omar M. Yaghi from UC Berkeley receives this year's Gerhard Ertl Lecture Award for his excellent pioneering research in the field of reticular chemistry.

The ISE-Elsevier Prize for Experimental Electrochemistry 2021 goes to UniSysCat member Prof. Dr. Beatriz Roldán Cuenya for her outstanding achievements in the field.

Four UniSysCat groups and one Einstein visiting fellow applied in a proof of concept study a new experimental setup for the characterization of reaction intermediates in [NiFe] hydrogenase, which was chosen as hot paper.

A team featuring the UniSysCat groups of Walid Hetaba, Reinhard Schomäcker and Arne Thomas successfully synthesized multifunctional catalysts with a controllable distance between their active sites - a key goal of UniSysCat.

The Einstein Foundation's magazine "Albert No. 6 - Catalysis" introducing the work of several UniSysCat researchers has been awarded three publishing prices. Congratulations!

UniSysCat member Prof. Oestreich receives the WACKER silicone award in recognition of his pioneering work in the field of organic and organosilicon chemistry.

A research team around UniSysCat group leaders Prof. Matthias Driess and Prof. Robert Schlögl has found that direct seawater splitting for hydrogen production has substantial drawbacks compared to the conventional approach.

"The joint project CatLab shall revolutionize the world of catalysis." With these heavy words, CatLab, the new catalysis research center in Berlin, was inaugurated on June 21, 2021.

Prof. Dr. Holger Dobbek, vice chair of UniSyscat, has been elected as a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities appreciating his scientific achievements and personality.

Mit dieser Frage beschäftigt sich UniSysCat Gruppenleiter Prof. Dr. Joachim Heberle als Ombudsman der DFG zusammen mit Dr. Hjördis Czesnick in ihrem gemeinsamen Artikel im Bunsen-Magazin.

This friday, the 23rd of April 2020, at 1600 the Clara Immerwahr Award Ceremony will be livestreamed on Youtube.

Asthe proclamation letter from the society indicates, UniSysCat member Prof. Markus Antonietti from MPIKG Potsdam has been bestowed "the highest honor on the world's most distinguished chemists".

UniSysCat member Peter Strasser receives the Faraday Medal of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for his outstanding contributions in the field of electrochemistry.

Two UniSysCat research groups teamed up with members of our collaboration partner from the ETH Zürich to synthesize a well-defined supported nickel hydrogenation catalyst by surface organometallic chemistry

The team of UniSysCat researcher Beatriz Roldán Cuenya showed that the important industrial process of methanol production can be positively influenced if the copper catalyst used in the reaction comes into contact with zinc oxide.

The EU-funded ConCO2rde project focuses on autotrophic biorefineries, which are powered by H2 and transforms CO2 from a pollutant into a renewable resource. The research topics cover the combination of synthetic biology methods with metabolic and process engineering and H2/CO2/O2-based fermentation. The ConCO2rde consortium consist of nine industrial partners and six universities including TU Berlin with Dr. Lars Lauterbach from the UniSysCat group of Dr. Oliver Lenz. The training network will provide the required tools and preparing the next generation of researchers for the implementation of sustainable autotrophic processes in the EU’s biotech sector. Are you interested to join our interdisciplinary team?

Researchers around the UniSysCat group leaders Beatriz Roldan Cuenya, Robert Schlögl and Peter Strasser demonstrate how how inner-sphere chemistry controls electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction rates.

Researchers from 4 UniSysCat groups succeeded for the first time to assemble a generic [NiFe]-hydrogenase from the two individually purified, metal cluster-containing subunits

UniSysCat research group leader Prof. Dr. Holger Dau and Einstein Fellow Prof. Dr. Robert Burnap use spinach to show how the ancestor of today’s PSII evolved about 3 billion years ago.

Dr Shuang Li has been awarded a 238.800 EUR DFG grant for her project "Organic-Polyoxometalate Co-Crystal-Derived Mesoporous Metal Carbides/Nitrides for Hydrogen Production from Seawater.”

Two UniSysCat research group leaders, Prof. Dr. Robert Schlögl and Prof. Dr. Beatriz Roldan Cuenya as well as BasCat, are involved in CatLab, the new BMBF funded catalysis research center.

Two female researchers receive the Clara Immerwahr Award 2021 for their outstanding achievements in the field of catalysis research.

We are looking forward to our Annual General Meeting on November 25, 2020, 4 pm.

Fossil oil (Erdöl) - what is it and what is its role in our world? Dr Benjamin Steininger, UniSysCat member and research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, looks into this exciting topic.

The team at UniSysCat is greatly saddened to learn about the death of Sir John Meurig Thomas, a highly regarded chemist and catalysis researcher.

An interdisciplinary team including UniSysCat group leader Prof. Dr. Peter Hegemann (HU Berlin) receives EUR 10 million from the European Research Council (ERC) to develop light-controlled molecular switches.

Prof. Dr. Beatriz Roldán Cuenya, a group leader within our research cluster, has been awarded the 2021-2022 Paul H. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis.

Three UniSysCat groups present the immobilization of a metal-organic complex in a truly innocent support for gas phase catalysis.

On the 3rd of November at 14:00, speakers and group leaders of UniSysCat will be showcasing the Cluster of Excellence and the importance of catalysis research at the Berlin Science Week.

Three UniSysCat research groups investigated in an interdisciplinary approach the formation of bulk- and surface-active layered (oxy)hydroxides for water oxidation starting from a cobalt selenite precursor.

Three UniSysCat research groups investigated in an interdisciplinary approach oxygen activation of a non-heme iron(II) Cyclam Center relevant for understanding the chemistry of dinuclear non-heme iron enzymes.

The group of UniSysCat research group leader Mathias Driess published three fundamental works for cluster areas A and D very recently, addressing distance dependent activation and specific electrocatalytic reactions.

UniSysCat group leader Prof. Dr. Kallol Ray has been awarded with the EuroBIC Medal 2020 for his exciting and top-level research in the field of Bioinorganic Chemistry.

Prof. Dr. Beatriz Roldán Cuenya, a group leader within our research cluster, has been awarded with a membership to the Academia Europaea for her outstanding contributions and dedication to the advancement of scientific research in Europe.

The call for applications for the Clara Immerwahr Award 2021 @TUBerlin is now open.

Application deadline: October 25, 2020

The excellence cluster UniSysCat at the Technische Universität Berlin invites applications for a research assistant position in the field of theoretical structural biology.

The excellence cluster UniSysCat at the Technische Universität Berlin invites applications for a position in the administration office of the cluster for secretarial, financial and management purposes.

In a collaborative approach the groups of M. Kaupp and S. Shaik present a general conceptualization of the nature of metal–metal (M–M) bonding in transition-metal complexes by use of ab initio valence-bond theory.

An interview with UnisyCat researcher Benjamin Steininger in National Geographic about our dependence on fossil fuels in daily life.

Five UniSysCat research group leaders and one former Einstein visiting fellow contributed to a new textbook on “Bioorganometallic Chemistry”.

Markus Antonietti, member of UniSysCat, receives the 2020 Hermann Staudinger Award for excellence in macromolecular chemistry.

UniSysCat warmly welcomes Dr. Tobias Gensch as new Junior Research Group leader in the cluster of excellence.

UniSysCat welcomes Franziska Hess, who is appointed as junior professor for chemical catalysis at TU Berlin since April 2020, at the Institute of Chemistry. With her expertise, she will strengthen the research in area A and D of the cluster.

We are pleased to announce that Peter Hegemann, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, has received the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine 2020 together with Gero Miesenböck of Oxford University and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg.

UniSysCat gives a warm welcome to Dr. Marius Horch as a new Junior Research Group leader in the field of Ultrafast Dynamics in Catalysis in the cluster of excellence.

The team of UniSysCat researcher Beatriz Roldán Cuenya was able to exploit the dynamic structural and chemical nature of Cu surfaces under pulsed electrocatalytic reaction conditions to convert the greenhouse gas CO2 into a fuel such as ethanol.

In an interdisciplinary approach, six UniSysCat-related research groups investigated the isolated core unit of a [NiFe]-hydrogenase, which displays basic catalytic properties and may serve as blueprint for chemically synthesized, H2-cycling catalysts.

Scientific researchers at UniSysCat are collaborating on a research project to evaluate the immune status of the population against COVID-19.

Prof. Dr. Juri Rappsilber from the TU-Berlin is working together with other colleagues from the TUB and the Charite on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They are collecting specific information regarding structure and interaction of viral proteins in cells. Furthermore, they are searching for binding partners of the different proteins of the virus in order to provide a potential basis for a future development of medications.

The collaboration of three UniSysCat group of Petra Wendler and of Silke Leimkühler (University of Potsdam) and Christian Teutloff from the Bittl group located at FU Berlin obtained detailed insight into the structure and electron transfer pathways of a NAD+-dependent formate dehydrogenase.

The recent research work of the UniSysCat group from Martin Oestreich was distinguished as very important paper in Angewandte Chemie (International Edition), in which they present the synthesis of a supercharged counteranion‐stabilized Bis(silylium) ion.

In a collaborative study, chosen as hot paper, the UniSysCat team of L. Lauterbach, coupled together with the groups of U.-P. Apfel, and B. M. Nestl bio- with chemocatalysts for the electro-driven synthesis of methylated N-heterocycles.

Researchers from four institutions in UniSysCat have developed a noble-metal free electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

The Clara Immerwahr Award ceremony took place in the TU Berlin's gorgeous atrium in the main building. The ceremony begain with opening remarks by the President of the TU Berlin, Prof. Dr. Christian Thomsen, followed by a welcome speech from our spokesperson Prof. Dr. Arne Thomas (TU Berlin) and a laudation by Dr. Martin Oschatz (MPI-KGF).

The ceremony was accompanied by a musical performance the group Saltim'band

More than 150 UniSysCat scientists met on the dates of 10. – 12. February 2020 in the central building of the Max Planck Campus in Potsdam-Golm to discuss recent research achievements within the five research fields of the Cluster of Excellence.

A research team around the UniSysCat scientists Oliver Lenz and Martin Oestreich uncovered the reaction mechanism of a novel biocatalyst involved in the synthesis of carbon monoxide.

We are proud to announce that the winner of the Clara Immerwahr Award 2020 is Dr. Sophie Carenco. Congratulations, Sophie!

We are proud of our EC2/BIG-NSE PhD student Ammar Al-Shameri for his success (4th place) at the "Forum Junge Spitzenforscher-Klimawandel".

The UniSysCat groups of Holger Dobbek and Ingo Zebger present in cooperation with Marius Horch from the University of York and Seigo Shima from the MPI in Marburg crystallographic and vibrational‐spectroscopic insights into the unexplored structure of the H2‐binding [NiFe] intermediate.

Prof. Dr. Sandra Luber, SNSF Professor for theoretical and computational chemistry at the University of Zurich (Switzerland), investigated the structure and dynamics of the manganese-depleted photosystem II computationally in a large collaboration with three groups of UniSysCat, Prof. Dr. Holger Dobbek and Prof. Dr. Athina Zouni from Humboldt University Berlin and Prof. Dr. Holger Dau from Free University Berlin.

The 2019 BIG-NSE/EC² workshop was organized by J. Niklas Hausmann und Frank Czerny and took place on Wed, 16th Oct. 2019:

Bridging homo- and heterogeneous catalysis: The surface organometallic chemistry approach

For the official opening event, UniSysCat presented a multimedia science event and an artistic performance

The research of Katrina generates a better understanding of the cycle of nutrients and energy in water.

Matthias Driess and his co-workers from the Technische Universität Berlin, Germany, report on a silicon-mediated direct coupling of carbon monoxide, ammonia and primary amines to form acetamides which are central in organic chemistry and physiology.

The Berlin University Alliance has won funding as a group in the Universities of Excellence funding line of the German federal and state governments’ Excellence Strategy.

We are delighted to announce that Peter Hegemann, Hertie professor of Neuroscience at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and researcher in UniSysCat has received the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize

Yuwen Wang, PhD student in the BIG-NSE graduate school and group member of Matthias Driess is one of the 45 finalists for the Reaxys PhD Prize 2019. The committee honoured her publication “An Isolable Bis(silylene)-Stabilized Germylone and Its Reactivity” in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The project "iGEM-Synthetic Biology" is utilizing different types of bacteria and combining their properties to develop improved biological batteries. The project is hosted by Nediljko Budisa and the UniSysCat Cluster of Excellence at TU Berlin

Nediljko Budisa and his team engineer aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) to provide access to the ribosomal incorporation of noncanonical amino acids. The researchers achieved a high-activity enzyme variant for photocaged ortho-nitrobenzyl tyrosine (ONBY), the synthetic aaRS substrate chosen for this study.

A record number of 25 projects in the "House of Chemistry" filled the “Long Night” program.The Institute of Chemistry and UniSysCat working groups participated with an attractive program.

We are honored to congratulate Peter Hegemann for receiving the Honorary Doctorate Degree from the faculty of biology and pre-clinical medicine of the University Regensburg.

3. May, the Clara Immerwahr Award Ceremony took place for Dr. Maria Escudero Escribano, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

UniSysCat researchers have developed hierarchically porous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for the first time.

We are honored to congratulate Robert Bittl as 2019 Awardee of the Silver Medal in Physics/Materials by the International EPR (ESR) Society

"ENERGY IN MOTION @TU Berlin" is an exhibition in the old library, located on the 3rd floor in TU Berlin´s main building. It deals with present and future aspects of energy production.

Today eleven high-school students participated in the workshop 'The Chemistry Reactor in the Cell - Our research turns living cells into industrial plants'. ”We are delighted about the strong interest in UniSysCat’s research. I can only encourage young female students to go into the field of chemistry and other STEM subjects!” says UniSysCat PR manager, Franz-Josef Schmitt.

“Jugend forscht”: Two young students (11th class) from the Romain-Rolland-Gymnasium in Berlin-Reinickendorf get support from a BIG-NSE student in order to improve their "Jugendforscht" project. Today they won the 1st prize Berlin wide.

A collaborative study of two UniSysCat groups of the principal investigators Patrick Scheerer (Charitè-Universitätsmedizin Berlin) and Peter Hegemann (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) showed the structure-based design and electrophysiological characterization of a light-gated passive proton channel by genetic engineering of Coccomyxa subellipsoidea rhodopsin which is originally a light driven proton pump. The authors suggest a strategy how to develop ion specific transmembrane channels.

The transfer of knowledge and technologies between academia and industry has established itself in various industrial branches as an effective way of promoting junior researchers and innovative product and business ideas. As a location of science, Berlin scores highly in the field of chemistry with its unique approach to fostering new career paths: a pre-start-up center is currently being specifically established for “green chemistry".

We are honored to congratulate Peter Hegemann as 2019 Rumford Prize Awardee for his extraordinary contributions related to the invention and refinement of optogenetics.

Two UniSysCat research groups joined their efforts to obtain experimental evidence for vibrational energy transfer in proteins. In computer simulations, mapping energy transfer is fairly easy - but experimental evidence is largely missing due to the lack of suitable spectroscopic probes.

In a joined collaboration, the groups of Lauterbach and Nestl designed an enzymatic cascade for the H2-driven synthesis of nitrogen-heterocycles.

During the first general meeting of UniSysCat, the executive board of the Excellence Cluster "Unifying Systems in Catalysis" was elected on Friday, Jan 11, 2019. Prof. Arne Thomas (TU Berlin) was elected speaker

2018 Nov 30, the Einstein Foundation has approved the application for the funding of Module 3 of the Einstein Center of Catalysis. A total of 8.4 million euros will be available from 2019 to 2025, parallel to the funding of the Cluster of Excellence UniSysCat.

How to Understand and Utilize Networks in Catalysis