Chair for Chemistry of Materials for Energy Applications​

News

1. 1st AluSym was a great success!

   Last week, the 1st AluSym (Symposium on Aluminum in Energy Conversion and Storage) took place in Jena. The meeting was co-organized by our junior group leader Dr. Desiree Leistenschneider, together with Sonia Dsoke and Franziska Jach. It brought together researchers and industry experts from across Europe to discuss current challenges and opportunities of aluminum in energy conversion and storage. Led by Marius, Franz, and Rudolf, the event was conducted by a local team from AG Leistenschneider, AG Oschatz and the ITUC. Many thanks to Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung for supporting the symposium and making participation free of charge, enabling researchers at all career stages to join the discussions. It was wonderful to see Jena become a meeting point for the European aluminum battery and energy storage community for these two days.

   10 March 2026

   

2. New PhD student Anjana Ros

   Anjana Ros is starting her journey as a doctoral student in our group. She will be researching the electrocatalytic conversion of nitrogen to ammonia and is part of the project “Synergistic design of catalysts, electrodes, and process for electrochemical nitrogen reduction with carbon(nitride) stabilized zirconium nitride systems” within the framework of “SPP2370 Nitroconversion.” Anjana joins us from Berlin, where she recently completed her master's degree.

   10 March 2026

   

3. New Junior Group of Dr. Sonja Mürtz launches!

   We are delighted to welcome Dr. Sonja Mürtz as the head of a new junior research group at our institute. Sonja joins us from the group of Prof. Regina Palkovits at RWTH Aachen University. Her research will focus on the valorization of lignin using renewable energy with the aim of converting this biopolymer into smaller, valuable molecules. The junior group is part of the LignUp project, which, alongside other PIs including the Oschatz group, is funded by the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung within the CZS Breakthroughs program. We wish you every success with your research, Sonja!

   10 March 2026