The chemist Robert Schlögl assumed his duties as the new president of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation on 1 January 2023. During the upcoming press conference in Berlin, he will introduce himself and his goals for his term as president and will outline the challenges facing the Foundation.
Journalists are welcome to attend! You can attend the meeting in person or via Zoom. An access link will be sent to you once you have registered.
Time: Wednesday, 8 February 2023, 10:00 am
Venue: WissenschaftsForum Berlin, Room 203, Markgrafenstr. 37, 10117 Berlin
It is permitted to film, photograph and make audio recordings during the press conference. Please register by Friday, 3 February, via e-mail to presse@avh.de.
Press contact on location: Georg Scholl, Tel. 0160-97 245 344
Robert Schlögl taught and conducted research as a professor of inorganic chemistry at Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. He was a founding director and later managing director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion in Mülheim an der Ruhr from 2011 until 2022. He is also a director at the Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin.
He is an internationally renowned and well-connected scientist. His research focus is energy conversion processes and catalysts. His work has contributed to a new understanding of catalytically active materials. As an expert for energy systems of the future and the complex challenges arising in connection with transitioning the current energy system to renewable forms of energy, he is also very experienced and highly in demand in the area of political consulting and science communication. As chairman of the advisory board of the Kopernikus projects revolving around the transformation of the current energy system which were funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, he played a significant role in bringing the natural sciences and social sciences together in work in this area. He has received numerous awards, including the Eni Award in the category Energy Transition.
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and Robert Schlögl have long-standing ties: He was a member of the Committee for the Allocation of Humboldt Research Awards from 2010 to 2019 and has served several times as an academic host for individuals sponsored by the Foundation.
In addition to his research work, Robert Schlögl is active nationally and internationally on numerous committees and advisory boards. He is vice-president of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in London, and a member of several other academies .
Robert Schlögl was nominated to be the Foundation’s next president by an international appointments committee . His nomination was unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees. Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock appointed him to this office for a period of five years starting 1 January 2023.
Digital press kit
- Invitation to the press conference (PDF, 179 KB)
- Robert Schlögl's curriculum vitae
- Press photo of Robert Schlögl (© Humboldt-Stiftung/elbmotion)
- Robert Schlögl speaking on ARD alpha “Campus Talks” (2020): Keine Energiewende ohne Katalyse (No transformation of the energy system without catalytic processes)
- Ambitions and programmes of the Humboldt Foundation (PDF, 6 MB)
- Exzellenz verbindet - be part of a worldwide network (PDF, 7 MB)
- Humboldt Kosmos 114/2022 (PDF, 5 MB)
- Newsletter of the Humboldt Foundation
(Press release 1/2023)
Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation enables more than 2,000 researchers from all over the world to spend time conducting research in Germany. The Foundation maintains an interdisciplinary network of well over 30,000 Humboldtians in more than 140 countries around the world – including 61 Nobel Prize winners.