Helge Stein

Prof. Helge Stein is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), leading the Professorship for Digital Catalysis. He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Ruhr University Bochum (summa cum laude) and conducted postdoctoral research at Caltech before joining TUM in 2023. His research focuses on accelerating materials discovery and optimization through digital tools like machine learning, robotics, and data management, with applications in catalysis and battery systems. Stein has pioneered the development of Materials Acceleration Platforms (MAPs) to streamline experimental and computational workflows globally.

Education:

• Bachelor/Master in Physics, Georg August University of Göttingen (2008–2013)
• Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, Ruhr University Bochum (2017, summa cum laude)
• Postdoc, California Institute of Technology (2017–2020)
• Tenure-track Professor, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (2020–2023)

Research Interests:

• Integration of robotics and AI in materials research
• High-throughput experimentation for battery and catalysis systems
• Data-driven approaches to nonlinear material-behavior analysis
• Development of decentralized Materials Acceleration Platforms (MAPs)

Key Awards:

• ACS Engineering Au Rising Star (2023)
• Kit Innovation Award (2023)
• Masao Horiba Award (2021)
• Eickhoff Prize (2018)

Teaching: Leads courses on high-throughput methods, data management in chemistry, and digital catalysis seminars. Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams across TUM's School of Natural Sciences and the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence.

Labs/Teams: Directs research groups focused on automated electrochemistry, materials robotics, and AI-driven battery design, with partnerships spanning academia and industry for global MAP implementations.