Robert Schlögl

Robert Schlögl is Director at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin (since 1994) and Founding Director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion in Mülheim an der Ruhr (since 2011). He holds honorary professorships at Humboldt University Berlin, Technical University Berlin, University of Duisburg-Essen, Ruhr University Bochum, and is a Distinguished Affiliated Professor at TU Munich. Additionally, he serves as Vice President of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and member of the National Hydrogen Council.

He studied chemistry at Technical University Munich, earning his PhD in 1982 under Prof. Hanns-Peter Böhm. After postdoctoral research in Basel (1986), he became group leader at Fritz-Haber-Institut under Nobel laureate Gerhard Ertl. Following habilitation (1989), he chaired Inorganic Chemistry at Goethe University Frankfurt before returning to Berlin in 1994.

Schlögl's research integrates fundamental and applied catalysis science with a focus on sustainable energy solutions. Key areas include:

• Design of nanochemically-optimized materials for energy storage
• Heterogeneous catalysis for large-scale chemical energy conversion
• Hydrogen production through water splitting
• Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies
• Development of Power2X and Carbon2Chem systems
• Catalyst characterization and mechanistic studies

His extensive publication record (1,256 works, h-index 111) demonstrates consistent focus on catalysis innovation for energy transition. Recent articles emphasize CO₂ utilization, advanced characterization techniques, nanocatalyst design, and systemic approaches to sustainable chemistry. Research consistently bridges fundamental surface science with industrial applications.

Major scientific recognitions include:

• ENI Award Energy Transition (2017)
• Alwin Mittasch Award (2015)
• Dechema Medal (2010)
• Ruhrpreis für Kunst und Wissenschaft (2017)
• Otto Bayer Prize (1994)
• Honorary Doctorate from Darmstadt University (2020)

He leads research groups at both Max Planck Institutes, supervising teams working on catalytic materials development, reaction engineering, and energy system design. His laboratories specialize in advanced characterization methods including in situ microscopy and spectroscopy.