Saskia Heumann

Dr. Saskia Heumann is a Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (MPI CEC), leading the Carbon Synthesis and Applications research group. Her work focuses on developing advanced carbon-based catalysts for energy-related processes such as water electrolysis and ammonia decomposition. She holds a Diplom in Chemistry from Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel (2008) and a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Kiel University (2012), supervised by Prof. W. Bensch. Since 2012, her research has centered on carbon synthesis strategies, including hydrothermal carbonization and plasma treatments, to create scalable and high-performance electrocatalysts.

Research Interests

Her group investigates carbon materials for oxygen evolution reactions (OER), hydrogen evolution reactions (HER), and ammonia decomposition. Key areas include:

• Design of nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts for electrochemical applications
• Dynamic surface chemistry of carbon materials under operational conditions
• Integration of carbon-based electrodes into renewable energy systems

Publications & Projects

Recent work highlights dynamic carbon surface evolution during electrolysis and the role of impurities in catalytic activity. Her projects include the PrometH2eus (H2Giga initiative) and AmmoRef (TransHyDE initiative), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Over 50 peer-reviewed publications reflect her contributions to electrocatalysis and material science.

Advising & Teams

She mentors postdoctoral researchers (e.g., Dr. Michael Poschmann) and PhD students (e.g., Melina Müller). Her team includes lab staff like Sandra Denner and Natalia Jakobs. Collaborations with institutions like IFM-GEOMAR and the Leibniz Institute underscore interdisciplinary approaches.

Labs & Equipment

Her lab facilities support hydrothermal synthesis, plasma treatment, and in-situ spectroscopic analysis. Advanced tools include NMR, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and electrochemical workstations for catalyst characterization.