معرفی
Dr. André K. Eckhardt serves as an Emmy Noether Research Group Leader in the Department of Organic Chemistry II at Ruhr University Bochum's Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Previously holding positions as a Liebig Research Group Leader (2022-2024) and Feodor Lynen Return Fellow (2022), he leads an independent research group focused on reactive intermediates in astrochemical and prebiotic contexts. His laboratory employs advanced techniques including matrix isolation spectroscopy combined with quantum chemical calculations.
Dr. Eckhardt's research spans several interconnected domains within physical organic chemistry. His primary interests include the production and characterization of small reactive molecules relevant to interstellar media, with emphasis on phosphorus chemistry, reactive intermediates like carbenes and radicals, and prebiotic molecular formation pathways. His group specializes in cryogenic matrix isolation techniques (IR, UV/Vis, EPR) combined with high-vacuum flash pyrolysis and quantum chemical modeling to study molecules that cannot exist under standard Earth conditions but may be stable in space environments.
His publication record demonstrates consistent high-impact contributions to understanding quantum tunneling effects in chemical reactions, interstellar molecule formation, and the spectroscopic characterization of reactive intermediates. Recent work includes studies on glycine imine as a potential prebiotic amino acid precursor, phosphorus-centered radicals, and evidence for elusive molecules like oxirene.
- Emmy Noether programme of the DFG (2024-2030)
- FCI Liebig Fellowship (2022-2025)
- Feodor Lynen Return Fellowship (2022)
- Dissertation Award (Natural Sciences) JLU Gießen (2020)
- Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung Exploration Grant (2025)
Dr. Eckhardt actively mentors a diverse research team including postdoctoral researchers Adrián Portela González and Mika Maehara, PhD students Viktor Paczelt and Anahita Safiyan, and numerous undergraduate researchers. His group collaborates internationally with institutions including MIT, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and University of Hawaiʻi. He has successfully secured multiple research grants including RESOLV funding for PhD positions investigating solvation effects in interstellar chemistry.
