Josep Cornellà

Dr. Josep Cornellà (Pep Cornellà) is a Director and Max Planck Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, where he leads the Sustainable Catalysis Laboratory. His research focuses on designing catalytic systems based on earth-abundant elements to provide sustainable routes for organic synthesis. Cornellà was born in 1985 in La Bisbal del Penedès, Catalunya, Spain.

His educational background includes a B.Sc. (2007) and M.Sc. (2008) in Chemistry from the Universitat de Barcelona, followed by a PhD in Organic Chemistry (2008-2012) from Queen Mary University of London under Prof. Igor Larrosa. He then completed postdoctoral research at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) with Prof. Ruben Martin (2012-2015) and at The Scripps Research Institute with Prof. Phil S. Baran (2015-2017).

Cornellà's research program centers on sustainable catalysis, particularly developing alternatives to precious metal catalysts using abundant elements like bismuth and nickel. His work spans organometallic chemistry, synthetic methodology development, and novel reagent design, with a strong emphasis on environmental considerations. Recent breakthroughs include the development of bismuth-based redox catalysis systems and 'naked nickel' catalytic platforms that operate without traditional ligands.

His publication record demonstrates a clear trend toward increasingly sophisticated main-group element chemistry, particularly with bismuth in various oxidation states. The research spans fundamental organometallic studies to practical applications in organic synthesis, with a consistent theme of sustainability and innovation in catalytic design.

• Presidential Lecture Scripps Research (2023)
• Chemical Communications Emerging Investigator Lectureship (2023)
• Class of SN10 Scientists to Watch, Science News Journal (2022)
• Novartis Early Career Award (2021)
• Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Prize by DFG and BMBF (2021)
• ERC Starting Grant (2019)

Cornellà has received significant research funding including an ERC Starting Grant and multiple fellowships throughout his career. His laboratory actively recruits graduate students and postdocs, with research focused on developing catalytic systems that address sustainability challenges in chemical synthesis. The group's work has important implications for pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and materials industries seeking more environmentally friendly synthetic approaches.