Katharina Müller

Dr. Katharina Müller serves as Head of the Surface Processes division at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) within the Institute of Resource Ecology. Her expertise spans environmental geochemistry, radioactive contaminant behavior, and advanced spectroscopic techniques. She leads research on nuclear waste repository safety, mineral-water interface reactions, and actinide speciation.

Education & Career

• PhD (2010): TU Dresden - "Sorption processes of neptunium on alumosilicates"
• Research associate roles at Kyoto University (Japan), École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris (France), and Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
• International fellowships: JSPS (Japan), DAAD (Germany), ERASMUS (EU)

Research Focus

Her work addresses critical challenges in nuclear waste management, including radionuclide mobility in geological repositories, microbial-metal interactions, and advanced spectroscopic characterization of mineral surfaces. Key methods include ATR FT-IR, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and in-situ environmental analysis.

Awards & Grants

• German Research Foundation (DFG) Grant (2011-2014): Surface processes of Np on mineral oxides
• Leadership in EU-funded projects (iCross, VESPA II) addressing cross-scale repository integrity

Teaching & Mentorship

Supervises PhD/Master's students in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at TU Dresden, leading lab courses in analytical techniques and environmental chemistry.

Labs & Facilities

Operates state-of-the-art facilities including the Rossendorf Beamline at ESRF for synchrotron-based spectroscopy, and collaborates with international networks in actinide research.