Liisa Rihko-Struckmann

Honorary Professor Dr. Liisa Rihko-Struckmann holds a dual role as Senior Scientist and Laboratory Manager at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, and serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg’s Process Systems Engineering department. She earned her Master’s (1989) and PhD (1997) in Chemical Engineering from Helsinki University of Technology, Finland. Her career spans industrial catalysis research at Neste Oil, postdoctoral positions at Helsinki University and the Max Planck Institute, and leadership in process systems engineering. Her research focuses on catalysis, CO₂ utilization (e.g., CO2RRECT project), biomass-to-fuel conversion (Probio project), and sustainable polymer recycling. Her work integrates computational methods, solvent design, and lifecycle assessment to advance renewable energy systems and biorefineries. Recent publications emphasize polyamide recycling, algal biomass fractionation, and machine learning-driven process optimization.

Research interests include: catalysis and reaction engineering, CO₂ conversion technologies, biomass valorization, and sustainable chemical processes. She has pioneered solvent selection frameworks (e.g., PSEvolve) and applied computational tools to design zero-waste biorefineries. Key projects involve depolymerization of plastics, lignin upgrading, and exergy efficiency analysis in energy storage systems.

Publications highlight advancements in polymer recycling strategies, algal lipid extraction, and process intensification via microwave/ultrasound techniques. Her articles underscore interdisciplinary approaches combining chemical engineering with AI and systems biology to address global sustainability challenges.

Advising and grants: No formal student advising list is provided, but her research groups likely involve graduate students in Max Planck and university collaborations. Projects are funded through German research initiatives focusing on circular economy and renewable energy technologies.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Process Systems Engineering group at Max Planck, collaborating with international teams on biorefinery design and CO₂ utilization.